Private Internet Access vs IP Vanish

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Your credit card information is particularly important to protect. Most websites these days have end-to-end encryption to protect sensitive purchase information. But for the ones that don't, or for when that technology fails, a VPN adds a layer of protection to keep hackers from "sniffing" out your credit card information.

Another bonus? If you want access to streaming media that is only available in certain countries, a VPN can make it look to the streaming services in those countries as if you're a resident, and therefore you'll have no restrictions on accessing your favorite TV shows and movies.

Do you browse the Internet from public Wi-Fi connections in places such as airports, coffee shops, or shopping malls? If you do this without a VPN, your data is openly exposed to hackers who make a habit of monitoring unsecured Wi-Fi signals for data to steal.

You can't even trust your own internet service provider (ISP) with sensitive information about your browsing habits. They are often looking for additional revenue streams, including selling information about which websites your IP address has been accessing. A VPN hides that information from your ISP.

For people living in countries where the government has little or no respect for the right to privacy, a VPN is absolutely necessary. Otherwise, government bureaus, agencies, and leaders could have full access to everything you say or do online, including planning protests, criticizing laws and policies, or donating money to political organizations.

Therefore, it's critically important that you research the features, reputation, security, performance, customer service, and cost of various VPN services before you decide which one to subscribe to. Here are some factors to consider.

• Features: What does the VPN offer that makes it better than any other VPN service? What is the purpose of those features?
• Cost: How much does the VPN subscription cost? Is there a free trial? What about a money-back guarantee? Does the VPN service offer a lower cost per month if you pay annually?
• Reputation: Does the VPN company enjoy a good reputation among its customers? If not, why not, and can you live with that? If others had a bad experience, how long had they been customers, and what was done, if anything, to resolve their concerns?
• Security: What features does the VPN system include to keep you protected at all times from people snooping into your data stream? Do they log your activities? Do they have enough IP addresses for you to connect through so that it's harder for government officials, marketers, and hackers to deduce a pattern around your browsing? What's in place in terms of automatic cutoff in case the VPN service fails without your knowledge?
• Performance: How fast is the VPN connection while you browse? Does it connect and disconnect quickly?
• Customer Service: What are the options for contacting support if needed? Do they have live chat, email, and telephone support? Are they courteous and quick when answering questions?

TopConsumerReviews.com has compiled a report of the best VPN services available and ranked them in the order of quality and reliability. We hope these reviews will help you find the right VPN service to make browsing the Web 100% secure!