Here’s a chat transcript I had today with an agent:
Ruiz
Thank you for contacting ExpressVPN Support. My name is
How may I help you today?
Me
I am looking at your 12+3 month option @ 49% savings. I understand it is billed once for 15 months, then it says every 12 months after… is that also at the $6.67/mo price??
Ruiz
The $6.67/month price is the assumed monthly rate for a 15-month period on our 12+3 program.
Factoring in the additional 3 free months, you would essentially only be paying $6.67/month for 15 months rather than paying $8.32/month for a standard 12-month plan.
Me
What is the 12.95 price I see that is crossed out?
Ruiz
That is the price for our monthly plans. Normally, Our service is priced at just USD $12.95 per month, $59.95 for six months, or $99.95 for a full year’s access.
Me
Wait a sec… you just got through saying “…$8.32/month for a *standard* 12-month plan.” Now you’re saying it’s $12.95?" Perhaps it’ll be easier for me to understand the bottom line in a different way. What will I be billed for the 12mo + 3mo free promo, and will I be billed $8.32 x 12 = $99.84 or $12.95 x 12 = $155.40 annually?
Ruiz
All of our subscriptions are charged upfront. So if you will avail of the promotion at the moment, you will pay 99.95 USD for 15 months worth of subscription.
Then after that, you will be paying the normal rate which is 99.95 USD for 12 months.
Me
Huh??? OK, I get that we’re dropping a few decimal places and rounding here, but the promo I’m looking at clearly says $6.67/mo for 12 months (= $80.04) + 3 months free. You’re saying $99.95 for 15 month promo. That’s not just a few decimal places, that’s a HUGE gap in pricing. I’m confused?
Ruiz
Again, The $6.67/month price is the assumed monthly rate for a 15-month period on our 12+3 program.
Factoring in the additional 3 free months, you would essentially only be paying $6.67/month for 15 months rather than paying $8.32/month for a standard 12-month plan.
Me
The price plan reflects: “12 Months / (Save 49%) / $6.67 per month / Billed once for 15 months (including 3 free months), then every 12 months.”
What am I not understanding about this??
Ruiz
This means that the 6.67 USD per month is factored for 15 months. Meaning 6.68 x 15 months = around 100 USD.
So in total, you would only be paying 99.95 USD for 15 months.
Me
The way I read it is $6.67 x 12 months AND 3 months free… NOT additional $6.67 x 3 months. When we do it your way, then it works out to ~$8.32/mo (6.67*15/12). So, how come you’re advertising $6.67/mo for 12 months but charging that price for 15 months? What happened to 12mo @ $6.67 + 3/mo @ $0 (FREE) that is advertised?
Ruiz
If you would be reading the note on the same page that you are on, it says that Billed once for 15 months (including 3 months free) meaning that for 15 months, the price is factored to be as if you are paying 6.67 USD per month for 15 months.
Me
$6.67 = $6.67 … FREE ≠ $6.67
If the pricing is some sketchy catch-22 bait-n-switch thang, and can’t be straight forward with the pricing then I’m out.
Ruiz
No worries. I understand and respect your decision. 
Is there anything else I can help you with?
Me
Just want to be sure you’re clear and I’m clarified…
The price plan is clearly reflecting 12 months @ $6.67 (that comes out to $80.04) billed once for 15 month (thus, a customer should expect $80.04 for 15 months… because 12 months are charged at $6.67 and three months are supposed to be free, not an additional $6.67). But you’re saying “6.68 x 15 months = around 100 USD.,” which is NOT what the ad reflects at all. Can you confirm/clarify this discrepancy?
Ruiz
The normal price for our annual plan is 99.95 USD which is supposed to be 8.32 USD per month. Now, with the free 3 months included, it would seem that you are only paying 6.67 USD for all 15 months.
The 6.67 USD price is being factored into the whole 15 months which includes the 3 months that should have been free for the normal pricing which is 8.32 USD per month for our annual plans.
Me
But it doesn’t say $8.32 for 12 months plus three months free. It clearly says 12 months / $6.67 / including 3 free months. That’s the first problem I’m having an issue with. Let’s try some logic here… “including 3 free months” …so how much are the free months? Zero dollars? $6.67? Define “free” and what I’m getting for “free?” Secondly, it only works out to a ~20% discount, such that, according to you, and I will show the complete formula here using the annual subscription price you confirmed to calculate the savings percentage, 100-(99.95/(99.95+(99.95/12*3))*100) … that computes to 20% discount, NOT 49% as advertised.
Ruiz
Alright. If you will be looking at the regular price for an annual plan which is 99.95 USD and it would seem that you are paying 8.32 USD per month, correct? If you will avail of the promotion now, you will get the free 3 months on top of the annual plan.
Now, if you will take into consideration that your whole plan is priced at 99.95 USD but it is for 15 months, including the free 3 months, then the price per month would be 6.67 USD per month for 15 months.
I just want to check if you’re still there. I haven’t received any response from you in the past few minutes. Please be advised that our chat will get disconnected if left idle. If you’ve received this message, please let me know.
Me
Aha! OK. Wow. Wish it was really that easy to understand, but I disagree on a few points. First, as mentioned before, the pricing reflects $6.67 for 12 months, not $6.67 for 15 months, but I digress. Next, the reg (crossed out) pricing posted reflects $12.95/mo, not $8.32/mo. So, that’s odd. Now, here’s what I’m coming up with now, based on that understanding (not the advertising)… if I’m getting 15 months for $99.95, and it would regularly be ~124.95 for 15 months (at the ~$8.32/mo price), then that only works out to a 20% savings (see the math above), not 49% savings. Again… promo pricing is not straightforward. What am I missing? How are you coming up with a 49% savings in your promo pricing?
Ruiz
The 49% discount directed to our normal pricing for our regular plans which is 12.95 USD x 12 months = 155.4 USD vs our annual subscription which is 12 months for 99.95 USD.
Me
AHA! I finally see what you did there! This is NOT comparing apples to apples, though! This it’s comparing apples (monthly pricing) to oranges (annual pricing). That is VERY deceptive!!! The ad deceptively gives a subscriber the false sense they are saving 49% on the annual pricing by comparing it to the monthly pricing, where in no place in the ad is that made clear. The ad reflects $6.67 based on a prorated “annual subscription” price, but shows a $12.95 regular “monthly plan” price. We’ve solved the deception! Why doesn’t the ad just say “15 months for $99.95 … save 20%!” IT NEEDS TO BE THAT CLEAR! Not “12 months @ $6.67 + 3 months free … save 49%.” Am I the only customer that smelled out the discrepancy in these numbers? The latter just does not compute and it takes a thread this long to find out the hidden meaning of everything! How many customers have been duped into believing $6.67 for 12mo and just accepting the bottom line being charged rather than working out the math with the apples to apples numbers, as I did? Turns out they paid a price based on apples to oranges. I see a class action suit coming on.
At least I understand now and can make an informed decision. Too bad it took this long to get it figured out. Can’t even get an actual total until you put in an email address and a credit card #, or go through this nut roll of an inquiry! Not saying the pricing is bad, but if pricing isn’t clear, leads me to believe one thing and charges me another, then that is terribly deceptive, and for that reason I’m out. I’d rather pay a higher price with a comparable provider based on the principle of integrity alone.