Guide: Get YouTube Premium Cheaper – Just $3.70 (€3.14) per Month, No VPN Needed

Until recently, it was relatively easy to get YouTube Premium at a much lower price by signing up through another country. Popular methods included using a VPN to subscribe in countries with lower prices or creating a Turkish Apple ID to take advantage of cheaper local subscription rates.

However, YouTube has significantly tightened its restrictions in recent years. Regional payment methods are now checked more carefully, foreign credit cards are rejected more often, and many of the methods that once worked reliably – including VPNs and foreign Apple IDs – now work only in limited cases or no longer work at all.

As a result, anyone looking for a cheaper way to get YouTube Premium today usually has to explore alternative options.

Recommendation: Get YouTube Premium cheaper with a top-up service

Top-up services and digital marketplaces have become increasingly popular in recent years. They allow you to upgrade your existing YouTube account to Premium at a lower price, for example through voucher codes or family and group subscriptions – without having to use a VPN or foreign payment methods.

One option is GamsGo, a London-based company. You can continue using your existing YouTube account, including all your playlists, recommendations, watch history, and settings.

GamsGo currently offers three months of YouTube Premium for around $12.95 (€11.41) or 12 months for around $42.71 (€37.63). With the annual plan, this works out to approximately $3.56 (€3.14) per month.

Besides GamsGo, there are of course other platforms and sellers that offer YouTube Premium top-ups. Our own experience, however, is mainly with GamsGo, where the top-up process has so far worked reliably every time.

We have only limited practical experience with other providers, so we cannot make a reliable assessment of how dependable they are.

Buying ready-made YouTube Premium accounts

Another option is to buy ready-made YouTube Premium accounts from marketplaces such as G2A, Kinguin, or similar platforms. Instead of upgrading your own YouTube account, you receive login credentials for an account that already has Premium activated.

However, we would generally advise against this option. While these accounts may work without any issues at first, they tend to be less reliable over time. Common problems include additional security checks, phone or email verification requests, password changes, or accounts that suddenly become inaccessible.

Another drawback is that your existing playlists, subscriptions, recommendations, and watch history are not transferred automatically. If you want to use YouTube Premium long-term with your own account, upgrading or topping up your existing account is usually the more convenient option.

Top-up vs. ready-made YouTube Premium account

The main difference is whether you continue using your existing YouTube account or receive access to a completely separate account.

With a top-up, Premium access is added to your existing account. This means your playlists, subscriptions, watch history, and personalized recommendations remain unchanged.

With a ready-made Premium account, on the other hand, you receive login details for a separate account that has already been set up. This means you usually have to start from scratch with your subscriptions, playlists, recommendations, and watch history.

Why do the old VPN and Turkish Apple ID tricks rarely work anymore?

In the past, it was often enough to connect to a country with lower YouTube Premium prices using a VPN and sign up from there. Today, however, Google checks your region much more strictly. Users increasingly report error messages such as “We couldn’t verify your country” or are asked to provide a local payment method.

The previously popular workaround involving a Turkish Apple ID and Apple gift card balance has also become far less reliable. Some users now encounter messages such as “Payment Method Required”, even when there is still sufficient credit available on the account.

These methods are not completely impossible, but they have become significantly less reliable and usually require much more effort than they used to.

Countries where YouTube Premium is still relatively cheap

If you still want to try subscribing through a VPN despite the stricter regional checks, there are several countries where YouTube Premium remains comparatively inexpensive. Some of the cheaper options currently include India, Turkey, the Philippines, Argentina, and Ukraine.

The following countries are currently among the cheapest options:

The benefits of YouTube Premium

YouTube Premium offers much more than just ad-free videos. The biggest advantage is, of course, that ads before and during videos are removed completely. If you use YouTube every day, the difference becomes noticeable very quickly.

There are also several other useful features:

• Watch videos without ads
• Play videos in the background, even when your phone is locked
• Download videos for offline viewing
• Get YouTube Music Premium included
• Switch seamlessly between your smartphone, PC, tablet, and smart TV
• Keep all your playlists, subscriptions, watch history, and personalized recommendations

YouTube Premium Lite as a cheaper alternative

Another way to save money is to subscribe to YouTube Premium Lite, which is cheaper than the regular Premium plan.

However, Premium Lite is becoming less attractive as an alternative. Ads are still shown in more parts of YouTube, and the plan does not include all the benefits of a full Premium subscription. Depending on how you use YouTube, you may still see advertising on certain content and in other areas of the platform.

For this reason, YouTube Premium Lite is not a particularly good alternative for users who mainly want an ad-free experience. The lower price can be appealing, but the limitations are becoming increasingly noticeable.

Which method makes the most sense in 2026?

For most users, topping up an existing YouTube account is likely to be the most practical option. The main advantage is that you can continue using your own account, including all your playlists, subscriptions, watch history, and personalized recommendations. At the same time, there is no need to deal with VPNs, foreign payment methods, or additional accounts.

Traditional VPN methods may still work in some cases, but they have become significantly less reliable. Ready-made Premium accounts can be even more problematic, as you are taking over an account created by someone else and may be more likely to encounter verification requests, password changes, or other access issues.

If you want to use YouTube Premium with your own account and keep the process as simple as possible, a top-up is generally the most convenient option.