NordVPN Faces Lawsuit Over Auto-Renewal Practices in U.S.

• NordVPN is facing a class-action lawsuit over allegedly deceptive auto-renewal practices.
• Plaintiffs claim NordVPN made subscription cancellation intentionally difficult using dark patterns.
• NordVPN denies wrongdoing, says its auto-renewal policy is clear and refunds are issued when needed.

A US-based law firm has filed a class-action lawsuit against NordVPN, accusing the provider of using "deceptive and illegal" auto-renewal practices that allegedly trick customers into paying for unwanted subscriptions. The lawsuit, led by Wittels McInturff Palikovic on behalf of four plaintiffs, also claims NordVPN makes it deliberately hard to cancel renewals, employing what are known as "dark patterns." The firm is seeking up to $100 million in damages, citing tens of millions in consumer overcharges.

One of the key early filings came from Lanzy Kandeh in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York on March 28, 2025. Kandeh alleges he was unknowingly charged $119.08 despite believing his service and a related subscription to another Nord entity wouldn’t renew. The lawsuit claims NordVPN failed to properly warn customers and treated silence as consent, a practice known legally as a "negative option." The aim is to represent similarly affected users across New York for damages of $50 million.

In one case filed in July 2024, the complaint also referred to deceptive practices around NordVPN’s 30-day money-back guarantee. Customers reportedly were not informed they needed to request a refund explicitly after canceling, leading to unexpected renewals. While NordVPN has refunded at least two plaintiffs, the primary allegation remains that customers were charged tens of millions more than they should have been.

NordVPN responded by stating its auto-renewal policies are transparent and compliant with legal standards. The company noted that it sends reminders before long-term renewals and said issuing refunds, even beyond the 30-day window, is sometimes done as a gesture of customer service. It highlighted that two plaintiffs received refunds before filing suit.

As this suit progresses, the law firm is encouraging other NordVPN customers who were auto-charged without their consent to come forward. The case against NordVPN is one of several scrutiny efforts targeting auto-renewal practices in the VPN industry, with investigations also conducted into ExpressVPN, Proton VPN, and Private Internet Access, though no official lawsuits have yet followed