Picking a streaming server on a VPN has always involved some guesswork. You connect, load Netflix, get the proxy error, then try somewhere else. PIA has cut that short. Its Streaming Optimized list grew from 13 locations to 35, and two of the new ones are American: US East and US West.
The additions showed up in the app on their own, with no update to install and no change to the plan. That plan currently costs $2.19 a month.
PIA Now Marks 35 Streaming Locations
PIA picks those servers itself and keeps retesting them against streaming platforms, so the label points somewhere it has already checked. France, Spain, Brazil, Mexico, South Korea, New Zealand, and South Africa joined the list for the first time, along with more of Central and Eastern Europe.
US East and US West cover the American catalogs, where most of the demand goes. So you choose from a maintained shortlist instead of working through 91 countries by hand. Every current subscriber already has all 35.
PIA Surprised Me on Netflix and iPlayer
I’d more or less given up on PIA for streaming. Too many evenings ended with a proxy error and a switch to another VPN, so I went in expecting the usual. US East opened Netflix on the first attempt, and the series I couldn’t reach on it last year started playing within seconds. BBC iPlayer behaved the same way from the UK VPN location I tested previously.
To my absolute shock, Prime Video followed. Playback held up as well. No buffering, no soft picture that never sharpened, no dropped connection halfway through an episode. Speeds stayed high enough that I forgot the VPN was on, which is the only test that counts once you’re actually watching something. PIA puts no limit on simultaneous connections.
One subscription covers the TV, a laptop, a tablet, and whoever else is in the house, all at once. Most providers stop at 8 or 10, which becomes a problem the moment a family shares one account abroad.
The Renewal Price Doesn’t Hike
VPN deals usually advertise low and renew high. PIA keeps the same figure, moving to a yearly cycle once the first term ends.
- $56.94 up front for 26 months, which is $2.19 a month
- 82% off the $311.74 list price
- $56.94 a year from then on, the same total charged annually
- Unlimited devices on a single account
- 30 days to ask for your money back, open to new subscribers
Paying monthly costs $11.99, so the term pays for itself within the first 6 months. PIA has also proven its no-logs policy in court twice. Subpoenas arrived, and the company had nothing to hand over. The streaming list is nearly 3 times longer than it was, and $56.94 covers 26 months of it. PIA then charges $56.94 a year, the same total on an annual cycle.
Unlimited devices and US coverage from both coasts come with it. The 30-day guarantee keeps the decision reversible for a full month, long enough to try every platform you care about on your connection.
