Australia has its own Paramount Plus, and at first glance it looks like the American service with local prices. It isn’t. Sign in to a US account from Sydney or Perth, and the American library won’t appear. The local version has Network 10 shows and A-League football, but no NFL on CBS, no Champions League, and only part of the UFC calendar.
For Americans living in Australia and Aussie fans of US sport, that creates two problems. Getting into the US version from here is the first, and paying for it without an American bank card is the second. A VPN with US servers solves the first one, while payment is where most sign-ups go wrong.
The quick steps are below if you’re there only for them, then the payment options, the library differences, and the VPNs that worked in our tests.
US Paramount+ in Australia: Unblocking Tutorial
- Subscribe to NordVPN and set it up on the device you stream on.
- Pick a US server in the app, New York for example.
- Buy a Paramount+ gift card from an official US retailer, unless you already have a US card or US PayPal account.
- Create your account on paramountplus.com and redeem the gift card to pay.
- Start streaming on your TV, phone, or laptop, with the VPN on the same US server.
Unblock US Paramount+ With NordVPN
Paramount+ reads your IP address to choose the library, so the American one appears only over a US connection. Paramount+ Australia is a separate service, with its own account and plans, and it requires an Australian card to subscribe.
Unblock US Paramount+ in Australia: Detailed Tutorial
Start with a VPN that has US servers and can get past Paramount+’s VPN detection. NordVPN did this on its New York servers in our tests, so the steps below use its app. Subscribe, install NordVPN on your computer, phone, or streaming device, and sign in with your account.
Paramount+ picks the library from your IP address, so the next step is to swap your Australian IP address for an American one. Open All Locations, choose the United States, and click Connect. You can also search for New York, which worked well for us.
NordVPN now has servers in every US state, so a city close to the team you follow is usually on the list. With the VPN on, your connection uses a US IP address, and Paramount+ treats you as a viewer in New York. Next, create a new account on the Paramount+ website in a browser, not in the app.
Signup requires an email, a password, and a US ZIP code. I entered a New York ZIP code to match my server, and the account went through without any issue. At the payment screen, redeem your gift card on Paramount+’s gift page, then go back and finish paying with the balance.
With the account active, the full US catalog worked normally on NordVPN, and movies and series streamed without buffering. Use that server for later sessions too. When the subscription period ends, a new gift card covers the next one.
Watch Paramount+ US With NordVPN
Can You Pay for US Paramount+ With an Australian Card?
Usually not. Paramount+’s help center is clear that the US service doesn’t take cards issued abroad, and every charge is in US dollars. So an Australian Visa or Mastercard is likely to fail at checkout. Two payment methods work instead:
- A Paramount+ gift card: Amazon’s US store and other authorized retailers sell digital codes worth set dollar values. Redeem the code on the Paramount+ website, since gift cards can’t pay for subscriptions made through Apple or Google.
- A US card or US PayPal account: the simplest option for Americans who moved to Australia and kept a US bank account.
Stick to authorized sellers. Paramount’s gift card terms void codes bought anywhere else, and a canceled code also cancels the subscription it paid for. The same terms are written for US residents, so gift cards are a cleaner fit for Americans abroad than for Australians.
When the balance is used up, the account requires a new payment method, so redeem the next code before the renewal date. There’s also no free trial on the US version anymore. Paramount+ retired trials for new US subscribers, so you pay from the first month.
On top of that, Paramount’s US terms of use limit the service to the US and its territories. They also prohibit using a VPN to get around location checks, with account suspension as the possible penalty.
Paramount Plus Australia vs USA: What’s the Difference?
The two versions share many Paramount+ originals, but sport and live TV differ a lot. Here’s how they compare:
| Paramount+ USA | Paramount+ Australia | |
| Plans | Essential and Premium | Basic with Ads, Standard, and Premium |
| Starting price | About US$9 a month (Essential, with ads) | About A$8 a month (Basic with Ads) |
| Live TV | Live local CBS station (Premium plan) | No live CBS |
| Football and NFL | Champions League and Sunday NFL on CBS | A-Leagues, Matildas, selected Socceroos matches |
| UFC | All 43 events of the 2026 season, numbered main cards included | 30 Fight Nights and the prelims of 13 numbered events |
| Showtime titles | Full library on Premium | Selected series |
| Free trial | None for new subscribers | 7 days |
American sport is the main draw of the US version. On the Premium plan, the live CBS channel for your city shows NFL games and new CBS episodes as they air. UFC numbered events come at no extra cost, while Australian viewers still buy those main cards through Main Event.
NFL games in Australia air on Seven and 7plus instead, since Paramount+ Australia doesn’t have them. The Australian version has its own strengths: every A-League match, the Matildas, and shows from Network 10, with a lower starting price and a free trial. If that’s what you mostly watch, Paramount+ Australia covers it without a VPN.
The US sports calendar and the full Showtime library require a VPN in Australia with fast US servers.
Top VPNs for Accessing US Paramount Plus in Australia
Paramount+ detects and blocks a lot of VPN servers. Of the 30+ VPNs we’ve tested, NordVPN, Proton VPN, and ExpressVPN got past that on New York servers.
The speed loss figure shows how much download speed each VPN costs compared to the same connection with no VPN.
| VPN | Speed loss (New York) | US server locations | CBS free live stream (cbs.com) | Devices at once |
| NordVPN | 5.5% | 55 cities in all 50 states | Unblocked | 10 |
| Proton VPN | 23.5% | 18 states and Washington, DC | Detected in New York, unblocked in Seattle | 10 |
| ExpressVPN | 14.0% | 63 locations | Detected in New York | 10 to 14, by plan |
1. NordVPN: Best VPN to Unblock Paramount+ US Anywhere
Pros
- US Paramount+ unblocked in New York
- Servers in every US state
- cbs.com live stream unblocked
- Obfuscated servers for strict networks
- 3-day free trial on Android
Con
- App takes some learning for beginners
NordVPN had a 5.5% speed loss on its New York server, so you won’t notice the VPN during a 4K stream of a Sunday NFL game. It was also the only one of the three to unblock CBS’s free live stream on cbs.com. Since its US servers cover every state, Australians following a specific NFL team can connect to a city in that market for the local CBS broadcast.
On networks that block VPNs, such as some office or hotel Wi-Fi, its obfuscated servers disguise the VPN connection as regular web traffic. The app has more menus than ExpressVPN’s, so it takes a few sessions to learn.
For Paramount+, the server list is the only part you’ll use, and the search bar finds New York in seconds. Native apps for Android TV, Fire TV, and Apple TV bring the US catalog to the TV in your lounge room, and one subscription covers ten devices.
NordVPN’s full test results include its other streaming checks, and every plan comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
2. Proton VPN: Most Secure Paramount Plus VPN
Pros
- Paramount+ US worked on New York servers
- Audited no-logs policy under Swiss law
- NetShield ad blocker
- Stealth protocol on VPN-blocking Wi-Fi
Con
- Detected by cbs.com on New York servers
Proton VPN unblocked Paramount+ on its New York servers with WireGuard and VPN Accelerator enabled, a setting that speeds up connections to distant servers. Its 23.5% speed loss was the largest of the three, yet the remaining speed was still far above what a 4K stream requires.
However, cbs.com detected it on New York servers, so the free CBS live stream didn’t work there. A Seattle server unblocked it, so switching US cities is the first thing to check. Proton VPN’s main strength is privacy. The company operates under Swiss privacy law, independent auditors have checked its no-logs claim, and its NetShield filter removes ads and trackers from websites.
Its Stealth protocol hides VPN traffic on Wi-Fi that blocks VPNs, for example in a shared house or on campus. You can also set up profiles to optimize the VPN for streaming or gaming. On the two-year term, Proton VPN is just under $3 a month, and Proton VPN’s privacy record has more detail.
3. ExpressVPN: Fast VPN for Paramount+ Streaming
Pros
- Automatic obfuscation on every server
- Philadelphia, Tampa, and DC servers
- Lightway protocol for quick connections
- Up to 14 devices on the top plan
Cons
- cbs.com live stream blocked in New York
- Few advanced settings
ExpressVPN disguises its traffic on every server automatically, so there’s nothing to configure before Paramount+ unblocks. On its New York server, it had a 14% speed loss, comfortably enough for Full HD and 4K. Its US list has 63 locations, Philadelphia, Tampa, and Washington, DC, among them, so NFL fans can pick a particular local CBS market.
Setup on a Fire TV Stick or Apple TV takes a few minutes with ExpressVPN’s apps, and connecting is a single click. Like Proton VPN, it couldn’t unblock the free CBS stream on cbs.com from New York. Premium subscribers still receive the local CBS station in Paramount+, so the missing free stream only affects Essential users.
Power users will find little to adjust in the app, but Paramount+ works with default settings. ExpressVPN’s Basic plan is about $3 a month over two years, with ten devices included. Higher plans go up to 14 devices, but in my experience, 10 are more than enough for most people.
US Paramount+ Not Working in Australia?
A region error or an empty library usually means Paramount+ still sees an Australian IP address or a flagged server. These fixes typically solve it:
- Switch US servers: connect to a different US city, or reconnect to the same one for a new IP address.
- Clear cookies and cache: the browser may still remember your Australian location from an earlier visit.
- Connect before you open Paramount+: on a phone or TV, close the app fully, connect the VPN, then open it again.
- Check your payment: a used-up gift card balance stops the subscription, which looks like a blocked account.
On a smart TV without a VPN app, set the VPN up on your router or share the connection from a laptop. The TV then receives a US IP address too.
Can I Unblock Paramount+ With a Free VPN?
It’s possible, but rarely practical. Reputable free VPNs limit you to roughly 10 GB of data a month, a few hours of HD, and Proton VPN’s free plan won’t unblock streaming services. Unknown free VPNs are a bigger risk, since some make money by logging and selling user data.
Since the US version has no free trial either, a free VPN leaves you paying for your Paramount+ subscription. For free TV, Pluto TV’s channels are part of the free 10 app in Australia, and Paramount owns both. Paramount+ Australia also still has a 7-day trial.
Summary
US Paramount+ is worth setting up in Australia if you want NFL on CBS, the Champions League, every UFC numbered event without pay-per-view, or the full Showtime library. For Australian football and Network 10 shows, the local version already covers you, costs less, and requires no VPN.
The method is simple. With a VPN on a US server, you sign up on the Paramount+ website and pay with a US card or an authorized gift card. NordVPN made it simplest for us, since the US library and the free CBS live stream worked on its New York servers.
One tip before you buy the gift card: check the annual plan. It costs less than 12 monthly payments, and a single top-up covers the whole year, so there’s no monthly renewal to keep track of.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Paramount Plus work in Australia?
Yes, Australia has its own Paramount+ service with local plans, A-Leagues football, and Network 10 shows. The American version is a separate service and unavailable from an Australian IP address.
Can a US Paramount+ account be used in Australia?
No, Paramount’s US terms limit the service to the US and its territories. Signing in to a US account from an Australian IP address doesn’t bring up the American library.
Can Paramount Plus gift cards be bought in Australia?
Not from Australian stores. Paramount+ gift cards come from authorized US retailers, can be redeemed only on the Paramount+ website, and their terms restrict use to US residents.
Does Paramount Plus work with a VPN?
Yes, a VPN with US servers can unblock the American library. However, Paramount+ blocks many VPN servers, and its terms prohibit using one to get around location checks.
Is UFC on Paramount Plus in Australia?
Yes, partly. Paramount+ Australia streams UFC Fight Nights and the prelims of numbered events, while the main cards of numbered events remain pay-per-view through Main Event on Foxtel or Kayo.
Is there a Paramount Plus free trial?
In Australia, yes, Paramount+ offers new subscribers a 7-day free trial. The US version no longer offers free trials, so American subscriptions are paid from the first month.