Does Mullvad really charge €5 a month whether you pay for one month or ten years?
Summary
Yes. Mullvad's pricing page lists one month, one year and one decade side by side, and each one shows €5 per month with VAT included. There are no sales, and the only way to pay less is with cryptocurrency, which gets 10% off. How you pay matters more for refunds: card, PayPal and bank transfers are covered by the 14-day money-back guarantee, while cash, crypto, vouchers and App Store purchases are not.
No sales, no lifetime deal
Mullvad tells customers they can "top up your VPN account for an entire year, or just pay month to month for the exact same rate." Its explanation is that it doesn't want to lock people and their money into a long-term payment scheme. The FAQ answers "Do you ever have any sales?" with "Nope," not for Christmas or any other occasion. Mullvad says the price hasn't changed since it launched in 2009, and that a €1-a-month rate or a lifetime membership couldn't pay for the service.
You're buying time, not a subscription. Under the terms, the service starts when your payment is credited and "time starts counting down," and the terms expire at the end of the period you paid for.
Paying with cash or crypto
The pricing page accepts cash, Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Monero, bank wire, credit card, PayPal, Swish, Eps transfer, Bancontact, iDEAL | Wero and Przelewy24. The cryptocurrencies are 10% cheaper, which Mullvad puts down to lower fees and less administration. For crypto, it runs its own full node for each currency and hosts its own wallets.
Cash works by post. You put the notes in an envelope with a payment token generated on Mullvad's website and mail it. Mullvad takes EUR, USD, GBP, SEK, NOK, CHF, CAD, AUD and NZD. Its data policy says it has no way of knowing who sent a cash payment, and that staff shred the envelope once the money is out.
Card, PayPal, Swish and bank wire payments aren't anonymous, and Mullvad says so. It adds that payment processors such as PayPal and Stripe never see your Mullvad account number. If you buy through the App Store or an official reseller, the terms say the price may be different.
Which payments can be refunded
The guarantee runs for 14 days from the day you pay. Mullvad's refund page, the most detailed of its pages on this, splits payment methods into two groups.
Covered: credit card, PayPal, Google Play, Swish and bank wire. SEPA payments can only be refunded within Europe.
Not covered: cash, because of anti-money-laundering rules; cryptocurrency; vouchers, which go back to the store or reseller that sold them; and the Apple App Store, where Apple handles refunds entirely and Mullvad says it can't help.
The pricing page only mentions the cash exception. The terms of service and the refund page both exclude crypto as well.
An account number instead of an email
Signing up doesn't involve a username, a password or an email address. Mullvad generates a random account number, and that number is the only thing identifying you. An account holds two things: the number and the time left on it. According to the terms, it's also the only proof that you're entitled to the service and to a refund.
One account covers up to five devices. The data policy describes the same limit as five simultaneous connections.
Sources
- https://mullvad.net/en/pricing
- https://mullvad.net/en/help/terms-service
- https://mullvad.net/en/help/refunds
- https://mullvad.net/en/help/no-logging-data-policy
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Written by Kaz (pen name). Published September 28, 2026. The facts above come from the vendor and standards pages listed under Sources. We have not used these products. Corrections: contact form.