Previously it was possible to get a free 7 day trial from Astrill if you signed up using another VPN or signed up outside of China. I previously published this page showing how you could get the free trial using another VPN.
It looks like they have closed that loophole and no longer offer a free trials for customers in China even if you sign up while connected to another VPN. No money back guarantee either. According to their official refund policy you can only get a refund if “Astrill doesn’t work on your computer due to technical reasons and Astrill technicians were not able to fix the problem within 7 days after purchase was made”.
The first sentence of the policy is “Astrill provides a free 7-days trial for all new customers.” However this is not the case if you are in China. However the second part of the policy restricting the refund conditions still applies. If the service works but works poorly then sorry, NO REFUND!
Be very careful if you decide to try Astrill because you are very unlikely to successfully get a refund if you are not satisfied with the service. If you sign up outside of China then I suspect you can still get the 7 day free trial. Read my chat transcript at the bottom of this page.
If you want to try a VPN that works good in China and offers a money back guarantee, here are some other options. You can cancel any of these for any reason and get a full refund within the guarantee period.
ExpressVPN – 30 day money back guarantee
Surfshark – 30 day money back guarantee
NordVPN – 30 day money back guarantee
To find out more details about Astrill’s free trial and refund policies I went undercover and posed as a potential new customer. Here is the log of my chat transcript with Astrill.
Astrill: Hello, this is [name withheld]. How may I help you?
Me: How to get a free trial?
Astrill: May i know your current location please?
Astrill: Are you there?
Me: China
Astrill: We are sorry for the inconvenience.Right now we are not offering free trial.
Me: Is there a money back guarantee if I cancel the service?
Astrill: Astrill is working fine in china.
Astrill: If you face any issue you can contact us back we are 24/7 here to provide you alternative solutions.
Me: Is there a money back guarantee?
Astrill: Refund is only possible as per refund policy.
Astrill: You can read it here https://astrill4u.com/refundpolicy.php
Astrill: Is there anything else that I may assist you with..?
Me: The policy says “Astrill provides a free 7days trial for all new customers.” That is the first sentence. I don’t think this policy is valid any more?
Astrill: Right now we are not offering free trial.
Me: How about money back guarantee?
Astrill: You can read Astrill refund policy.
Astrill: Refund is only possible as per policy
Me: But your policy is not valid because the first sentence is not true. What is the new policy?
Astrill: Astrill is working fine in china.
Me: So then no free trial and no money back guarantee? That is the new policy now?
Astrill: We will always provide alternative solutions to keep our services active and working.
Astrill: Right now we are not offering free trial. But as per company policy if it will not work fine for you after providing you all alternative solutions
Me: I want to try your service to see if it’s better than the VPN I am using now. If your VPN works but doesn’t work better than the one I am using now then I don’t want to pay for your service.
Astrill: You will be eligible for refund with in 7 days.
Astrill: Sorry but right now we are not offering free trial.
Me: According to your refund policy you are only eligible for a refund if “Astrill doesn’t work on your computer due to technical reasons and Astrill technicians were not able to fix the problem within 7 days after purchase was made”
Astrill: Yes
Me: But what if your service works but just doesn’t work better than my other VPN?
Me: It seems that is not eligible for refund according to your policy
Astrill: Astrill is working fine in china.
Astrill: If you will face any issue you can contact us we are 24/7 here with alternative solutions.
Me: It seems that you won’t answer my question. Can I refund if your service is working but not working better than my other VPN service?
Me: According to your refund policy it’s not allowed but your refund policy also says there is a 7 day free trial for all customers so I’m confused. What is the real policy?
Astrill: As mentioned above refund is only possible as per policy. But right now we are not offering free trial.
Astrill: You are only eligible for a refund if “Astrill doesn’t work on your computer due to technical reasons and Astrill technicians were not able to fix the problem within 7 days after purchase was made”
Me: Why don’t you change your policy if you are not offering the free trial any more? Do you still offer the free trial outside of China? The new free trial policy is a special policy for China?
Me: Can I get a free trial if I sign up in the USA using my USA credit card?
Astrill: Sorry we are not offering free trial at that moment.
Astrill: We will update our policy accordingly.
Astrill: Is there anything else that I may assist you with..?
Me: My friend in USA told me that he got a free trial recently. When did you stop offering free trial for USA customers?
Astrill: Its a company policy and i can not do much about it. I can not offer you free trial right now
Astrill: Is there anything else that I may assist you with..?
Me: I just want to know whether I can get the free trial when I go to USA next week.
Astrill: You can contact us then. We will assist you accordingly.
Me: You asked me which country I am in before you told me that there is no free trial. So I think there is still free trial for customers outside of China. What will happen if I sign up from USA next week? Will I get a free trial?
Astrill: As mentioned above you can contact us then we will assist you accordingly.
Astrill: If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact us any time. We are here always to help! Thank you for contacting us. Have a nice day. Good Bye
=======END OF CHAT TRANSCRIPT==============
Please leave your comments below and tell me what you think of Astrill’s refund policy for customers in China. Or let me know how the service is working in China if you have used it recently. Leave your comments as well if you can confirm that the free trial is still available if you are outside of China.
DID NOT WORK ON OUR COMPUTER IN CHINA
WASTE OF MONEY