# VPN introductory and renewal pricing — billed cash

Observed / calculated: 2026-09-12, Australia/Sydney
Method: original calculation over stored subscription rows, using the US-033 cash-outlay model.
Not: a product ranking, a numeric score, a live-app test, a guarantee of anonymity, or an Australian checkout total.

## Formula

`covered_months = term_months + bonus_months`
`cash12_cents = introductory_billed_total_cents`
`teaser12_cents = effective_monthly_equivalent_cents * 12`
Renewal charges start at `covered_months` and add `renewal_billed_total_cents` every `renewal_term_months` while `month < horizon`.
Unknown renewal stays partial and does not repeat the intro rate.

## Hand arithmetic (AUD prepaid intros)

- NordVPN Basic 2-year: `479*12=5748 ≠ 12933` (covered `24+3=27`). 36-month cash `12933+18708=31641`.
- Surfshark Starter 2-year: `349*12=4188 ≠ 9423` (covered 27). 36-month cash `9423+11012=20435`. Surfshark One is not used (dual public intro).
- Proton VPN Plus 2-year: `559*12=6708 ≠ 13416` (covered 24). 36-month cash `13416+13428=26844`.
- Private Internet Access 3 Years + 3 Months EXTRA: `249*12=2988 ≠ 9711` (covered `36+3=39`). cash12 = cash24 = cash36 = `9711`.

## Flat prepaid (do not print a false ≠)

- Mullvad 1-year prepaid: `500*12=6000` equals the intro. 36-month cash `6000+6000+6000=18000` EUR.
- IVPN Standard monthly `600*12=7200` is not the Standard 1-year intro `6000`.

## Mixed currency

- ExpressVPN Basic 2-year: `299*12=3588 ≠ 8372` USD, covered 28. 36-month cash `8372+9995=18367`. Unconverted. Not checkout.

## Seats

- Tailscale Standard monthly: `800*12=9600 ≠ 800`. 36-month cash `9600+9600+9600=28800`.
- NordLayer Lite yearly: `800*12=9600` equals the intro. `5*9600=48000` is the 5-user 12-month listed floor.
- Twingate Teams yearly: `500*12=6000` equals the intro. `600*12=7200` is Teams monthly, not the yearly intro. 36-month cash `6000+6000+6000=18000`.

Same billed currency does not make the smaller listed total an Australian checkout ranking.

See `/guides/vpn-introductory-renewal-pricing`.