Test your VPN service before making the purchase

VPNs are supposed to keep your IP address from getting leaked to the public. However, due to security flaws in their systems, many VPN services fail to do so. Luckily, most providers will allow you to trial their services before making a payment. Test your VPN by writing down your current IP address (which can be found on third-party sites like whatismyipaddress.com). Once connected to the new server, go back and look at your IP address. If it’s still the same, then the VPN is not working.