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Can you get a TunnelBear refund? Only in one case: TunnelBear’s terms say its 30-day money-back guarantee applies to the first year of an annual subscription bought directly on tunnelbear.com. Monthly plans, TunnelBear for Teams, and purchases through iOS or Google Play are excluded by name, and outside the guarantee all amounts paid are non-refundable.
Some reviews still say TunnelBear offers no refunds at all; that is out of date. This page sets out what the terms cover, what they don’t, and what to do if you are outside the guarantee.
TunnelBear Refund: The Short Answer
Annual plan, first year, bought on tunnelbear.com, within 30 days. All four conditions must hold for a full refund.
Not covered: monthly subscriptions, Teams, and app store purchases. Shipping, handling and taxes aren’t refunded either, the terms add.
Everything else is at TunnelBear’s discretion, case by case. Our TunnelBear review covers the service itself.
What TunnelBear’s Guarantee Covers
| Purchase | Covered by the 30-day guarantee? | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Annual plan, first year, tunnelbear.com | Yes | Terms of Service |
| Monthly subscription | No | Terms of Service |
| TunnelBear for Teams | No | Terms of Service |
| iOS or Google Play purchase | No | Terms of Service |
| Second year or later of an annual plan | No | Terms of Service |
| Taxes, shipping, handling | No | Terms of Service |
No partial refunds are guaranteed, the terms say. Outside the guarantee, TunnelBear may consider requests in its discretion.
Discretion depends on use. vpnMentor, which shares an owner with CyberGhost, reports that a monthly subscriber who used 20 GB in two days wouldn’t get a refund, since that far exceeds the free plan’s allowance, though its own request was granted easily.
How to Request a TunnelBear Refund
| Step | What to do | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Check you bought an annual plan on tunnelbear.com | Otherwise the guarantee doesn’t apply |
| 2 | Contact TunnelBear Support within 30 days | Its help centre calls them the Support Bears |
| 3 | Give your purchase date and account details | Speeds things up |
| 4 | App store purchase? Ask Apple or Google | TunnelBear can’t refund those |
Cancel the renewal separately from any TunnelBear refund. TunnelBear subscriptions renew automatically at the end of each billing period. TunnelBear doesn’t publish the renewal price, only the introductory one, VPNPrograms found.
Try the free plan first. TunnelBear has a free tier with 2 GB a month, which avoids the refund question entirely. Our free VPN guide covers options with more data, including Proton VPN‘s unlimited free plan.
How TunnelBear’s Refund Compares
Of TunnelBear, NordVPN, Surfshark, ExpressVPN and CyberGhost, TunnelBear’s policy is the narrowest. NordVPN and Surfshark (both Nord Security) and ExpressVPN refund any first purchase within 30 days, monthly plans included, as our NordVPN refund guide explains.
CyberGhost gives 14 days even on monthly plans and 45 on long ones, as our CyberGhost refund guide explains. CyberGhost and ExpressVPN belong to Kape Technologies, as does the review site vpnMentor; TunnelBear belongs to McAfee, which bought it in 2018.
If price drove the choice, our PureVPN vs TunnelBear comparison sets the two budget options side by side.
To test before paying, our free VPN trial guide lists the no-risk routes, and our VPN refund guide compares refund rules.
How We Research
The guarantee, exclusions and discretion clause come from TunnelBear’s Terms of Service and checkout page; the case-by-case example from vpnMentor, which shares CyberGhost’s owner; the unpublished renewal price from VPNPrograms; the ownership from CyberInsider, whose claim of no refunds at all we found out of date. We read all sources on 27 September 2026. TunnelBear is a provider we link to. Our full approach lives on the About Us page.
TunnelBear Refund FAQ
Yes, but only for the first year of an annual plan bought on tunnelbear.com, requested within 30 days.
Not under the guarantee. TunnelBear may consider it case by case.
TunnelBear’s guarantee excludes iOS and Google Play purchases; request a refund from Apple or Google.
No. Its terms exclude shipping, handling and taxes from refunds.
Contact TunnelBear Support within 30 days of your original purchase date.
The Verdict
A TunnelBear refund is narrow: first-year annual plans bought on its website, within 30 days.
Try the free plan before paying, buy annual on the website if you want a refund option, and turn off renewal early.