Why did my antivirus renewal price double?
Because nearly the entire antivirus industry sells the first year at a steep promotional discount and renews at full list price, often two to four times higher. It is legal and disclosed in the fine print. The fix: turn off auto-renewal immediately after buying, then either renegotiate, switch brands, or rebuy as a new customer at the promo price.
That $29.99 you paid for the first year was never the real price; it was customer acquisition. Most brands renew at list prices of $90 to $150 for the same product, and because auto-renewal is on by default and the charge happens before the email warning sinks in, many people pay the high price for years. TotalAV and McAfee are among the steepest jumpers; ESET and G Data are among the few that keep renewals close to the first-year price.
This is worth saying clearly: the practice is legal, and regulators have mostly required clearer disclosure rather than banning it. The FTC has pushed companies toward easier cancellation flows, but the discount-then-renew model remains the industry standard. Treat it like insurance or broadband: the sticker price is for new customers only.
Your playbook: the day you buy any antivirus, open the account settings and disable auto-renewal (you keep your protection for the full term). Set a calendar reminder one week before expiry. Then choose: call support and ask for the new-customer price (often granted), switch to a competitor at their first-year price, or simply buy the same product again through a new cart. Loyalty is the most expensive option in this market.