Why did my antivirus renewal price double?
What the second year costs
Across the 7 vendors that list both prices, the second year costs 42.2% more on average. Norton 360 Deluxe (+150%) at least doubles the price. The biggest step is at Norton 360 Deluxe. It goes from $49.99 in year one to $124.99 from year two.
TotalAV and F-Secure Total renew at the first-year price. G Data Total Security even renews lower (-30%). ESET HOME Security, Trend Micro Maximum Security, Aura, LifeLock and Webroot Essentials show only the first-year price. For those it helps to check the renewal price in your account before year two starts.
Prices come from each vendor’s own website, in the currency they bill in. You can compare every vendor in the Price Index and the Renewal Price Index.
The short answer
Your renewal is so high because most antivirus brands sell the first year at a promotional discount and renew at the full list price. How big the step is differs per vendor, and the Renewal Price Index on this site compares them. The practice is legal and disclosed in the fine print. The fix is to switch off auto-renewal right after you buy. Then ask for a better price, switch brands or buy again as a new customer at the promo price.
In detail
The price you paid for the first year was never the real price. It was the cost of winning you as a customer. Most brands renew the same product at a list price well above it. Auto-renewal is on by default. The charge often arrives before the reminder email has sunk in. That is how many people end up paying the higher price for years. The step ranges from double the price or more to a renewal at or below the first-year price. The Renewal Price Index lists every vendor with its source.
The practice is legal. Regulators have mostly asked for clearer disclosure rather than a ban. The FTC has pushed companies toward easier cancellation, but the discount-then-renew model is still the industry standard. It works like insurance or broadband. The advertised price is for new customers only.
Your plan starts on the day you buy. Open the account settings and switch off auto-renewal. You keep your protection for the full term. Set a calendar reminder one week before it ends. Then you have three options. You can ask support for the new-customer price. Support often agrees. You can switch to another brand at its first-year price. Or you can simply buy the same product again as a new customer. Letting the renewal run is usually the most expensive choice.
Relevant to this question
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