5 Types of Sites You Can and Can’t Access with VPNs

November 20, 2025 By Janne Smith No Comments 6 minutes

Want to watch a show that’s only streaming in another country? Or play a game that never launched in your region? VPNs make that possible by changing your virtual location.

A VPN routes your connection through servers in different locations, which changes how websites see where you’re browsing from. This gets you access to region-locked content, but plenty of sites aren’t having it. Some don’t care; meanwhile, others block VPN users on sight.

Here’s what actually works and what doesn’t.

Note: Using a VPN goes beyond privacy and security protection online. A reliable VPN, like FastestVPN, enables you to anonymously browse the web, without any third parties accessing your IP address or browsing activities online.

Streaming Platforms

Spotted a show on UK Netflix that’s not on yours? Route through a UK VPN server, and suddenly you’ve got access to their library. Same deal with Disney+ and Hulu or whatever’s locked to another region.

Streaming services know about this trick, though. This is why most of them now run systems that detect VPN traffic and shut it down, mostly because their licensing deals force them to keep content regional. A server that worked last month might be blocked today.

Still want to try? Fortunately, some VPN companies make streaming their whole thing. They keep updating servers and rotating IPs to stay ahead of the blocks. Pick one of those if you’re serious about streaming. Just don’t expect perfection.

Gaming and Gambling Sites

While streaming services play cat and mouse with VPNs, gambling platforms take a more direct approach, though it does vary from one site to another. Some block using VPN use entirely because their licenses only allow bets from specific countries. Others don’t mind as long as you’re in an approved region.

Online gambling sites in the UK, for instance, need to verify that you’re actually in the UK due to Gambling Commission rules. If you’re traveling abroad and try logging in through a VPN, many will block your connection or ask you to verify your location. Their mobile apps work the same way by checking where you really are, not where your VPN says you are.

The tricky part? Even sites that technically allow VPNs might have terms saying that you can’t use them to access the platform from restricted countries. If you win big and they find out you were connecting from somewhere you shouldn’t have been, they can void your winnings.

On the other hand, gaming platforms like Steam and PlayStation Network technically allow VPNs. But you should expect higher pings and disconnects, as well as region-locked content acting weird. Publishers can also ban accounts when they catch people using VPNs to bypass regional pricing or early access.

If you still want to use a VPN while gaming, whether for privacy or accessing content, connection quality matters. For those gaming on a Mac with a VPN, picking the right protocol helps with speed, though you’ll still get some lag from routing traffic through remote servers.

Take a few minutes to check the terms before using a VPN since the rules vary widely across gaming and gambling platforms. Doing so is a lot easier than dealing with locked accounts or disputed payouts later on.

Shopping Sites

Location and address verification isn’t just a gambling thing. Online retailers care about where you’re shopping from as well, though for entirely different reasons. People use VPNs to hunt for cheaper prices by pretending to shop from countries where things cost less. This includes everything from flight tickets and software to streaming subscriptions. This is because prices vary depending on where you’re “located.”

Does it work? Sometimes. But Amazon and other big retailers have caught on to this tactic. When you connect through a VPN, you might see products listed in a different currency or find that certain items are restricted based on the region your VPN server is in. That’s the site adapting to where it thinks you’re browsing from.

The bigger issue comes at checkout. Payment systems compare your billing address with your apparent location. If your credit card is registered in the US but you’re “shopping” from a server in Brazil, that mismatch will automatically trigger a fraud alert. Your transaction gets declined, or worse, your account gets flagged for suspicious activity.

Banking

Banks take security very seriously, and VPNs can trigger their fraud detection systems. Log in to your account from what looks like another country, and your bank might think that an unauthorized individual is trying to access your funds. You’ll likely get a security alert that will require identity verification before you can proceed.

This applies to payment apps, investment platforms, and crypto exchanges, too. Most financial institutions would rather lock you out temporarily than risk actual fraud. If you’re traveling and using a VPN for general security, just disable it before accessing banking services. This saves you the hassle of verification steps or security holds.

That said, using a VPN for banking does have legitimate security benefits in certain situations, like when you’re on public Wi-Fi or accessing your account from an unsecured network. The key is understanding when it helps and when it might cause issues. As a general rule, it’s easier to turn the VPN off for a few minutes than deal with locked accounts or frozen transactions.

Banks see VPNs as potential security risks in their context, even though VPNs have legitimate uses for protecting intellectual property in other situations.

Social Media

On the more relaxed end of the scale, social media platforms like Facebook and X don’t care about VPNs. Post, scroll, message, whatever. Though if you log in from one place and suddenly show up in another country, you might get a security check asking you to verify your identity.

In countries that block social media entirely, VPNs are how people get around it. The platform isn’t blocking you there; your government is.

Bottom Line

VPNs aren’t universally accepted. Some sites don’t care if you use one, others will block you on sight, and a few fall somewhere in between.

Before you connect, take a second to check if the platform bans VPN traffic. Banking sites will almost always require you to turn it off. Gambling platforms vary based on their licensing. For streaming or casual browsing, you can usually test it first and disconnect if you run into problems.