If you are looking for an alternative to cable or satellite TV, there can’t be anything better than Sling TV. This Internet television service provides access to more than 30 channels including TNT, TBS, ESPN, CNN, and many others. Unfortunately, it is geo-restricted. If you are looking for a way how to watch Sling TV outside the US, you need an unblocking tool, such as VPN. In this post, we’ll show you the best VPNs and explain how to use them, so let’s get started.
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Why Can’t I Watch Sling TV in Every Country?
Literally, every single TV channel Sling TV provides access to is geo-blocked by itself. No wonder that the platform also had to execute restrictions. If it didn’t, copyright holders would take it to court for violating broadcasting agreements. To make sure that only users from the intended region can access it, Sling TV analyzes their IP addresses. If an IP address is from the USA, you are welcome to stream any channel you subscribed to. If it is not, you will see an error message.
Luckily, it is quite easy to fake your location. You just need to install a VPN on your device. A VPN app will redirect your traffic through one of its servers in the USA and you will get the desired IP address. Along with that, it will encrypt your traffic to make sure nobody can monitor it. A VPN is the best solution for:
- Enhancing your anonymity on the web;
- Protecting sensitive data (passwords, bank account details, etc.) from theft;
- Bypassing restrictions set by networks, countries, and online services;
- Removing throttling on public WiFi networks.
You can also try to use proxies and smart DNS to mask your IP address but they don’t provide the same benefits as VPNs.
Best VPNs We Recommend to Unblock Sling TV
Every VPN service is unique. This means some of them are perfectly suited for streaming videos on Sling TV, while others won’t deliver the ultimate user experience. We initiated our own extensive investigation to help you find the right provider. The VPN service found in the table below gained the highest score, so we recommend them for using with Sling TV:
- Provider
- User Rating
- Price
NordVPN- 14827 Votes
- $3.29 / month
PureVPN- 7715 Votes
- $3.24 / month
ExpressVPN- 6930 Votes
- $6.67 /mo
How do we know that these services are the best? Well, we examined them for a number of criteria and they were a cut above their competitors. We most liked the following features:
- A respectful number of servers in the USA and beyond;
- Blazing-fast connection speed;
- Software available for the most popular streaming devices;
- Ultra-secure experience thanks to traffic encryption, and no logs policy;
- 24/7 customer support;
- Competitively-priced subscription plans backed up with a money-back guarantee.
The services we recommend are commercial but you don’t have to break the bank to afford them. Along with that, you may come across some free VPNs. By no means can we encourage you to use them. They are notorious for limited bandwidth, data caps, outdated apps with lots of advertisements, and many security vulnerabilities. They are of little help to access Sling TV from abroad.
Quick Guide: How to Watch Sling TV Outside the US with a VPN
You don’t have to be afraid that VPNs are something complicated and time-consuming. In fact, even non-tech savvy people won’t find it hard to use those. Follow the steps below to get started with a VPN for Sling TV:
- Get a subscription with one of the VPNs we mentioned in this post.
- Install the VPN app on a chosen device.
- Start the VPN, and connect to any server based in the US.
- If you have an account with Sling already, sign in and watch your favorite content without problems.
- If you are a new user located outside the US, here is what you need to do.
Sling TV is a commercial service meaning you have to purchase one of its subscription options (start from $30/mo). However, there is a catch. Sling TV accepts only US-issued credit cards for payments. Along with that, you will need to enter a valid US address to register a new account. Don’t worry if you don’t have any of this, there is an easy workaround.
- First, purchase a Sling TV gift card online (on Paypal, Wallmart, BestBuy, for instance) to pay for a subscription.
- Make sure you are connected to a US VPN server whenever you visit Sling TV.
- Use this website to generate a random US address and type in the obtained details when creating your Sling account.
- Go to http://www.sling.com/gift where you will register a new account and redeem your Sling TV gift card.
- When everything is done, enjoy Sling TV’s content.
Important to know:
Keep in mind that Sling TV uses advanced systems to verify a billing address so the first one you enter may not always work. If this happens, just try entering a few different addresses until you find one that Sling TV accepts.
You may also experience errors when you type in your e-mail address. From our experience, the service doesn’t accept addresses featuring periods. If you have one without a period, try out with it. Also, make sure your email account doesn’t identify where you are. For instance, youraccount@provider.com.au or co.uk won’t work but @provider.com should be ok. The last thing, if you previously registered your email address with Dash, it may not be suitable for signing up with Sling. Make sure an email you type in meets all these criteria. For more information, you may use this help page. Keep in mind that it is seen only when you open it while having a US IP address.
Conclusion
If you are a cord-cutter, Sling TV is a nice way to keep track of all the cool shows and movies available on American television. Despite the fact that it is geo-blocked, you can easily watch Sling TV outside the US if you have a VPN. Try one of the VPNs we recommend and benefit from fast and smooth streaming.
We hope we answered all the questions you had in mind. If something is still not clear, feel free to ask us through the comments. We’ll be glad to guide you through the world of VPNs.
Ken Street says
Hi and thanks for a great article. I am resident in the UK and I have a VPN so I want to register with Sling TV and following your suggestion I can buy a Sling TV gift card through PayPal and use that to register. However, what happens say in 2 months time when the gift card monies have been used up with monthly charges or do I just keep topping up the same gift card before the monthly subscription is due?
Jamie Bell says
I think you can’t refill a used gift card, just buy another one and redeem its balance.
Angie says
Thanks, but when I try to pay with my card on Wallmart or Bestbuy it asks for billing address. Then my payment wont get verified: payments from addresses from outside the Us are not accepted and you need to use correct billing address otherwise it bounces. Catch 22.
Jamie Bell says
Try to enter random address you can use this website to generate one: https://www.bestrandoms.com/random-address , or try to buy from paypal https://www.paypal.com/us/gifts/brands/sling-tv