Amazon Prime Video provides access to some of the most coveted streaming content available today. But there’s a catch: the service is geo-restricted, so content is made available by region. Some shows or films will be available in Region A but not Region B. And unless you’re in Region A, you won’t be able to watch that content. But we can circumvent those restrictions by using a VPN.
Now, while it is possible to get around Amazon Prime Video’s geo-restrictions by using a VPN, not any VPN will do. Amazon Prime Video (like pretty much every other streaming service out there) is actively blocking VPN connections so users cannot bypass its geo-restrictions. You need a VPN provider with a few tricks up its proverbial sleeve to let you in without Amazon Prime Video detecting that you’re on a VPN. PIA is an excellent choice for this. Its streaming support is quite good and explicitly supports Amazon Prime Video.
So if you’re having trouble accessing Amazon Prime Video while using PIA, we can help. This guide explains how to get Amazon Prime Video working with Private Internet Access.
Why isn’t PIA letting me access Amazon Prime Video?
The key to getting Amazon Prime Video working over VPN is connecting to a VPN server in the proper location. In other words, the VPN server you connect to needs to be located in France if you’re looking to access French content.
Note that to get things working, you’ll probably have to try multiple servers (in the same region) before you find one that works. Even with a VPN provider that provides extensive streaming support, not every single server will always work.
But if you’re having a hard time getting Amazon Prime Video to work over PIA, it’s likely for one of the reasons below:
- You connected to a VPN server in the wrong region. Again, you absolutely must connect to a VPN server located in the region where your content is available. Unless you do this, it’s guaranteed not to work.
- Amazon Prime Video may already be aware that your IP address comes from a VPN provider, and that triggered a block.
- Amazon Prime Video placed a cookie in your app or browser. Cookies are quite revealing and can disclose your actual location. If one of these cookies is on your device, Amazon may have blocked your connection based on the information it got from your cookies.
- Another possibility is that you’re leaking DNS, which would expose your original DNS servers’ IP address(es), which were likely assigned by your ISP and will reveal your true location.
But the above issues can be easily fixed.
How to fix PIA not working with Amazon Prime Video
Here’s how to fix Private Internet Access not working with Amazon Prime Video:
- Once again, make sure you connect to a PIA server that’s located in the proper region for your content. If you know for a fact that the server you’re connected to is located in the right region, try a different server (that’s in the same region). It could be that Amazon already knows the IP address of the first server.
- Clear your browser’s cache and cookies.
- Try enabling private/incognito mode in your browser, or try another web browser altogether.
- Try running a DNS leak test to make sure you’re not suffering from a leak. Follow the link to learn how to do this – it’s very straightforward.
- Private Internet Access supports split tunneling in all of its client apps. Split tunneling allows you to select which applications or URLs will go through the VPN tunnel and which will go through your ISP connection. You want to make sure the feature is disabled. This is done inside the PIA app.
- Restart your device.
- Restart the PIA app.
- You can also try a different VPN provider, such as the highly recommended NordVPN.
How to sign into Amazon Prime Video with PIA
Once connected to a working PIA VPN server in the same region as your content, signing in and using Amazon Prime Video is trivial.
- If you haven’t already done so, create a PIA account and sign up for one of its subscription plans. It comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee, so there’s no actual risk to your wallet.
- Download and install the PIA app for your device.
- Sign in to the PIA app and connect to a VPN server in the proper region.
- Go to the Amazon Prime Video website – it should now work.
- If it doesn’t, follow the steps above.
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PIA & Amazon Prime Video FAQ
Which are the best VPN providers to stream Amazon Prime Video?
With streaming, not all VPNs are equal. Some VPN providers support almost every service out there, some support just a few, and others simply don’t support streaming at all. So you want to sign up for a VPN provider that makes a clear case for streaming support in its marketing. Check out our list of the best VPNs for Amazon Prime.
Are there any free VPN services that work with Amazon Prime Video?
If you look for them, you’ll find a few. But you may wish you hadn’t. Free VPNs aren’t very good for a few reasons. They typically have very small server networks. Large portions of their users will end up using the same servers. When big chunks of traffic originate from the same IP address, web services will likely tie that to VPN use and block the connection. Also, remember that most free VPNs have poor speeds and sub par security practices, so we don’t usually recommend them.
How does Amazon Prime Video know I'm using a VPN?
Amazon Prime Video will be able to deduce that you’re using a VPN from your IP address. When you connect to the internet, whether or not you’re using a VPN, your device is assigned an IP address. That IP address can reveal quite a few things about you, including that you’re using a VPN.
It isn’t difficult to associate an IP address with a VPN service. In fact, there are VPN server IP address lists that are freely available for download. And you can bet most streaming services are using them as blocklists – including Amazon Prime Video.
Will using a VPN slow down my connection?
A slowdown is inevitable when you use a VPN. A good quality VPN will manage to keep it to a minimum, but it’ll still be there. When you use a VPN, all of your traffic goes to the VPN server before moving on to its actual destination. That extra hop adds latency to your connection which translates to slower speeds.
On top of that, when on VPN, all your traffic needs to be encrypted and decrypted – causing an additional slowdown. Again, a good VPN provider will limit the slowdown, so choose your provider with care.
Can I install PIA on my router instead of using the app?
Yes, PIA supports routers.
By configuring a VPN connection on your router, you’ll gain two major benefits:
You’ll be able to connect to the VPN without using a dedicated app. Just connect to the router, and all your traffic will be routed through the VPN.
You’ll also be able to bypass your provider’s limit on simultaneous connections. With PIA, this is less of a concern as the service doesn’t place a limit on concurrent connections. But most VPN providers do, so this is clearly a benefit. By having the VPN set up on the router, you’ll be able to connect as many devices as you want to the router, and it will only count as a single connection from your provider’s perspective.
Take a look at our guide on VPN routers if you want more information on the subject.
Is it legal to use a VPN to watch Amazon Prime Video?
Yes, it is. It’s perfectly legal to connect to a VPN server to access the internet. As legal as they may be, VPNs are still banned from Amazon Prime Video, which has no other choice but to enforce the geo-restrictions imposed by rights holders. So if Amazon Prime Video can detect your VPN use, it will block your connection – whether VPNs are legal or not.
Amazon Prime Video has no precedent of penalizing accounts for trying, but you can count on a block if detected.
Does PIA keep any logs?
PIA does not keep any user activity logs. In fact, PIA has one of the best privacy policies in the commercial VPN space. It aims to collect as little user data as possible (only an email address and a payment method are required – and you can easily use a disposable email if you like). PIA also submits itself to regular third-party security audits to make sure users can trust it’s true to its claims.
Your privacy is safeguarded with Private Internet Access.
You can have a look at our complete PIA review for more details.
Will my ISP know if I'm using a VPN?
Your ISP will indeed know that you’re using a VPN. And it makes sense. After all, everything is happening over its network. Your ISP will be in a position to know the following:
- Your VPN provider
- The port and VPN protocol you’re using
- Your connection times
- Your consumed bandwidth
You might feel that’s a lot of information to give away – and you wouldn’t be wrong. But you’re still making privacy gains by using a VPN. Your ISP will not know the following when you use a VPN:
- The websites you visit
- The videos you stream
- The files you download
- Your DNS requests (unless your DNS is leaking).
