To subscribe to Hulu from outside the US, you need to find a reliable VPN address and circumvent the requirement to have a US credit card.
Hulu is one of the leading paid subscription video-on-demand services in the market currently. Reportedly, in 2022, The Walt Disney Company which owns Hulu and Comcast, announced that the platform has over 45.6 million paid subscribers.
This is a notable jump from the 41.6 million paid subscribers that it had in 2021. Despite this, Hulu is still only available predominantly in the US.
The service is also available in Puerto Rico, the US military bases, and in some locations in Japan.
However, even in these countries, some content is restricted because of geo-restrictions and licensing laws, and as such, you may need to use a few hacks to circumvent this issue.
What are geo-restrictions?
You may have searched for content on Hulu and a message appears saying, “We’re sorry, our library can only be streamed in the United States. For more information on Hulu’s international availability, click here.”
This is because Hulu’s geo-restriction essentially blocks all IP addresses that do not originate from the US, meaning that if you do not have an IP address based in the US, Hulu will restrict you from subscribing to the service.
The biggest reason for this is licensing restrictions. These restrictions could be infringed upon if Hulu was made available in the country, as there may already be an on-demand streaming service that offers the film, documentary, or television show.
Subscribing to Hulu outside the US
It is quite surprising, when you consider that Hulu was first founded in 2007, that in 2022, the paid subscription service is still making its entire library exclusively available in the US.
This also means that US citizens who are outside of the US cannot access Hulu from outside the country.
The service seems intent on keeping the status quo since, in 2020, it changed its policy to only allow subscribers to pay their subscription fees through a US credit card.
Moreover, after Hulu recently discovered that some people outside of the US used a Virtual Private Network (VPN) service to access the platform, the platform began blocking many of the VPN services that were popular and somewhat more affordable than the VPN services used today.
Another hack that non-US citizens had to learn recently was how to bypass the requirement for a US based credit card to have your application for a subscription approved after finding the ideal VPN address.
The best hack for this is as easy as purchasing a Hulu gift card. You can then use the details of the Hulu gift card as your banking details, and they will be approved by the platform.
| Start your free trial on Hulu here. |
Here are three of our top VPN service recommendations:
1. ExpressVPN
ExpressVPN is one of the most trusted VPN services which is perfect for those looking to stream on Hulu. Over 3 000 servers are reportedly optimised for this purpose.
The service supports up to five devices and is compatible with all of the leading video-on-demand platforms. Users can seamlessly stream and watch films, documentaries, and television shows on Hulu.
It should be noted that ExpressVPN is more costly than the other VPN services on this list, however, the price is well-worth the benefits you get from the service and if it does not work, you can ask for your money back and you will be refunded.
| Get ExpressVPN here. |
2. CyberGhost
CyberGhost is another popular and reliable VPN service that has circumvented the VPN block by Hulu.
The service reportedly has over 7 900 servers in more than 90 countries, with over 1 390 servers in the US dedicated to optimising Hulu streaming anywhere in the world.
It allows the use of up to seven devices which are all compatible with the leading streaming devices.
The service is touted for its money-back guarantee policy, which is made possible as a result of its around-the-clock technical support live chat agents. Furthermore, after the seven-day trial that this service offers, you can end your subscription and get a refund.
| Get CyberGhostVPN here. |
3. Private Internet Access
Private Internet Access is considered the VPN service with the most servers in the US dedicated to providing reliable Hulu streaming services.
The service is estimated to have 35 000 servers in over 80 countries dedicated to ensuring easy access to Hulu, with more servers in the US. You can connect up to 10 devices, which are compatible to stream Hulu, simply and simultaneously.
Despite the fact that Private Internet Access has a free-trial period, you need to request a refund via its 30-day money back guarantee policy to ensure that you get a refund.
| Get Private Internet Access here. |