YouTube is continuing to clean up cross-region subscriptions, Türkiye, Nigeria, and Argentina are the hardest hit areas

Recently, YouTube has been intensifying efforts to clean up cross-region subscriptions. This practice involves users outside a specific area subscribing by altering their billing address and using virtual payment cards specific to a region. Nigeria, Turkey, and Argentina are notably affected due to their currencies—the Nigerian Naira, Argentine Peso, and Turkish Lira—experiencing significant devaluation against the US dollar in recent years.

Subscribing from these regions allows users to access subscription services at much lower rates, a discrepancy that companies like Google, Apple, and Netflix usually counter by periodically adjusting prices according to exchange rates.

However, Google's approach is more aggressive. It involves detecting users with cross-region subscriptions and forcibly canceling these subscriptions once they expire. Users are then required to re-subscribe using a payment method issued in their actual location.

In recent days, more users have received notifications from YouTube Premium, instructing them to use a payment method issued within their specific region (Nigeria, Turkey, Argentina). If users fail to update their payment method in time, they will lose their membership upon expiration and will no longer enjoy the benefits of YouTube Premium.

Notification Content:

Hello [Username],

As a YouTube Premium member in [Nigeria / Turkey / Argentina], you need to use a payment method issued in [Nigeria / Turkey / Argentina]. To continue enjoying your membership, please update your payment method to one issued in [Nigeria / Turkey / Argentina] before [expiration date]. If you do not update your payment method, you will not be able to renew your membership and will lose access to YouTube Premium benefits.

If you have moved to another country/region and need to update your subscription's country/region, please cancel your membership and re-subscribe. To view your membership status and billing information, go to Settings, then to Purchases and Memberships.

YouTube's Response:

YouTube has begun to cancel YouTube Premium memberships of accounts found to have falsified their country/region of registration, as this violates YouTube's terms of service for paid services. Affected users will receive an email and an in-app notification informing them that their membership has been canceled.

It's important to note that, in addition to the three regions mentioned, users subscribing from other regions, like India, may also be detected and notified to update their payment method to maintain their subscription.

The crackdown on cross-region subscriptions is a gradual process. If you're a cross-region subscriber who hasn't received a notification yet, it means your subscription is still valid for now. However, it's advisable to consider alternate subscription options as a precaution.