If you live outside the US, you won’t be able to access HBO Max. This is because HBO Max is a US-based streaming service that’s only available in the US.
When trying to access the streaming service you’ll run into an error saying “Sorry, HBO MAX isn’t available in your region yet.”
The good news is a reliable VPN will allow you to get around this error and access HBO Max outside the US, however from there you’ll need to make an HBO Max account.
This can be tricky because HBO Max requires a US form of payment i.e. a US credit card or a friend that lives in the US. And if you don’t live in the US, chances are you won’t have a US form of payment.
Fortunately, there’s an easy way to create an HBO Max account outside the US. This article will explain how to create an HBO Max account outside the US, so you can watch exclusive HBO content anywhere in the world.
See also:
- How to watch HBO Max outside the US: The EASY way! (September 2023)
- The best VPNs for HBO Max (September 2023)
How to create an HBO Max account outside the US: Guide
To create an HBO Max account outside the US you need a couple of things. A valid email address, a reliable VPN that works with HBO Max, a US address and a US form of payment.
Follow the below steps to create an HBO Max account outside the US so you can watch HBO Max anywhere in the world:
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Create an account with StatesCard
To create an HBO Max account outside the US, you need a US form of payment. You can ask a friend in the States for their credit card information however that’s not feasible for a lot of people. That’s where StatesCard comes in.
StatesCard is a virtual prepaid card that works with all US services and comes with a US billing address.
You can find a detailed guide on how to get a StatesCard virtual prepaid card, here.
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Download ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) and connect to a US server
To make an HBO Max account outside the US, you need to do is gain access to the streaming service.
HBO Max blocks anyone outside the US from accessing its service. To get around this you need to make it look like you’re connecting to HBO Max from within the US.
ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) makes this process easy. Simply download, ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) and connect to a US server and HBO Max will think you’re located in the US.
You’ll now have access to the streaming service.
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Go to Hbomax.com/subscribe
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Input your information
You’ll need a valid email address as you will be sent a verification email.
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Add your payment method
When you’re asked to add a payment method, input the information given to you by StatesCard.
StatesCard will also give you a US-based address that you can use.
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You’ll now have an HBO Max account
How to download the HBO Max app outside the US
If you’re outside the US you won’t be able to find the HBO Max app on the Apple or Google app stores.
Below is a step-by-step guide on how to get around this:
Apple
- Download ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) and connect to a US server
- Create a new iCloud account for free
- The reason we recommend creating a new iCloud account is so you can have two different accounts in two different locations. For example, I have my iCloud account I use every day set to my home country and I have my other iCloud account based in the US. That way I can switch between them when I need to without having to change the location of my main account.
- Login to your new iCloud account
- Once you’ve created a seperate iCloud account you need to set its location to the US. Go into settings, logout of your main account (if you’re still logged in) and log in to your new account.
- Open your account
- If you go into settings on your Apple device, your account name will be at the top of the screen. Click that to open your account settings.
- Select Media and Purchases
- Select View Account
- Once you click View Account this will prompt you to enter your password. When this is done, you’ll be taken to a new page.
- Tap Country/Region and select the US
- When you open Country/Region you’ll see “Change Country or Region.” Click on this and select the US.
- Go to the App Store and Download HBO Max
- Once you’ve changed your region to the US, make sure you’re still connected to a US server on ExpressVPN ($6.67/month). Now you’ll have access to the US version of the Apple App Store. From here you’ll be able to find the HBO Max app. Download it.
Android
- Create a new Google Play account and login to it on the Google Play store
- Download and install ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) on your Android phone
- Connect to a US server on ExpressVPN ($6.67/month)
- Open up your Google Play Account
- Click Settings
- Click General
- Click account and device preferences
- Change your location to the US
- Put in your credit card details
- Close Google Play and open it again (you should be on the US version of the Google Play Store)
- Download and Install HBO Max
Can you watch HBO Max outside the US?
Yes, you can watch HBO Max outside the US, however you need to trick the streaming service into thinking you’re inside the US when accessing the platform.
To do this you need a reliable VPN like ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) or Private Internet Access ($2.03/month).
These VPNs will prevent HBO Max from figuring out you aren’t in the US when accessing the streaming service, and they’ll allow you to watch HBO Max anywhere in the world.
Here is our more comprehensive guide on how to watch HBO Max outside the US.
VPN not working with HBO Max?
HBO Max tries to prevent VPNs from accessing its service. It does this to protect itself from potential fines that could arise from someone using a VPN to watch HBO Max outside the US
That’s why its important you use a VPN that works reliably with HBO Max. The best VPNs for HBO Max have measures in place to ensure they work relaibly with the streaming service.
What this means is they won’t get blocked by HBO Max. This will allow you to reliably watch HBO Max anywhere in the world.
If you use a VPN that doesn’t have these sorts of measures in place, it won’t work with HBO Max and you could end up spending money on a VPN that won’t work.
Fortunately if you do find your VPN is struggling with HBO Max, we have a guide on how you can fix VPN not working with HBO Max.
Why do I need a VPN to watch HBO Max outside the US?
HBO Max is a US-based streaming service that only has the rights to broadcast its content in the US.
If you aren’t located in the US, HBO Max will block you from accessing its platform.
The reason you need a VPN to watch HBO Max outside the US is because a reliable VPN like ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) or Private Internet Access ($2.03/month) will allow you to trick HBO Max into thinking you’re in the US and will allow you to watch it anywhere in the world.
Which VPNs work with HBO Max?
The VPNs that work with HBO Max are the ones that have fast US servers, can provide a 100% secure connection and that can stay one step ahead of HBO Max’s VPN blocking techniques.
Here are the best VPNs for HBO Max:
1. ExpressVPN 🥇
Why You Should Use ExpressVPN? It’s the fastest and MOST reliable VPN of 2023
Pros
- ✅ Fast servers
- ✅ Thousands of IP addresses
- ✅ 10-simultaneous connections
- ✅ 24/7 Live Chat
- ✅ Easy-to-use app
- ✅ 30-day money-back guarantee
Cons
- ❌ Expensive
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Get 3 extra months free when you sign up for a 12-month ExpressVPN plan. That’s 15 months in total for the price of 12.
Number of servers: 3,000+ | Speed: >80% | Bandwidth: Unlimited | IP locations: 160 in 94 countries | Devices supported: 5 | Live chat: Yes | 30-day money-back guarantee: Yes
- $6.66/month for 15 months
- $9.99/month for 6 months
- $12.95/month for 1 month
ExpressVPN ($6.66/month) is still the best VPN. And importantly, it ALWAYS has servers that are open with major streaming sites such as Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, Disney+, HBO Max, Paramount+, Amazon Prime Video, etc.
ExpressVPN is usually very good at playing Cat and Mouse with online streaming sites. Meaning, whenever one of its servers is blacklisted it creates a new one – giving its users a constant stream of servers that aren’t blocked. Needless to say, this is a valuable attribute if you’re looking for a VPN to unblock streaming sites.
Its app is easy-to-use and free to download on pretty much any device you can think of. Mac, Windows, iOS, Android, FireStick, Android TV, Roku, PS4, Xbox, Linux, even Apple TV (with a workaround). It’s got it all covered.
The app is another main reason this VPN is so good at unblocking TV streaming sites (that claim they block VPNs) is that its software takes a pragmatic approach to user management. While other VPNs tempt customers by promising them access to hundreds/thousands of servers in multiple countries, ExpressVPN does things differently.
With ExpressVPN you only have a handful of server locations to choose from. Once you select your location the app takes care of the rest. Assigning you to the fastest available server that’s not oversubscribed. This simple technique is so important, as it keeps ExpressVPN’s servers operating at lightning-fast speeds and prevents its IPs from getting blacklisted for “abnormal” usage in the first place.
Check out our full ExpressVPN review.
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2. NordVPN 🥈
A very quick and trustworthy VPN
Pros
- ✅ Fast servers
- ✅ No logs
- ✅ Thousands of IP addresses
- ✅ 6-simultaneous connections
- ✅ 30-day money-back guarantee
- ✅ Easy-to-use app
Cons
- ❌ No refunds for purchases from iTunes/App store
Special Offer for you!
Sign up for a 3-year plan with Private Internet Access and save 83% + 3 months free. That works out at $2.03/month.
Number of servers: 5,000+ | Speeds: >80% | Bandwidth: Unlimited | IP locations: 62 countries | Devices supported: 6 | Live chat: Yes | 30-day money-back guarantee: Yes
- $3.49/month for 2 years
- $6.99/month for 1 year
- $11.95/month for 1 month
NordVPN is the most widely-used VPN in the world. And it’s easy to see why. It’s a polished app that delivers fast connections (more on this later) to a massive network of VPN servers.
It’s the most reliable at unblocking popular streaming services too – US Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, BBC iPlayer, HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video, etc. This is because NordVPN hired a full-time technical team (that’s responsible for monitoring its servers’ connections with popular TV streaming services) and has been aggressively investing in its network of IP addresses in key locations.
Another interesting thing to note is that NordVPN is an industry leader in its development of Nordlynx technology. Nordlynx is built using the WireGuard, a new VPN tunneling protocol designed to outperform current standards (OpenVPN and IPSec). The benefits, according to NordVPN, are dramatically faster transfer speeds while connected to a VPN. My tests – New Zealand to London – confirm that Nordlynx is currently the fastest VPN on the market. However, the difference isn’t dramatic, a few Mbps is all.
Read our NordVPN review.
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3. Private Internet Access
The BEST low-cost VPN for streaming!
Pros
- ✅ Fast and reliable servers
- ✅ Thousands of IP addresses
- ✅ 10-simultaneous connections
- ✅ 24/7 Live Chat
- ✅ 30-day money-back guarantee
Cons
- ❌ Only 48 server locations
Special Offer for you!
Sign up for a 3-year plan with Private Internet Access and save 83% + 3 months free. That works out at $2.03/month.
Number of servers: 25,000+ | Speed: >75% | Bandwidth: Unlimited | IP locations: 70 in 74 countries | Devices supported: 10 | Live chat: Yes | 30-day money-back guarantee: Yes
- $2.03/month for 3 years
- $7.50/month for 6 months
- $11.99/month for 1 month
Private Internet Access is one of the leading no-log VPN services with over 1-million paying customers.
This VPN is one of the best in the industry at beating streaming sites’ VPN bans. It provides reliable connections with US Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, HBO Max, Disney+ Amazon Prime Video, etc. It also allows 10 simultaneous devices to be connected to its servers at the same time, so you can share the account with your close friends.
If – for whatever reason – you’re not happy with Private Internet Access, there’s a 24/7 live chat support available to assist you with your problem. PIA also offers the industry-standard 30-day money-back guarantee.
From my tests (from New Zealand) I was able to get download speeds of 70 Mbps while connected to a UK server using the Private Internet Access VPN (my non-VPN speed is 100 Mbps).
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4. Ivacy
A very quick and trustworthy VPN
Pros
- ✅ Fast servers
- ✅ Thousands of IP addresses
- ✅ Dedicated streaming servers
- ✅ 5-simultaneous connections
- ✅ 30-day money-back guarantee
- ✅ 24/7 Live Chat
Cons
- ❌ Only 5 devices
- ❌ Sometimes runs slow
- ❌ Occasionally block by streaming sites for several days
Special Offer for you!
Sign up for Ivacy and enjoy a 7-day trial with no strings attached
Number of servers: 1,000+ | Speed: >65% | Bandwidth: Unlimited | IP locations: 275 in 100 countries | Devices supported: 5 | Live chat: Yes | 30-day money-back guarantee: Yes
- $1.16/month for 5 years
- $3.50/month for 1 year
- $9.99/month for 1 month
If you’re looking for an excellent VPN, with an even better price tag, Ivacy ($1.16/month) is a great option.
This VPN has all the features you need to stream BBC iPlayer, in HD, from any country in the world. I’ve been testing the app recently on Mac, PC, Android, iOS and FireStick and the results have been impressive – unlocking BBC iPlayer, US Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video, etc. with ease.
The Ivacy app is a little different in regards to its UX (user experience). Instead of just selecting a UK server, you need to select the specific BBC iPlayer server. Don’t worry, this isn’t a bad thing – by connecting to a dedicated BBC iPlayer server, it simply means that you’re connecting to an IP address that Ivacy knows works with BBC iPlayer.
For an extra $1.99/month (£1.74) you can add-on a dedicated IP. This will buy you sole access to an IP address in a country of your choice, meaning you won’t have to share your IP (and speeds) with any other use. I don’t recommend this though, using the regular Ivacy servers is enough 95 per cent of the time.
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5. CyberGhost
A very quick and trustworthy VPN
Pros
- ✅ 1-day free trial
- ✅ Reliable servers
- ✅ Thousands of IP addresses
- ✅ 7-simultaneous connections
- ✅ 30-day money-back guarantee
- ✅ Easy-to-use app
Cons
- ❌ Expensive
- ❌ Average speed scores
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Number of servers: 1,000+ | Speed: >65% | Bandwidth: Unlimited | IP locations: 275 in 100 countries | Devices supported: 5 | Live chat: Yes | 30-day money-back guarantee: Yes
- $2.75/month for 3 years
- $3.69/month for 2 years
- $5.99/month for 1 year
- $12.99/month for 1 month
CyberGhost is one of the more established VPNs on the market. It has a well-established, and well-tested global network of servers that perform well.
From my tests over the past several months, CyberGhost has no trouble at unblocking major streaming services – US Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, HBO Max etc. This VPN performed well at maintaining download speeds, well above 65 per cent of my regular (non VPN) ISP speed.
That said, there’s nothing really unique about the service. Which forces you to look at its price-point. And there’s nothing special here. Its short-term $12.99/month price tag puts is well above the industry average of $10.10/month. Similarly, its long-term $2.75/month for 3 years deal isn’t much of a “deal” either.
Oddly, CyberGhost’s most unique feature is its a 1-day, no obligations, free trial. This is an appealing offer to customers who are new to VPNs. However, it’s important to remember that most reputable VPNs will offer customers a 30-day money-back guarantee, so try not to be too seduced by the offer.
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