Running Spotify Premium in India

Update: [26 Feb 2019] Spotify is now officially available in India!

After trying almost every other music streaming service available in India, I couldn’t help myself but go back to Spotify. Honestly, I did try hard enough.

The only challenge was that I could not get a Spotify Premium subscription in India. I tried a few hacks to pay and upgrade to Premium, but nothing really worked. The only thing I didn’t try was buying Spotify gift cards in the U.S. or U.K. It seems Spotify is coming to India soon, but there’s no official word on it, yet.

The easiest way to play Spotify outside of the countries it’s officially available in, is to use a VPN and signup for the service. Install the app, and you’re good to go. Every two weeks, Spotify logs you out, and you have to turn on the VPN to log back in. That’s the drill to play music on Spotify’s free plan, which has certain limitations.

The moment you try to upgrade, Spotify will tell you that the payment instrument you’re using doesn’t belong to a country where Spotify is currently available.

Thanks to the Spotifree app for Mac, I could listen to music and mute the ads for several years. But, today, a friendly soul on Reddit, pinged me with a method that did work! I’m doing my bit by spreading the word.

Note that this is not a hack that saves you from paying Spotify to get the Premium subscription. It’s a workaround to let you buy it. 

Here’s how you can run Spotify Premium in India;

1. Switch to a VPN that lets you browse the Internet with the Philippines as your country. (There are many Chrome extensions for that), or visit the Philippines. 😉
2. Sign up for Spotify and install the app on your computer and phone.
3. Disconnect the VPN (you don’t want to make a transaction over an unknown VPN).
4. Go to MOL.com and switch your country to The Philippines using the drop-down on the top right. Sign up for a MOL account (it’s free).
5. Once you’re logged in, search for Spotify, and choose the subscription pack you want to buy – 1 month, 3 months, or 6 months.
6. Top up your MOLPoints using PayPal (or a VISA card) and use the points to buy the Spotify subscription pack. You’ll receive a PIN in your email.
7. Go to your Spotify account and click on “Redeem”. Enter the PIN, and you’re done!
8. Enjoy Spotify Premium across all your devices.
9. Spread the word and ask Spotify to come to India soon. 🙂