The Avast UK settlement email: is it real, and should you accept the free upgrade?

Between 2014 and 2020, browsing data collected from Avast and AVG products was sold through Avast's former Jumpshot business to companies buying aggregated, de-identified data for marketing analytics. In the US, the Federal Trade Commission alleged in 2024 that Avast collected and sold browsing information without adequate notice and consent; under its June 2024 settlement Avast is barred from selling or licensing browsing data for advertising. In the UK, two past users — Lucy Paley and Claudio Pollack — sought compensation for themselves and similarly affected users. Avast says those discussions have now been resolved, and the free upgrade is the result.

What the UK offer is

• A free two-year subscription upgrade to Avast Premium Security, valid for up to ten devices.
• Open for five months — from 27 August 2026 to 27 January 2027 — to the first 120,000 eligible users who register. Avast says later claimants won't get the upgrade if the cap is reached, though they keep any other legal rights.
• No cash payment or alternative product is available.
• Once a claim is validated, Avast says you receive a redemption code that doesn't expire until it's used, so it can wait until a current subscription ends.
• The subscription is personal: it can't be transferred to someone else.

Who's eligible

According to Avast's FAQ, you're eligible if you purchased, registered or downloaded Avast Online Security, Avast Secure Browser, Avast Antivirus – Mobile Security & Virus Cleaner, Avast Free Antivirus or Avast Premium Security between 1 August 2014 and 30 January 2020 — or AVG-branded software between 30 September 2016 and 30 January 2020. Avast says your browsing data may have been shared unless you opted out. Eligibility depends on using the software in that period, so you can still claim if you've since stopped; if you're unsure, the claims administrator can review a proof of purchase.

What you give up by accepting

This is the part to read carefully. To accept, you click to agree not to sue Avast. The FAQ says claimants irrevocably release all claims against Avast Software s.r.o., Avast Limited, Gen Digital and their affiliates connected with the alleged collection and sale of browsing data during that period. Avast makes the offer without accepting liability, and says that if you have concerns about the legal effect, you should take independent legal advice before accepting.

Is the email genuine? How to check safely

• Avast says it is emailing UK users it has on file who may have been affected, so a genuine email is entirely plausible.
• But 'settlement' and 'refund' emails are a favourite phishing template. Don't click the link: type support.avast.com into your browser yourself and find the 'Jumpshot Settlement – FAQs (UK)' page.
• The offer is a free upgrade. A request for payment, for card details 'to verify your identity' or for remote access to your computer is a red flag.
• For a claim you've already made, the FAQ gives the claims administrator's address as [email protected] — quote your claim reference and name.
• Forward anything suspicious to the NCSC at [email protected].

Should you accept?

It depends on what you want. If you're happy to keep using Avast and two years of Premium Security on up to ten devices is useful to you, the offer is straightforward. If you don't want Avast software, there's nothing else on the table — no cash and no alternative product — and accepting still means giving up the right to sue over this. You don't have to decide the moment the email arrives, but places are capped, and the window closes on 27 January 2027.

What about the US refunds?

The FTC's refund programme is a separate, US scheme, and it's closed: its claims deadline was 5 June 2025. The FTC says it sent payments to 103,152 Avast customers in December 2025 and a second round of 91,093 payments in October 2026.

A free upgrade in exchange for your right to sue: read the terms before you click accept — and reach them by typing the address yourself.