over the years i have tried all of the 'big' names when it comes to AVS products. last year i switched back from kaspersky to norton due to recent events so to speak. the product worked well without issues across all our devices. i prefer to have a card mailed with the code, i just like having something tangible for my purchase. it costs the same so no reason not to go that route unless you need it on the spot.

you get a card shipped with all you need to get going. just go the http link on the card and five minutes later you're done. during setup one of the first screens looks like a bunch of legalese stuff but for me it matters. my only issue with that section had to do with privacy concerns. i do not want anyone to have access to my personal data regardless. so do be alert during the very first part of the install. you do NOT have to accept that particular 'service' to get full functionality from the product.

once done with the installation process you can easily tweak the settings to do what you want or disable other functions you don't want running. at the very end to run the 'live update' option for the most recent code updates. you can find that just by right clicking on the norton icon in the taskbar, choose 'run liveupdate.' after that the software runs updates automatically in the background. even for those not familiar with AVS products this one is designed in a simple straight forward manner so anyone can use it.

so all said for the money and the functionality you do get a a good value out of norton. just wish they wouldn't try make up for the lower price point by harvesting user data. again those who don't pass on that part during setup? a bit sneaky IMHO guessing most end users wouldn't read that bit. i say all this as someone who has been a victim of identity theft and it is truly horrible. it's sad but you just can't be too safe these days, no matter who is asking for access at the other end.

i would recommend this product other than the one caveat mentioned to keep in mind.

Last year I had Norton Antivirus protection (for up to 3 PCs) that I paid 35 bucks for. Was happy with the protection it gave me all year, but it was a disc install. For many years I saved a lot of money by buying the disc and not renewing on Norton's website. I use to buy them ahead of time at Best Buy on sale, but they stopped selling Norton protection years ago. (I still do not know why) I now will find the one I want on Amazon & put it in my Wish List and wait for the price to drop. I bought this one (Norton Security Deluxe, 5 Devices) right after thanksgiving for 20 bucks. (Great Deal!) Norton now only sells they're protection by a download or a Key Card. Many issues can happen with the download, so I will always go for the card and do it myself. Just give yourself time to receive the card through the mail before you actually have to use it. I did not mind using the disc renewals, but it did take some time to install. WOW! is the Key Card much faster!! As other reviewers have stated, Don't Forget To UNINSTALL Your Current Norton Product First! - This is the simplest & most trouble free way to renew your protection. I just got done doing mine, and now am good for another 366 days. I always wait for my current protection to Expire before I install the new one. If you do it with days remaining, or weeks, their's a good bet your time left will not carry over- (Why take the chance? - Just let it Expire) After you UNINSTALL your expired protection, then you can follow the directions that Norton gives you with your renewal Key Card. Other reviews can give you more details if you need help with that. To me, this is way easier than the disc, and way faster! - I am happy with the price I paid, and the protection I am getting. I never give out 5 stars for anything I review. If you notice, the 5th star means you Love It. In order for me to love it, they would have to give it to me for Free, and that has not happened to me yet. Hope this review is helpful to you in making your decision. - God Bless You & Merry Christmas!

I have read several reviews of those who do not like the nagging messages about renewing Norton when you still have more than two weeks on your current subscription. I bought this key card and chatted with an Indian rep. At his end, he just asked for the 20-some character code, and he extended my subscription by 380 days from today; the remaining 14 plus 366. I know that this took a few minutes of my time on chat, but the end result was I did not lose any days. I am about to go on a vacation, lasting more than 14 days. The result of the chat was all I wanted. If you do not mind a little chat time, there can be no complaint about losing days of paid subscription. I am satisfied. I strongly recommend chat rather than trying to understand a random overseas person who truly does not speak and understand English well enough to avoid having to repeat and reword what you are saying and asking the overseas person to do the same. When I asked a question on the telephone that the woman did not have an answer for, there was a lot of wasted time for her to ask a less ignorant person. Telephone support is a weak link in the Norton system

We buy a new Product Key for Norton Security Deluxe (5 devices) every year, to protect 2 desktops, 2 smartphones, and a high-end laptop. NOTE: Be sure to wait until just before your existing subscription expires, before using the new key, because whatever time is left on it will NOT roll over (and will be lost). I normally wait until my expire date, or one day before, BUT the review update below explains why two days ahead may be needed now...

UPDATE: My existing NIS-Deluxe 5-device subscription said it expired on March 27th this year so I sat down to renew with the Product Key on March 26th. But NIS said my status was expired, even tho it was not the exp date yet...at least not in the U.S. There was a link to the Norton web site renewal page but the dashboard was locked, so I could not access the Enter Product Key link which normally appears in lower right of page that opens when you click on (?)_Help. Very frustrating, and clearly a software glitch in Norton software. After searching their site I elected to use support Chat, typing out a clear description of the problem first, to paste into chat window. After a 5-minute delay the agent came on and addressed the problem by moving my expiration date to be 2 days later. That restored normal access via the dashboard and enabled me to simply enter the Product Key to renew. Then I promptly repeated the process on all my devices, before their dashboards got locked again!

COMMENT: Norton tries really hard to get you to set up auto-renew. That's not a good idea. They do give you a very low 1st-year price as an incentive but the fine print says it will roll over next year (and thereafter) at the full price, now about $89-$99 and subject to change. As long as you can buy a 1-year Product Key for 5 devices for about $30 (mine was $24.99, sold by Amazon), then grab it and run!

UPDATE MARCH 2020

Norton keeps making it harder to use a Product Key to renew. All Renew links lead you to a Norton page to accept their deal...not a bad deal for the 1st year but it keeps on renewing at a much higher cost thereafter. Right click on the NIS icon to open your PC's Norton Security dashboard and click on the Help tab at upper right. On next page click on the Product Key link at lower right, then enter it on the page that appears. Afterward you might even have to log in to your NIS account, at least for the 1st device you renew. I like NIS but not their heavy-handed sales tactics.

I have used Norton Security for many years. I have never had issue with the product itself. However, I am very upset with the fact that if you renew your product using a "Code Key or Product download from Amazon, you will lose any remaining time on your previous product. This is done without warning. There is nothing on the product box and nothing that warns you when you click on "Renew Subscription" from within your previous product. It wasn't until I searched Norton's Support Database that I came across the following reference..."If you purchased a renewal or upgrade through the expiration notices from your Norton product, the days from your old subscription are automatically added to the new one. However if you purchased Norton another way, when you install the new Norton your old subscription days do not get added to the new subscription." So basically Norton will rip you off because you didn't renew through their program notices. I paid for a one year subscription and lost a full week. Consumer's beware of this blind side when you purchase Norton's Products.