VPNs only hide your IP Address. With VPNs you can encrypt the data that is sent backwards and forwards and operating at your personal device such as a laptop or mobile phone or even tablet and PC you can choose what level of encryption you run.
Now trying to answer your question, this depends on one big factor in particular and that's your browser. I have FF running and I have several add ons that I personally hand picked and put on all my systems for the privacy side of things. The VPN operating for me personally on the encryption side of things with an IP change.
Its also worth noting that you can run a VPN on your home router or custom set-up such as pf sense and third party devices like CISCO as well you will have to configure your browser, say FF for example to disable the likes of Web RTC. This in FF at the minute is an IP leak disaster that a lot of people over look because they think hitting the connect button on an app will protect them 100% and this is not the case.
Cookies can be a problem as well because they can track you and log information about you and send data back threw your ISP to say FB servers.
This question can be covered by a lot of simple practices for your protection but ultimately as other members have said in regards to other questions posted about different topics nothing beats common sense.
If you encrypt your data at your terminal it will look a bit like this:
Your PC > Your Router > Your ISP > Your VPN Provider> FB Servers > Your VPN Provider > Your ISP > Your Router > Your PC ...
Now at your terminal, basically your personal device This can be anything even a smart phone because you will connect to your ISP. Say your cell provider, your information will be encrypted at the device level and your IP Address will be changed at the device level but in order to do this this has to be verified by the VPN provider who you will have an account with. Once authorized on their systems they will let the traffic pass threw fully encrypted and out the internet.
This is why a massive topic of interest is a foot for all the VPN Providers who are saying and advertising they carry no log polices.
No log policy is a big thing because if they get busted by say the FBI or NSA or even hear in the UK SOCA they physically cant hand over any information because they don't have it.
America has no retention laws surrounding data holding for company's and organizations.
Now don't under estimate your browser because this is a level 7 piece of software on the OSI model basically it will be what you interact with in order to browse the web. You will need protection on your browser such as add-block, HTTPS every were, privacy badger and another one is disconnect.
These Add-Ons in particular will protect you to an extent but again common sense.
Its about the blocking of information and new and emerging threats and technology's available to businesses, company's and organizations and even hackers and crackers a like.
In your question about "account information" be careful what you share.
Also do you see how you mentioned E Mail. This again is somewhat complex because I have known E Mail providers to take a postal code for signing up to an account.
I will advise you raverx3m you need to think about signing up to a private E Mail account what is only accessible threw the likes of a web browser and not say for example G Mails App or Yahoos App.
This is because you are protected by the likes of MITM Attacks (Man In The Middle Attacks.) Using something likes FF and locking down your browser for IP leaks, and even the likes of cookies what is mind you configurable in the preference in the menu options of the browser software.
Typically a VPN provider who will provide this at a charge will not take personal information and it will be kept encrypted the servers they use to store your data and E Mails and content of those E Mails.
Be careful who you hand this out to the actual E Mail address because this can be a vulnerability in it self and if you do use E Mail, you need to maybe set up a bump cell number for two factor authentication or at least do not register your Name and Address details with the Cell Provider. Top up the Cell Phone in cash using pre pay vouchers.
Now raverx3m, do you see how complex this is because. Its kinda like the old saying. "Falling off the grid." You cant be 100% off the grid in 2018 in the western world but you see were I'm going with this as when you try to stop or even limit information from being shared this can open a can of worms because in order to do one thing you must cover your self from all angles for example the E Mail is not straight forward were 2 factor authentication is concerned. You see what I'm trying to get at.
Your ISP mite not support VPNs and that's when people start asking questions. If they see you using a VPN or shall I say encrypted means of communication they mite get ratty and shut you down. Their are a lot of ISPs who do not support this and will want to know what you are hiding.
VPNs are banned in China and Russia for example what is controlled by the likes of the government state.
I think what your talking about is privacy online and how much information you can share and what can you share.
Have a look in to GCM and AES 256Bit Encryption because this is now some of the best you can get along with OpenVPN. OpenVPN has fast become a standard in the industry were as you have got several others that do not offer the same level of protection.
Any questions, I'm hear.
Hope that helps.
EDIT:
Also I'm not sure if you are thinking about taking out a VPN or even have one but if you are or do. In order to cover everything in say for example your home and you decide to set this up on a router level an actual VPN account \ connection \ service , then make sure your home router or even third party router can support it. I do not mean in actual terms of the OpenVPN software for example, but look at the likes of bandwidth and speed and memory of the router as this will have an impact on the performance of the connection and over all service .
If you did or were to get DDOSed, for example if you had a very small amount of memory in the router this could impact the performance and maybe crash the network of you connected devices . The actual hardware needs to be able to handle the devices and network connectivity of the users .
EDIT 2 :
I forgot to mention that up on leaving your VPN Provider, the actual information will be unencrypted. Its only when it comes back to your VPN Provider that it will be encrypted threw the means of their servers. Thats why you have to take additional measures to block the likes of Web-RTC and trackers using add-ons ect because when the traffic and information hits the VPN Servers its designed to stop at that IP address. The VPN Providers IP Address is supposed to be your public IP Address.
If you can use a pooled IP Address so its as complex as possible for anyone to track anything back to you instead of a dedicated IP Address. Dedicated IP Addresses I know can offer DDOS protection but using a pooled IP will basically throw you among X amount of other people on the same address with the provider. Makes it harder to track you down.
