The VIP mode is basically a buff. As a VIP, you have many advantages concerning the duration, rate, capacity and/or cost of upgrading, production, recruitment, research and recovery. There are 15 VIP-levels, the first one being the lowest and the 15th one being the strongest.
You need VIP points to be able to activate the mode. The activation costs gold and will last for a certain duration, which will be indicated by the timer once you've activated it.
VIP-SUBSCRIPTION
It's also possible to activate the vip status with the VIP-SUBSCRIPTION. The VIP-SUBSCRIPTION is a recurring subscription.
Your iTunes Account will be charged with 0,99€ after confirmation and when the subscription renews weekly.
The subscription will renew automatically 24 hours prior to the end of subscription period (7 days / weekly subscription period), unless turned off before that. Subscriptions may be managed by the user and the auto-renewal my be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase.