CONSUMER LAW | AGCM fines eDreams for unfair commercial practices involving the use of dark patterns

On 27 January 2026, the Italian Competition Authority (AGCM) concluded proceeding PS12853 and fined Vacaciones eDreams S.L., eDreams International Network S.L., and eDreams S.r.l. (together, eDreams) a total of €9 million for two unfair commercial practices involving the use of so-called “dark patterns”. The AGCM found that, when offering flights and holiday packages via its website and app, eDreams used misleading information and manipulative techniques to induce consumers – sometimes unknowingly – to subscribe to its Prime membership. In particular, eDreams provided ambiguous details about the subscription’s features and benefits, overstated discounts, applied time pressure and artificial scarcity tactics, and displayed non-transparent price differences depending on the access channel or Prime status. It also pre-selected the more expensive “Prime Plus” option and charged ineligible users the full annual fee after inducing them to sign up for a free trial. These practices were found to be misleading and aggressive, in breach of Articles 20, 21, 22, 23(1)(g), 24, 25, and 26(f) of the Italian Consumer Code (ICC), and resulted in a €6 million fine. The AGCM also concluded that eDreams obstructed consumers in exercising their right of withdrawal, both during the free trial period and throughout the duration of the Prime subscription, by implementing retention strategies – including through customer service – that made cancellation unnecessarily difficult. This aggressive practice, in breach of Articles 20, 24, 25, and 26(f) ICC, resulted in an additional €3 million fine.

Newsletter n. 115 – February 2026