Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on February 4, 2026
1 min readLast updated: February 4, 2026
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Italy fines eDreams €9M for unfair practices, accusing them of misleading tactics in promoting Prime memberships, highlighting regulatory scrutiny.
ROME, Feb 4 (Reuters) - Spanish online travel agency group eDreams has been fined 9 million euros ($10.65 million) by Italy's competition authority (AGCM) over its promotion of membership subscriptions, the watchdog said on Wednesday.
The regulator said the group's companies employed manipulative digital tactics, known as dark patterns, to pressure consumers into subscribing to and maintaining its prime service.
The company did not respond immediately to requests for comment.
The AGCM said eDreams misrepresented the actual value of discounts and failed to provide transparent pricing differences based on user access methods and deployed retention tactics that obstructed customers seeking to cancel prime memberships.
($1 = 0.8452 euros)
(Reporting by Alvise Armellini and Cristina CarlevaroAdditional reporting by David Latona in MadridEditing by David Goodman)
Unfair commercial practices refer to deceptive, misleading, or aggressive marketing tactics that violate consumer rights.
Prime membership typically refers to a subscription service offering various benefits, such as discounts or exclusive access, often used by online retailers.
Implications for online travel agencies may include stricter regulations, potential fines, and the need to adopt fair marketing practices.
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