The Federal Court of Justice has ruled that the price adjustment clause violates the transparency requirement.
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In September 2022, Amazon increased the prices for Prime subscriptions in Germany without explicit customer consent. The North Rhine-Westphalia consumer advice center then took legal action against this practice.
The price increase for Prime subscriptions that the US online retailer Amazon introduced in September 2022 is ineffective. The Federal Court of Justice (BGH) based its judgment on the fact that the relevant clauses in the general terms and conditions violate the transparency requirement. The court said that the lack of transparency leads to “unreasonable disadvantage for the contractual partners.”
Amazon had increased prices in Germany without expressly asking customers for their consent. It rose from 69 euros to 89.90 euros when billed annually, and from 7.99 euros to 8.99 euros when paid monthly. Amazon justified the price increase at the time with increased costs.
The North Rhine-Westphalia consumer advice center filed a lawsuit against the price increase. According to them, millions of consumers are affected. The Düsseldorf Regional Court and the Düsseldorf Higher Regional Court declared the disputed price adjustment clause ineffective in January and October 2025, respectively. Amazon appealed against this to the Federal Court of Justice in Karlsruhe - without success.
After the ruling, the company announced that it would temporarily adjust Prime contributions for customers whose membership began before September 15, 2022 and has remained unchanged since then. An Amazon spokeswoman said: "We will inform the relevant members about the current status before their next payment date." Fees that have already been paid are the subject of a separate procedure.
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
Amazon will inform affected customers before the next payment date.
Very likely · Within weeks

The BGH has declared Amazon's Prime price increase from 2022 ineffective due to non-transparent terms and conditions. Amazon announced that it would temporarily adjust contributions for affected old customers. Customers can claim back amounts already paid individually or through a class action.
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