§3.2.3 Price

Article 5(1) (c) the total price of the goods or services inclusive of taxes, or where the nature of the goods or services is such that the price cannot reasonably be calculated in advance, the manner in which the price is to be calculated, as well as, where applicable, all additional freight, delivery or postal charges or, where those charges cannot reasonably be calculated in advance, the fact that such additional charges may be payable; Article 6(1) (e) the total price of the goods or services inclusive of taxes, or where the nature of the goods or services is such that the price cannot reasonably be calculated in advance, the manner in which the price is to be calculated, as well as, where applicable, all additional freight, delivery or postal charges and any other costs or, where those charges cannot reasonably be calculated in advance, the fact that such additional charges may be payable. In the case of a contract of indeterminate duration or a contract containing a subscription, the total price shall include the total costs per billing period. Where such contracts are charged at a fixed rate, the total price shall also mean the total monthly costs. Where the total costs cannot be reasonably calculated in advance, the manner in which the price is to be calculated shall be provided; The underlined parts of Article 6(1)(e) represent the additional requirements for pricing information applicable only to distance/off-premises contracts compared to those in Article 5(1)(c) for on-premises contracts. In particular, for distance/off-premises contracts specific information is required for subscriptions and contracts of indeterminate duration. If the product (or one of the products) provided under a contract of indeterminate duration or under a subscription is charged at a fixed rate, information about the total cost per billing period and about the total monthly costs should be provided. — For example, internet or audiovisual media services subscriptions are typically charged at a fixed rate per month/bi-monthly/quarterly irrespective of usage. Therefore, the monthly cost and, if the billing period is different, the costs per billing period would have to be provided to the consumer who wishes to conclude a subscription online or off-premises. If a contract covers or includes a product for which the total cost cannot be calculated in advance, the trader should inform the consumer of the way, in which these variable costs are calculated: — For example, for voice telephony services whose cost depends on actual usage, the trader should refer the consumer to a detailed price list for telephone calls (83). Under Article 6(6) for off-premises and distance contracts, the consumers do not have to bear any additional charges or costs of which they have not been informed by the trader. This reflects the obligation of the trader to inform the consumer of the full price, including all applicable taxes, duties, and additional charges, in particular any import VAT, customs duties, customs clearance etc. applicable to purchases from non-EU traders (84). Where the digital content or service includes optional additional and built-in purchases, the consumer should be duly informed that such additional purchasing options may be offered, before acquiring the digital product. This requirement could apply, for example, to: — apps that include in-app purchases, such as add-ons or extra levels in a video game; — subscriptions to audiovisual content services that include optional pay-per-view content (movies) offered for additional payment.

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Source: EUR-Lex (Cellar) · retrieved 2026-09-07