Hidden fees and drip pricing, by country
The statutes attack hidden fees from three different directions. Australia, Spain, Sweden and Norway require the advertised or pre-contract price to be the full price with taxes, and Australia alone demands it as one prominent figure, while excluding postage. France, Austria and Norway go further and say the consumer simply does not have to pay an extra cost the trader failed to disclose. Germany, and again Norway, deal with add-ons that come pre-selected: Germany makes a pre-ticked extra payment ineffective in online contracts, and Norway orders the add-on refunded. Japan only requires a mail-order advertisement to show the price and, where it is not included, the postage.
| Country | All-in price must be shown | Effect of an undisclosed extra cost | Extras added by default |
|---|---|---|---|
| Austria | The consumer does not have to bear additional and other costs the trader failed to disclose | ||
| Australia | Yes: the single price, specified prominently and as a single figure | ||
| Germany | Freight, delivery, postage and other costs can be claimed only if the consumer was told of them as the Introductory Act requires | A payment beyond the price of the main performance must be expressly agreed; in an online contract it is not valid if set by a default setting | |
| Spain | Yes: the complete final price including taxes, with surcharges, discounts and additional charges itemised | ||
| France | Yes: price including all taxes and delivery costs payable by the consumer, or how they are calculated | For distance and off-premises contracts the consumer does not have to pay additional costs the trader failed to disclose | |
| Japan | Yes, for mail-order advertisements: the price, and the postage where the price does not include it | ||
| Norway | Yes: the total price including taxes, plus freight, delivery, postage or other extra costs | The consumer does not bear extra costs the trader did not disclose | Express consent is needed for any payment beyond the main performance; a pre-selected add-on must be refunded |
| Sweden | Yes, before the contract: the price including taxes and fees, plus delivery, postage and other additional costs |
Country by country
Austria
- Rule
- Fern- und Auswärtsgeschäfte-Gesetz § 4
- Applies to distance contracts and contracts made away from business premises.
- The same rule covers the cost of returning goods if the trader did not state it.
- The list of required information in § 4 (1) is not reproduced in the ingested text, so the price-display column is left empty.
so hat der Verbraucher die zusätzlichen und sonstigen Kosten nicht zu tragen Australia
- Rule
- Australian Consumer Law (Schedule 2) s 48
- Applies to goods and services of a kind ordinarily bought for personal, domestic or household use.
- Postage for goods may be left out of the single price, but if the trader knows the minimum postage it must state that amount.
- The rule does not apply to representations made only to a company, or to classes set by regulation.
unless the person also specifies, in a prominent way and as a single figure, the single price for the goods or servicesA person is not required to include, in the single price for goods, a charge that is payable in relation to sending the goods from the supplier to the other person Germany
- Rule
- BGB § 312a (2), (3)
- The undisclosed-costs rule in § 312a (2) expressly does not apply to contracts made away from business premises, distance contracts or financial-services contracts.
- The information requirements themselves sit in Article 246 of the Introductory Act to the BGB, which is not ingested.
Der Unternehmer kann von dem Verbraucher Fracht-, Liefer- oder Versandkosten und sonstige Kosten nur verlangen, soweit er den Verbraucher über diese Kostenkann ein Unternehmer mit einem Verbraucher nur ausdrücklich treffenwird eine solche Vereinbarung nur Vertragsbestandteil, wenn der Unternehmer die Vereinbarung nicht durch eine Voreinstellung herbeiführt Spain
- Rule
- Ley General para la Defensa de los Consumidores y Usuarios arts. 20, 60
- Where additional charges cannot be calculated in advance, the trader must say that they exist and, if known, their estimated amount.
- Failing these information duties is treated as a misleading unfair practice, and the trader carries the burden of proof.
El precio final completo, incluidos los impuestos, desglosando, en su caso, el importe de los incrementos o descuentos que sean de aplicación a la oferta y los gastos adicionales, incluidos los potenciales gastos de gestión, que se repercutan al consumidor o usuario En toda información al consumidor y usuario sobre el precio de los bienes o servicios, incluida la publicidad, se informará del precio total, desglosando France
- Rule
- Code de la consommation L121-3, L221-6
- Omitting or hiding this information in a commercial invitation to buy is a misleading practice under L121-3.
- The non-payment rule in L221-6 applies to the additional costs covered by L112-3 and L221-5 8°.
elle omet, dissimule ou fournit de façon inintelligible, ambiguë ou à contretemps une information substantielleLe prix toutes taxes comprises et les frais de livraison à la charge du consommateur, ou leur mode de calcul, s'ils ne peuvent être établis à l'avance le consommateur n'est pas tenu au paiement de ces frais Japan
- Rule
- 特定商取引法 第十一条
- Covers mail-order sales (通信販売), not shop sales.
- Some items may be left out of the advertisement if it offers to send them in writing on request.
商品若しくは権利の販売価格又は役務の対価（販売価格に商品の送料が含まれない場合には、販売価格及び商品の送料） Norway
- Rule
- Angrerettloven §§ 8, 9; Markedsføringsloven § 11
- The price and cost rules in the Right of Withdrawal Act apply to distance contracts and contracts made away from fixed business premises.
- Where extra costs cannot reasonably be calculated in advance, the trader must say that such costs may occur.
den samlede prisen for varen eller tjenesten medregnet avgifter skal forbrukeren ikke bære disse kostnadene skal den næringsdrivende innhente forbrukerens uttrykkelige samtykke til enhver betaling utover vederlaget for hovedytelsenhar forbrukeren rett til å få tilbakeført tilleggsbetalingen Sweden
- Rule
- Distansavtalslagen (2005:59) 2 kap. 2 §
- Applies to distance contracts and contracts made away from business premises.
- Where the price cannot be given in advance the trader must say how it is calculated.
- The ingested text does not state what happens to a cost the trader failed to disclose.
varans eller tjänstens pris, inbegripet skatter och avgifterkostnader för leverans eller porto och andra tillkommande kostnader Countries not in this table yet
The Netherlands is left out because Book 7 of the Dutch Civil Code, the only part ingested, has no price-display or extra-cost provision. The United States, United Kingdom and Canada are outside the consumer acts ingested for this series.
How this table was built
Every row is taken from the official, consolidated text of the statute, which LawAsked loads from each government’s legislation service.
Each figure is tied to a passage quoted word for word from that text. When the page is served, it checks that every quoted passage is still in the current text of a law that is in force; if a law is amended and its wording changes, that row is hidden until a person reviews it again.
The table shows the statutory minimum only. Collective agreements, awards and individual contracts often give more than the statute, and some countries let a collective agreement set different terms.
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LawAsked, “Hidden fees and drip pricing, by country”, https://lawasked.com/guides/hidden-fees (reviewed October 25, 2026).
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