Representative action against Opodo and eDreams
The Centre for European Consumer Protection (Zentrum für Europäischen Verbraucherschutz e. V., ZEV) has filed a representative action against Vacaciones eDreams S.L., operator of the travel portals Opodo and eDreams. The action concerns the company’s practice of refusing to refund, or only partially refunding, Prime membership fees after consumers exercised their statutory right of withdrawal.
In the ZEV’s view, this practice is unlawful. The representative action aims to ensure that affected consumers receive a refund of the withheld Prime membership fees.
Can I join?
You may be affected if you
- purchased a “Prime” or “Prime Plus” membership with Opodo or eDreams,
- exercised your right of withdrawal within the withdrawal period, and
- did not subsequently receive a full refund of the membership fee.
Use our Claim Check to find out if you can join the representative action.
To participate, you must register yourself in the Federal Office of Justice’s (BfJ) Register for Representative Actions once registration opens.
Opodo/eDreams Claim Check: Will I Get a Refund?
Why we launched this representative action
Many consumers signed up for a paid ‘Prime’ membership with eDreams or Opodo and then withdrew shortly afterwards.
Despite withdrawing within the 14-day withdrawal period, they did not receive a full refund of the membership fee they had paid. Instead, customer service informed them that a portion of the fee would be withheld. The reason given was that the affected consumers had already benefited from travel discounts during their membership. The value of these discounts would be deducted from the membership fee.
Example:
- Prime membership fee paid: 119.99 euros
- Value of the discount used: 46.02 euros
- Refund: only 73.97 euros
In other cases, customer service stated that the affected customers were not entitled to a free trial membership and that the membership fee would therefore not be refunded.
What Prime membership is all about
Paid ‘Prime’ and ‘Prime Plus’ subscriptions are offered via the travel portals Opodo and eDreams. Members receive discounted rates on flight and travel bookings. These price benefits are available immediately upon taking out the membership.
Membership can be taken out either directly or as part of a flight or travel booking. If taken out directly, the membership fee is usually payable immediately. If taken out as part of a booking, the company advertises a 15-day free trial period. The price benefits can already be enjoyed during this trial period.
However, the free trial period only applies to ‘new’ Prime members. Anyone who has already held a Prime membership with a brand within the eDreams Group in the past three years is charged immediately.
Our legal assessment
Consumers have a statutory 14-day right of withdrawal for subscriptions taken out online.
If a company begins to provide the service before this period has expired, it may only retain a pro rata amount in the event of withdrawal if
- consumers have expressly requested that the service should begin immediately, and
- they have been clearly informed of the consequences for their right of withdrawal.
Following our assessment of the ordering process, we concluded that these conditions are not met by Opodo and eDreams. Consumers are neither explicitly asked during the ordering process whether they wish the service to commence early, nor are they provided with appropriate information regarding the implications for their right of withdrawal.
In numerous cases reported to us, part or even the full membership fee was nevertheless retained in the event of withdrawal.
What we want to achieve
As Vacaciones eDreams S.L. refused to agree to an out-of-court settlement involving a refund to affected consumers, ZEV brought a representative action for redress before the Hanseatic Higher Regional Court in Hamburg in June 2026.
The aim is to ensure that the company reimburses consumers in Germany who have been affected by the withholding of Prime membership fees since 1 January 2023.
What happens next?
The court will now examine whether the deductions made are compatible with the right of withdrawal.
If you are affected, you can use our Claim Check to see whether you are eligible to join the representative action.
We will keep you informed about new developments in the proceedings through our News Alert – in particular, when it becomes possible to register free of charge in the Federal Office of Justice’s (BfJ) Register for Representative Actions.
General case details
Type of proceedings: Representative action (redress action)
Competent court: Hanseatic Higher Regional Court of Hamburg
Case number: 6 VKl 2/26
Claimant: Centre for European Consumer Protection (Zentrum für Europäischen Verbraucherschutz e. V., ZEV)
Defendant company:
Vacaciones eDreams, S.L.
Calle de Manzanares 4, 1st floor, office 108
28005 Madrid
Spain
Date of filing: 23 June 2026
Do consumers need to register to benefit from the outcome of the proceedings? Yes
As at: 23 June 2026
Do you have any questions?
If you have any questions about the representative against Opodo and eDreams, or if you wish to report a breach of the law, please use our online contact form.
Funded by:
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