Edit2 is the more correct one.
As per German law, a contract or a renewal of a contract requires both parties to consent.
Since Netflix only offered a “Yes I accept” button and no “I decline, please cancel my subscription” one, the Price Hike is illegal and thus void.
About a year old news, but same thing in Germany
Rough Translation:
Good news for Netflix customers: The Cologne Regional Court ruled on May 15, 2025, that Netflix’s price increases in 2017, 2019, and 2021 were unlawful (Case No. 6 S 114/23). The streaming service had ultimately simply raised its prices unilaterally – without a valid contractual basis.
Although customers had to agree to the higher prices in their account (“Agree to price increase”), the court ruled that this was not a genuine choice. Due to the wording surrounding the agreement button, users saw no way to keep the old price – therefore, it was not a case of voluntary consent.
Consequently, the crucial question again was whether Netflix had the right to unilaterally increase prices for existing customers. This required a valid price change clause in Netflix’s terms and conditions. In this respect, the Cologne Regional Court followed the decisions already issued by the Berlin Higher Regional Court and deemed the price change clauses in Netflix’s terms and conditions to be unreasonably disadvantageous and therefore invalid.
There is a statutory period of limitation of 3 years as per German law though, so you can only reclaim the higher paid costs for 2022-2025.
Are we going to finally get rid of Ramstein Kaiserslautern?