Intermediate currency
Gem bundle hides an item’s real-money cost
A fictional game prices an item at 1,350 gems but sells gems only in uneven bundles, with no euro equivalent near the purchase action.
Individual HTML example · Obstruction
Unused tokens remain after a service booking
A fictional marketplace sells 100 tokens for €10 while a booking costs 84 tokens and no service costs a multiple that uses the remaining balance.
This is an original fictional comparison. It depicts no real company and is not a legal finding or safe harbour.
Unused tokens remain after a service booking
A fictional marketplace sells 100 tokens for €10 while a booking costs 84 tokens and no service costs a multiple that uses the remaining balance.
Book for 84 tokens. Only a 100-token bundle can be purchased and the € value is remote.. Buy 100 tokens. Pay exact amount
Book for €8.40. Direct payment is available; token use shows conversion and remaining balance.. Pay exact amount. Buy 100 tokens. Price, period and commitment, expanded: The price and material terms associated with “Pay exact amount” remain beside this choice.
Why the first version can mislead: The route adds avoidable effort between the user’s stated intention and completion. In this creator marketplace example, the obstacle is: “Only a 100-token bundle can be purchased and the € value is remote.” Evidence should show whether the alternative remains usable and whether “Pay exact amount” reaches the represented state. The customer may spend more than the service price and retain value that is difficult to use or recover.
What a fairer design does: Allow direct currency payment or explain conversion, residual value and refund options beside the token offer.
Show annotated differences (2)
Potentially problematic version
- Pay exact amountIn “Unused tokens remain after a service booking”, this element shows how intermediate currency can shape the decision.
Neutral alternative
- Price, period and commitment, expanded: The price and material terms associated with “Pay exact amount” remain beside this choice.In “Unused tokens remain after a service booking”, this element keeps the clearer alternative visible at the same decision point.
Review questions (3)
- How many steps, waits and channel changes separate “Buy 100 tokens” from the completed creator marketplace outcome?
- Place the compared prices, billing periods and material terms on one evidence sheet; where does it support “The current real-money equivalent is not shown clearly at the purchase decision”?
- Measure the same task through the clearest available route: does the effort difference persist once “currency conversion required by international payment with total displayed” is accounted for?
Complete pattern context
How this example relates to Intermediate currency
A proprietary currency makes the real monetary cost or remaining value unnecessarily hard to understand. The label describes a recurring design mechanism; whether a particular implementation is harmful or unlawful depends on the complete journey, audience, evidence and rules within scope.
The full guide explains inclusion and exclusion criteria, harms, fair design principles, evidence questions and the relevant EU legal information layers. The example page isolates one scenario so it can be shared and discussed without reproducing the complete library on one page.
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Open this example
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Deactivation presented as deletion
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Account deletion obstruction
Deletion buried behind an unsupported ticket
A fictional retailer places account deletion behind six help pages and requires a support ticket containing an order number even for users who never ordered.
Sources and provenance for this example
Evidence base
Sources
- Dark commercial patternsOrganisation for Economic Co-operation and Development · Secondary · checked 2026-09-14 · OECD Digital Economy Papers No. 336
- Unfair Commercial Practices DirectiveEuropean Parliament and Council of the European Union · Primary · checked 2026-08-09 · Directive 2005/29/EC; CELEX 02005L0029-20220528