Steam payment HUGE price increase!

[Niwashi]

However, "Recurring Fees" would refer to things like Auto Renew NOT one time subscription purchases. You are buying 30 days of game time (essentially a product with a defined length and expiration)but you are not signing up for a recurring fee, technically, unless you choose auto renew.

The NA version of the user agreement, it promises 30 days advance notice for changes to recurring fees, and it also defines it:
"A 'Recurring Fee' is a fee that will be charged on a recurring basis until you terminate your subscription."
The subscription fee itself is a recurring fee because it's charged repeatedly. Whether you pay it automatically or manually doesn't change the fact that you have to pay it repeatedly in order to maintain your sub. It's even pointed out in the opening of that paragraph:
"In order to access SQUARE ENIX's servers to play the Game, you must agree to a recurring subscription ("Subscription") with a minimum subscription term of 30 days, and pay a recurring subscription fee ("FFXIV Subscription Fee")."

In the EU version of the user agreement, the part about the 30 day notice doesn't even mention the fact that it's recurring, just mentioning subscription fees:
"FINAL FANTASY XIV Subscription Fee rates will be posted at http://sqex.to/ffxivfees_eu, and any changes to those rates will be posted with 30 days’ advance notice and notice will be provided to the Game community and by email to User’s registered email addresses."

By neither version would automatic versus manual payments of that recurring subscription fee make any difference to SE's promise that it won't change without 30 days advance notice.


EDIT:
It seems they may be getting around the rule by only listing prices in euros and pounds on the EU site, only in US dollars on the NA site, and only in yen on the JP site. Maybe they're treating it as though it's only those currencies that are (temporarily) guaranteed, and screw anyone else.