StubHub has been instructed to reimburse numerous customers for failing to disclose mandatory fees within the initial ticket price. The ticket resale platform was found using a pricing strategy known as drip pricing, where additional fees are added during the checkout process, resulting in a higher final price than initially advertised.
In the UK, companies are mandated to display the total price upfront before the checkout stage. Consequently, StubHub has been directed to refund over £590,000 to more than 50,000 fans, with the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) imposing a fine of nearly £900,000 on the website.
The CMA investigation revealed that StubHub omitted essential costs like delivery and service fees between April 6 and December 7, 2025. These fees were only disclosed towards the end of the checkout process, leading to an inflated final price.
Acknowledging the violation, StubHub took corrective actions to cease drip pricing and settled the case early, resulting in a 40% reduction in its imposed fine. If a company breaches consumer protection laws, the CMA has the authority to fine them up to 10% of their global turnover.
Emma Cochrane, the Executive Director of Consumer Protection at the CMA, emphasized that concealing fees from customers is unlawful and unfair. She highlighted the importance of transparency in pricing to prevent misleading consumers.
Affected individuals will receive varying refund amounts based on the fees paid, with an average anticipated refund of approximately £10 per transaction. StubHub will contact eligible customers for automatic refunds.
In response, StubHub stated its support for the CMA’s consumer protection efforts and confirmed cooperation with the investigation. The platform attributed the fee discrepancies to an isolated technical error, promptly rectified to ensure upfront fee disclosure and automatic refunds for affected customers.