StubHub faces a mandate to reimburse numerous clients for failing to disclose required charges upfront when selling tickets. The ticket resale platform utilized a pricing strategy known as drip pricing, resulting in a final checkout cost higher than the initially advertised price due to additional fees added later in the transaction process. This practice, deemed illegal in the UK, necessitates full price transparency before the payment stage. As a result, StubHub is directed to repay over £590,000 to more than 50,000 consumers and has been penalized close to £900,000 by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA).
During an investigation, the CMA discovered that StubHub omitted essential expenses, such as delivery and service fees, between April 6 and December 7, 2025. These undisclosed fees were only revealed at the final checkout phase, distorting the total cost initially presented to customers. Acknowledging the violation, StubHub ceased the drip pricing approach and settled with the CMA, receiving a 40% reduction in fines.
Emma Cochrane, the CMA’s Executive Director of Consumer Protection, emphasized the illegality of imposing hidden fees on customers. She emphasized the importance of upfront pricing transparency to prevent misleading consumers with seemingly attractive deals that inflate at checkout due to undisclosed charges. Affected individuals can expect varying refund amounts, with an average reimbursement of around £10 per transaction. StubHub assures that eligible customers will be contacted and refunded automatically. The company affirmed its commitment to consumer protection online and promptly rectified the pricing error that led to the issue, ensuring all impacted customers receive refunds as necessary.