The UK's Competition and Markets Authority said StubHub UK failed to display the full price of tickets at the start of the purchase process, instead adding mandatory charges such as delivery and service fees later at checkout. The practice, known as drip pricing, is unlawful under UK consumer law.

The regulator fined the company £889,200 and ordered refunds of more than £590,000 to affected buyers, according to its announcement.

What the regulator found

The CMA said that between 6 April and 7 December 2025, StubHub UK did not show fans the total price they would pay upfront, as the law requires. Customers buying tickets for live shows and sporting events were instead presented with extra, unavoidable charges later in the checkout flow, meaning the headline price was lower than the amount ultimately due.

Drip pricing is prohibited under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024, which strengthened protections requiring traders to show the full, mandatory cost of a product upfront. The action is one of the first high-profile cases brought under that regime.

Emma Cochrane, the CMA's executive director of consumer protection, said the practice was unlawful and unfair to shoppers. "Hitting customers with hidden fees is illegal," she said, adding that it was wrong "to draw people in with what looks like a good deal, only for them to find the real price is higher when they get to the checkout due to extra charges that can't be avoided."

How the refunds will work

The CMA said StubHub UK must refund 51,350 customers, with the payments totalling more than £590,000 — an average of around £10 per transaction, according to figures cited by the regulator and reported by GB News.

Affected customers do not need to make a claim. The regulator said StubHub UK will contact eligible buyers directly and pay refunds automatically to the card used for the original purchase.

StubHub's response

StubHub UK admitted breaking the law and agreed to settle the case early with the CMA. Because it cooperated and resolved the matter quickly, the company received a 40 percent reduction to its financial penalty, the regulator said. It also committed to changing how it displays prices so that mandatory fees are shown upfront in future, according to Insider Media. The company's position is reflected through those admissions rather than a separate public statement.

Wider crackdown on hidden fees

The case is part of a broader regulatory push against fees that are disclosed only late in a transaction. Regulators have warned that pricing must be transparent from the first screen a shopper sees, and that businesses adding unavoidable charges late in the process risk enforcement, refunds and fines. For UK consumers, the CMA framed the StubHub action as a signal to other online sellers.