Ticket resale site StubHub has been ordered to pay up over 'drip pricing' hidden fees as the Competition and Markets Authority revealed action worth £1.5million against it

StubHub UK must refund more than 50,000 customers their share of £590,000 and has been fined close to £900,000, the CMA said. 

The average payout will amount to just over £10 per transaction. While the CMA said the £900,000 fine was for failing to include mandatory fees in the price of tickets shown at the beginning of the sales process.

The CMA found that StubHub UK did not show fans the total price upfront when purchasing tickets, as required by law. Instead, it included mandatory costs such as delivery and service fees at checkout.

This illegal practice known as drip pricing means fans may have bought tickets they would not otherwise have chosen if they had been able to compare prices accurately, the CMA said. 

Ticket reselling sites have come under fire for enabling the widespread sale of popular concert tickets at inflated prices. Labour's manifesto promised to ban such ticket touting, but only a plan for a draft bill in the second half of this parliament featured in May's King's Speech.

Drip pricing is when fees and charges are introduced later in the ticket purchasing process rather than upfront, giving customers the impression that a product is cheaper than it really is. 

The regulator said StubHub would contact affected customers about their refund. 

The refund will be automatically repaid onto the card the customer used to buy the tickets. 

Emma Cochrane, executive director of consumer protection at the CMA, said: 'Hitting customers with hidden fees is illegal. 

'It's not fair 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.'

The CMA said StubHub UK 'immediately took steps to end the conduct' and 'engaged constructively' with it through its investigation.  

The CMA found that between 6 April and 7 December 2025 some customers buying tickets for gigs and sports events via StubHub UK were required to pay mandatory costs such as delivery and service fees, which were unavoidable but only added at the final checkout stage.

The CMA said StubHub UK admitted breaking the law and received a 40 per cent reduction to its financial penalty. It has also taken steps to 'end the conduct,' the watchdog added.

Cochrane said: 'Going to a live gig or sports game is an event many people save for – and our action today means thousands of fans will get back money taken unfairly through hidden fees.

'Our message to businesses is simple: be transparent on costs or risk CMA action.'