StubHub UK ordered to pay £1.5mn penalty for hidden fees

The UK Competition and Markets Authority has ordered StubHub UK to pay a penalty and refunds worth nearly £1.5 million after finding that mandatory ticket fees were added only at the final stage of checkout.

The regulator said the secondary ticket marketplace failed to show unavoidable charges in advertised prices, a practice known as drip pricing. It said 51,350 customers were affected and that the average refund would be about £10.33 per transaction.

StubHub was fined £889,200 and ordered to refund more than £590,000 to affected buyers. The company settled the case and received a 40% reduction in the fine, which also meant it gave up the right to appeal.

What the CMA found

According to the CMA, the pricing issue ran from 6 April to 7 December 2025. During that period, mandatory delivery and service fees were only added at checkout, rather than being included in the headline price shown to customers.

That meant shoppers saw a lower initial price before unavoidable charges were layered on later. The regulator said that practice can mislead buyers about the real cost of a ticket and undermine price transparency.

The CMA framed the case as part of a wider crackdown on hidden fees and misleading pricing practices. It said it has been using strengthened consumer enforcement powers to issue fines and order refunds without going through the courts.

StubHub's response

StubHub said the problem was an isolated platform error and said it had fixed the issue. The company also said affected customers would receive automatic refunds.

The case adds formal regulatory pressure to a sector that has repeatedly faced criticism over ticket fees. For consumers, the immediate effect is that the CMA says refunds will be issued to everyone it identified as having been affected by the hidden-fee practice.

Why it matters

Drip pricing is the practice of advertising a lower initial price and adding unavoidable fees later in the purchase process. In ticket sales, that can make the advertised price materially different from the amount a buyer ultimately pays.

The CMA's action against StubHub UK is likely to be watched closely by other online sellers, particularly in sectors where mandatory fees are common. It also shows how the regulator is using its newer consumer powers in practice.

Emma Cochrane, the CMA executive director of consumer protection, was among the key figures tied to the enforcement action, which the regulator said reflects its broader effort to tackle pricing practices it considers unfair.

What happens next

StubHub is expected to process the automatic refunds for affected customers. The company has already settled the case, so the matter is not expected to move into a court appeal.

The CMA may continue to cite the case in its wider enforcement campaign against drip pricing. Follow-on reporting may also track whether the regulator takes similar action against other companies in the sector.

For StubHub, the case leaves a reputational hit as well as a financial penalty. For the CMA, it is another visible example of how it is using consumer enforcement powers to force changes in how prices are presented to shoppers.