Ticket re-seller StubHub UK has been ordered to pay a £900,000 fine and give refunds to 50,000 customers after not showing people the total upfront costs when buying tickets.
The action comes after an investigation was carried out by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), which looked into online pricing practices and analysed which companies had been using drip pricing.
Drip pricing refers to when additional fees and charges are only made apparent later in the buying process, rather than being visible from the beginning of the transaction – leading to customers being initially misled about how much they would be expected to pay. It was banned in 2025.
In their findings, the CMA found that customers buying tickets on StubHub UK were required to pay delivery and service fees which were only added at the final checkout stage.
The regulator said StubHub UK admitted breaking the law, and the ticketing company and received a 40 per cent reduction to its financial penalty. The company has also taken steps to “end the conduct”, according to BBC News.
Now, each customer is expected to receive an average of a £10 refund per transaction, and the company is facing a £900,000 fine.
We’ve ordered StubHub UK to refund more than 50,000 fans and pay a fine close to £900,000 after it failed to include mandatory fees in the upfront price.
The price customers see should be what they pay.
Find out more: https://t.co/Mw6BPeERlK pic.twitter.com/XbYyXu6rAg
— Competition & Markets Authority (@CMAgovUK) June 23, 2026
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.”
“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,” she added. “Our message to businesses is simple: be transparent on costs or risk CMA action.”
Adam Webb, Campaign Manager, FanFair Alliance added: “These fines levied against StubHub UK for drip pricing should be welcomed. However, such illegal practices are only the tip of the iceberg.
“Over recent years, FanFair Alliance has repeatedly reported far more serious offences to the Competition & Markets Authority (CMA),” Webb continued. “Regulators should not turn a blind eye to these wider issues. Today’s developments only highlight the urgent need for a root and branch investigation into the anti-consumer practices of offshore ticket resale websites, and for the UK Government to fast-track their long-promised ban on ticket touting.”
We’ve ordered the AA and BSM driving schools to refund thousands of learner drivers + pay a fine of £4.2m over illegal drip pricing.
More than 80,000 customers will be refunded after they weren’t shown the total price upfront when booking lessons online: https://t.co/mO38UfAAjq pic.twitter.com/Ga9w9vX6j3
— Competition & Markets Authority (@CMAgovUK) April 15, 2026
Other companies investigated by CMA for potential hidden fees included Wayfair, AA Driving School, BSM Driving School, Viagogo, and Gold’s Gym. Find the full report into StubHub UK from CMA here.
The CMA has authority to directly decide if consumer laws have been broken, rather than going through courts, due to the new Competition and Consumers Act. It also had the authority to demand companies that use drip pricing to pay compensation to customers and be fined up to 10 per cent of global turnover.
Over the spring, owner of the AA and BSM driving schools were made to issue refunds to over 80,000 customers who were not made away of the total price of lessons upfront when booking online. An update on Viagogo’s potential use of drip pricing is expected later this summer.
NME has reached out to StubHub UK for comment.
A clampdown on the price of resale tickets in the UK was introduced in January 2025, when the government then announced that it would impose a price cap on how much touts can resell tickets for. It also launched an official consultation into the industry and controversial ‘dynamic pricing’ practices.
The consultation ran from January 10 until April 4, but by last November no concrete plans had been announced, spurring the likes of Radiohead, Sam Fender, Dua Lipa, and more to call on the government to keep their pledge.
Days after the statement was shared, the government announced its plan to introduce a price cap on secondary ticket sales in a bid to “protect fans from rip-off prices”. At the time, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy told NME that the efforts would be outlined in the King’s Speech. From there, she explained, it would have to “pass both the Houses of Lords and Parliament to become law”.
Concerns then emerged that the issue had slipped out of the government’s agenda soon after – prompting music industry figures to pen another open letter asking the government not to make a U-turn on their promise. Signatures came from management for huge artists, including Arctic Monkeys, Ed Sheeran, Fontaines D.C., Keane, Nick Cave and Radiohead.
Last month, Keir Starmer vowed to “stamp out ticket touts for good” in a letter to live music fans, promising to act “as soon as possible”, as exclusively revealed by NME.
Just days later, however, many were left “disappointed” by the plans laid out in the King’s Speech – as they were introduced as a draft bill, which will likely result in it becoming a much lengthier process than it could have been if introduced as a primary government bill.
Since then, Keir Starmer has stepped down as PM, and the Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) has urged whoever comes into office next to do more to help protect the live music sector.