StubHub UK ordered to refund 50,000 customers over hidden fees

StubHub's UK operation has been ordered to reimburse more than 50,000 customers over its use of illegal hidden fees on tickets, BBC News reports.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) announced today (June 23) that the ticket resale platform will also face a £900,000 fine for its illegal practices. StubHub will now contact customers to issue refunds, estimated to be around £10 per transaction.

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The regulator issued the platform's international operation with the hefty fine after it discovered its UK operation had hit customers with delivery and service fees on tickets for music and sports events at purchase point between April 6 and December 7, 2025.

The practice, which is known as drip pricing, is illegal under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers (DMCC) Act, which requires companies to be wholly transparent with pricing. The CMA is able to fine offending companies 10% of their annual turnover if they are discovered to be in violation.

"Hitting customers with hidden fees is illegal," says Emma Cochrane, executive director of consumer protection at the CMA. "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."

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StubHub received a 40% markdown on its fine after it admitted to the practice, claiming that the cause was an "isolated platform error" and not an intentional attempt to rip off consumers. 

"Our UK platform is designed to display all fees upfront," a spokesperson for StubHub said in a statement (via BBC News), claiming it has now "identified and corrected the issue promptly, and all affected customers will receive an automatic refund".

[Via: BBC News]

Megan Townsend is Mixmag's Deputy Editor, get in touch with her here.