Plus de 50 000 StubHub UK customers are due refunds after the CMA found illegal hidden fees were added at checkout for some ticket sales.
Plus de 50 000 StubHub UK customers are due refunds after the UK competition regulator found some ticket buyers were not shown the full price upfront.
The Competition and Markets Authority said StubHub International must pay a £900,000 fine, and affected customers are expected to receive about £10 on average per transaction. The regulator said StubHub UK would contact fans about their refund.
The case centers on drip pricing, where unavoidable fees are introduced later in the buying process rather than being included in the price shown at the start. The practice was banned last year.
According to the CMA, between 6 April and 7 December 2025, some people buying gig and sports tickets through StubHub UK had mandatory costs, including delivery and service fees, added only at the final checkout stage.
"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," said Emma Cochrane, the CMA's executive director of consumer protection.
StubHub International said the hidden fees resulted from an "isolated platform error" that caused some charges to appear at checkout rather than earlier in the purchase. The company said its UK platform is designed to show all fees upfront, that the issue had been corrected promptly, and that all affected customers would receive an automatic refund.
The CMA said StubHub UK admitted breaking the law, received a 40% reduction in its financial penalty and had taken steps to end the conduct.
The action is part of a wider CMA focus on online pricing practices, including drip pricing, pressure selling and misleading countdown clocks. The regulator said its investigation into Viagogo's presentation of fees is ongoing, with an update expected later this summer.
Under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act introduced last year, the CMA can decide whether consumer laws have been broken without going through the courts, order compensation for affected customers and fine companies up to 10% of global turnover.
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