StubHub to refund 50,000 fans after illegally drip pricing – are you due a payout?

Fans who have bought tickets through platform StubHub could be in line for payout as the resale platform refunds a massive £590,000.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) found StubHub UK failed to show the full price of tickets upfront when customers made purchases, adding extra fees later in the checkout process.

The watchdog fined the platform nearly £900,000 over the illegal sales practices.   

What did StubHub do wrong?

StubHub UK is one of the UK’s largest ticket resale platforms, used by fans to buy and sell tickets for concerts, gigs, and sporting events.

The CMA found the platform used a practice known as ‘drip pricing’, where extra fees are added later in the checkout process rather than being included in the initial ticket price.

The CMA’s investigation found that between 6 April and 7 December 2025, StubHub UK added unavoidable fees late in the process.

Although fans were shown a base ticket cost, mandatory charges such as service and delivery fees were only added at the final stage, meaning customers could not see the true total price from the start.

This is against UK consumer law.

Who is getting refunds from StubHub?

The platform is now giving back £590,000 to more than 50,000 fans.

You could be in line for a payout if you bought a ticket through StubHub after April 2025 when new laws on drip pricing took effect.

The average refund is around £10 per transaction

How do I get a refund from StubHub?

Affected customers do not need to take any action.

StubHub UK will contact them directly and issue refunds automatically to the payment card used for the original purchase.

Crackdown on drip pricing

Drip pricing misleads consumers as it hides the true cost of tickets until checkout

This makes it harder to compare ticket prices across platforms.

It also encouraging purchases that customers may not have made if the full price was clear upfront.

StubHub's case is part of wider action by the CMA to tackle unfair pricing practices and improve transparency for consumers.

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. 

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