More than 50,000 StubHub UK customers are set to receive automatic refunds after the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) found the ticket marketplace used an illegal pricing practice known as drip pricing.
The regulator has ordered StubHub UK to repay more than £590,000 to affected customers and imposed a financial penalty of £889,200.
If you bought tickets through StubHub UK between 6 April and 7 December 2025 and paid mandatory fees that were added later in the checkout process, you do not need to make a claim. Your refund should happen automatically.
What happened?
The CMA investigated StubHub UK after concerns about the way ticket prices were displayed online. Between 6 April and 7 December 2025, some customers buying tickets for concerts, sporting events and other live entertainment were initially shown prices that did not include mandatory service or delivery fees.
These unavoidable charges were only added at the final stage of the checkout process.
Under UK consumer law, businesses must include all mandatory charges in the headline price from the outset. Adding unavoidable fees later in the buying process is known as drip pricing and is illegal.
StubHub UK admitted breaching consumer law and agreed to settle the investigation.
What is drip pricing?
Drip pricing happens when a business advertises one price but only reveals mandatory charges later in the buying process.
Examples include:
- Booking fees
- Service fees
- Administration fees
- Processing fees
- Compulsory delivery charges.
These charges cannot be avoided, so they should be included in the advertised price from the very beginning.
Department for Business and Trade research estimates that hidden mandatory fees cost UK consumers between £595 million and £3.5 billion every year, with almost half of online businesses using some form of dripped fee.
Who is entitled to a refund?
You could receive money back if you:
- Bought tickets through StubHub UK’s website
- Made your purchase between 6 April and 7 December 2025
- Paid mandatory service or delivery fees that were added during the checkout process rather than included in the upfront price.
The CMA says 51,350 customers are expected to receive refunds.
How much could you receive?
The amount you receive will depend on the fees you paid. The CMA says the average refund will be around £10.33 per transaction, although individual amounts will vary.
While the refund may not be large, the case reinforces an important principle: businesses must be transparent about the total price consumers will pay before they decide to buy.
Why has the CMA taken action?
This is one of the first major consumer enforcement cases under the CMA’s strengthened powers introduced in 2025. Alongside ordering refunds for customers, the regulator fined StubHub UK £889,200 for breaching consumer law.
The company admitted the breach and agreed to settle the investigation, receiving a 40% reduction in its financial penalty.
The case forms part of the CMA’s wider crackdown on drip pricing and other misleading online pricing practices.
Do you need to do anything?
No. Affected customers do not need to submit a claim or complete any forms.
StubHub UK will:
- Contact eligible customers about their refund
- Automatically refund the payment to the card used to purchase the tickets where possible.
Refunds are expected to be completed by 23 December 2026.
The CMA is not responsible for issuing payments. If you believe you’re eligible and have not received a refund or any communication from StubHub UK, you should contact the company directly.
