UK CMA Orders StubHub UK to Refund 50K Fans Due to Hidden Fees

The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority has fined StubHub UK £900,000 ($1.19 million) and ordered the ticketer to refund more than 50,000 customers for illegally hiding mandatory fees.

According to the CMA, customers who bought tickets between April 6 and December 7, 2025 had to pay delivery and service fees that were not included in the total price of the tickets, which breaks consumer law. The CMA said a total of 51,350 customers will receive refunds of around £10 per transaction via the card used to buy the tickets, totaling £590,000.

“Hitting customers with hidden fees is illegal,” Emma Cochrane, executive director of consumer protection at the CMA, noted in a statement. “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.”

After an investigation, the CMA reported that StubHub UK took steps to end the conduct. StubHub UK reportedly admitted to breaking the law, settling a case early with the CMA and reducing the financial penalty by 40%. In a statement, the reseller said “StubHub International supports the CMA’s work to protect consumers online and fully cooperated with this investigation.”

“Our UK platform is designed to display all fees upfront – due to an isolated platform error, some minor fees appeared at checkout rather than earlier in the buying process,” the statement read. “We identified and corrected the issue promptly, and all affected customers will receive an automatic refund.”

StubHub UK, a part of StubHub International, was created when StubHub was acquired by Viagogo in 2021. StubHub International, owned by Digital Fuel Capital, operates separately from StubHub North America.