When you spot a ticket for your favourite band or football club online for £50, it’s tempting to click buy. But if that £50 ends up costing £65 by the time you reach the checkout, you have been caught out by drip pricing – a practice now illegal in the UK. In June 2026, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) fined ticket reseller StubHub UK £889,200 and ordered it to refund more than 50,000 customers after finding the company had hidden mandatory fees until the final stage of checkout. The refunds total over £590,000, with each affected customer receiving about £10.33 on average.
Drip pricing is when a business shows only part of the total price upfront, then adds unavoidable fees – such as delivery, service or booking charges – later in the buying process. It’s called “drip” because charges are added a little at a time, trickling in as you proceed. The practice has long been used by online ticket resellers, airlines and hotel booking sites. Under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act, which came into force last year, the CMA now has direct powers to fine companies and order compensation without going to court. StubHub admitted breaking the law and received a 40% reduction on its fine for cooperating.
“Explains drip pricing in ticket reselling using the StubHub fine as a case study.”
Why does this matter for UK readers? If you’ve bought tickets for a gig, festival or sports match, you’ve almost certainly encountered drip pricing. The CMA says it’s illegal 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.” The StubHub case is part of a wider crackdown: the regulator is also investigating Viagogo, AA Driving School, BSM Driving School, Gold’s Gym, Wayfair, Appliances Direct and Marks Electrical over practices including drip pricing, pressure selling and misleading countdown clocks. For consumers, this means more transparency – and potentially lower costs if you know to spot the warning signs.
Q: Is drip pricing still happening in the UK? Yes. Despite being banned, some companies still use it. The CMA investigated StubHub for hidden fees added between 6 April and 7 December last year. The regulator is actively looking into other firms, so the practice persists but is now much riskier for businesses.
Q: How do I know if I’ve been charged hidden fees? Look for mandatory fees that appear only at the final checkout stage, such as “service fee”, “delivery fee” or “booking charge”. If the advertised price jumps significantly before you confirm payment, you may have been a victim of drip pricing. You can report it to the CMA.
Q: What powers does the CMA have to stop drip pricing? Under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act, the CMA can impose fines and order businesses to refund customers without needing a court order. It can also investigate any company suspected of breaking consumer law. StubHub was fined £889,200 and ordered to pay over £590,000 in refunds.
What happens next? The CMA says its message to businesses is “be transparent on costs or risk CMA action.” The regulator’s investigations into Viagogo and six other firms are ongoing, with potential fines and refunds to come. For consumers, the StubHub ruling sets a precedent: companies that hide fees will be held accountable, and affected customers will get their money back.