StubHub Fined £900,000 as CMA Targets Hidden Fee Practices in UK Ticket Resale

Ticket reseller StubHub has been fined £900,000 for failing to show customers the full price of tickets upfront, with more than 50,000 fans set to receive refunds averaging around £10 per transaction, the Competition and Markets Authority announced on 23 June 2026^[1].

The enforcement action follows a CMA investigation into hidden fees that appeared only at checkout, a practice the regulator said violated consumer protection law. "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, executive director of consumer protection at the CMA^[1].

Scale of Refunds and Enforcement

StubHub will contact affected customers directly about their refunds, according to the BBC^[1]. The £900,000 fine represents one of the CMA's significant consumer protection penalties in the online ticketing sector, which has faced increasing regulatory scrutiny over pricing transparency in recent years.

The investigation focused on StubHub's practice of displaying ticket prices that excluded mandatory fees until the final checkout stage. This "drip pricing" approach - where additional charges are revealed progressively during the purchase process - has been a target of CMA enforcement across multiple sectors, including driving instruction services where the AA and BSM were previously ordered to refund learner drivers over similar hidden fee practices^[1].

Wider Compliance Risks in Online Retail

The StubHub enforcement occurs against a backdrop of broader CMA activity targeting online pricing practices. Eight firms are currently under investigation over online pricing issues^[1], signalling heightened regulatory attention on sectors where digital platforms mediate consumer transactions.

For companies operating in ticket resale and entertainment services, the CMA's action underscores the compliance risks associated with pricing transparency. The enforcement demonstrates the regulator's willingness to impose financial penalties and require customer remediation where businesses fail to meet consumer protection standards.

The average refund of £10 per transaction^[1] may appear modest on an individual basis, but the cumulative impact across 50,000 customers - plus the £900,000 fine and reputational costs - represents a material compliance failure for the business.

UK Company Register Context

The StubHub enforcement takes place within a UK business environment where online retail remains a significant sector. Across the UK company register, 201,312 companies are classified under SIC code 47910 (Retail sale via mail order houses or via Internet)^[2], making it the fifth-largest sector by company count. This figure represents the entire UK register and includes businesses across all product and service categories.

The broader economy-wide context shows 5,592,478 active companies on the UK register as of June 2026^[2]. Recent incorporation trends indicate 22,299 new companies were registered in the seven days to 23 June 2026^[2], though daily figures show significant variation likely reflecting data processing patterns rather than genuine day-of-week effects.

For insolvency, the UK-wide register shows 109,704 companies currently in liquidation, 4,917 in administration, 3,303 under voluntary arrangement, and 720 in receivership^[2]. These figures span all sectors of the economy and cannot be attributed to specific industries without sector-filtered data.

Geographically, London dominates the UK company register with 1,055,830 registered companies^[2], followed by Manchester (102,356), Birmingham (92,551), and Glasgow (70,838). This concentration reflects the capital's role as the UK's primary commercial hub across multiple sectors, including online retail and entertainment services.

Regulatory Outlook for Digital Marketplaces

The CMA's action against StubHub forms part of a pattern of enforcement targeting digital platforms and online intermediaries. The regulator has increasingly focused on pricing transparency, particularly in sectors where consumers make purchasing decisions based on advertised prices that may not reflect the final cost.

For businesses operating secondary ticketing platforms, online booking services, or other digital marketplaces, the enforcement serves as a reminder that pricing must be transparent from the outset. The legal requirement is that consumers see the total price - including all mandatory fees and charges - before beginning the checkout process.

The ongoing investigations into eight additional firms over online pricing^[1] suggest further enforcement actions may follow in related sectors. Companies would be prudent to review their pricing disclosure practices, particularly where booking fees, service charges, or other mandatory costs apply to transactions.

The StubHub case demonstrates that the CMA is prepared to pursue both financial penalties and customer remediation where violations occur. For the ticket resale sector and adjacent industries, compliance with consumer protection pricing rules is not merely a legal formality but a material business risk with potential for significant financial and reputational consequences.