StubHub will refund $10 million to consumers under a settlement with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) after regulators concluded the ticket marketplace failed to properly disclose the full price of event tickets, including mandatory fees.
The FTC alleged that StubHub violated both the FTC Act and the agency’s Rule on Unfair or Deceptive Fees by advertising ticket prices on its website without clearly displaying the total amount consumers would ultimately pay. The rule, which took effect on May 12, 2025, requires companies selling live-event tickets to prominently disclose the total price upfront, including all mandatory charges.
According to the regulator, StubHub continued to display incomplete pricing even after the rule became effective. The company allegedly listed ticket prices that excluded mandatory fees and failed to provide the full total price in the first several stages of the purchasing process. In some cases, consumers were shown ticket prices without the required fees in the initial displays, while later pages listed additional charges without clearly presenting the overall cost.
The FTC’s complaint highlights ticket listings for high-demand National Football League games around the release of the 2025 NFL schedule in mid-May as an example of the practice. During that period, the regulator said the platform’s first two price displays frequently omitted mandatory fees, while a later page listed multiple charges but still did not clearly present the final price.
Regulators argue that such practices undermine consumer decision-making and distort competition by making prices appear lower than they actually are. FTC officials said the case demonstrates the importance of transparent pricing in online marketplaces where fees are often added during the checkout process.
As part of the settlement, StubHub will fund a consumer redress program to compensate eligible buyers who purchased tickets between May 12 and May 14, 2025, shortly after the pricing rule came into force. The order also imposes strict requirements on the company’s pricing disclosures going forward.
Under the proposed order, StubHub is prohibited from misrepresenting the total price of any product or service, the nature or amount of any fee, or the final payment consumers must make. The company must clearly and prominently display the full ticket price whenever it advertises or displays prices and must disclose any excluded charges before a consumer agrees to purchase.
The FTC filed the case in federal court in New York. If approved by a judge, the settlement will carry the force of law and require StubHub to comply with the transparency requirements in future ticket sales.
