Published
April 9, 2026
Updated
August 1, 2026
The FTC's $10 million StubHub order requires automatic refunds of mandatory ticket fees for eligible U.S. live-event purchases made May 12–14, 2025. There is no claim form, and the FTC case page does not yet confirm completion of every refund.
Current Status
The U.S. District Court entered the stipulated order on April 10, 2026, and the FTC lists the case as under order. StubHub was required to fund consumer relief and notify eligible buyers within 14 days, issue refunds within 90 days, and complete the program within six months. The 90-day deadline has passed, but the FTC's public timeline has not posted a distribution report confirming that every payment succeeded. Eligible buyers do not file a claim or pay anyone to receive the refund.StatusCourt Order Entered; Automatic Refund Program
Eligible PurchasesMay 12–14, 2025
Consumer Fund$10 Million
Claim FormNone — Refunds Required Automatically
What Did the FTC Allege?
The Federal Trade Commission alleged that StubHub advertised live-event tickets without clearly and conspicuously displaying the total price consumers would pay, including mandatory fees. According to the complaint, buyers saw a lower price early in the shopping process and encountered fulfillment and service fees later at checkout, a practice often called drip pricing. The government alleged that this violated Section 5 of the FTC Act and the Rule on Unfair or Deceptive Fees, which requires live-event ticket sellers to show the total mandatory price up front and more prominently than other pricing information.Free settlement alerts
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What Did the Court Order?
The entered order requires StubHub to pay $10 million into a Consumer Fund and permanently restricts how it displays ticket prices. StubHub must not misrepresent the total price, the nature or purpose of a fee, or material refund terms. Mandatory charges must be included in the displayed total, while government-imposed charges and truly optional extras may be handled as the rule permits. StubHub agreed to the order without admitting or denying the complaint's allegations, except as necessary for jurisdiction.Who Is Eligible for an Automatic Refund?
The consumer-relief program covers people who bought one or more StubHub tickets for a live event in the United States from May 12 through May 14, 2025 and had not already received a refund or chargeback for the purchase. The eligibility window is only three days. Buying a ticket earlier or later does not bring the transaction into this particular FTC fund, although other refund rights may exist for unrelated reasons.How Can a Buyer Check the Eligible Dates?
A buyer can review the order history in their StubHub account, search for a confirmation email dated May 12, 13, or 14, 2025, and compare the purchase with the original payment statement. The relevant date is the covered StubHub purchase date, not the date of the concert or game. A prior full refund or chargeback can remove the transaction from this relief program because the order is designed to return fees that had not already been reversed.How Much Is the Refund?
The order generally ties relief to the mandatory fulfillment and service fees paid on the covered transaction rather than the ticket's face value. It identifies buyers whose initial display omitted the total price and other eligible buyers within the defined period. The fees are paid from the same $10 million fund. If calculated refunds exceed the available consumer money, payments may be reduced proportionally. Optional items such as ticket insurance are not automatically part of the fee refund simply because they appeared in the same checkout.Why Is There No Claim Form?
StubHub must provide relief without requiring eligible consumers to submit a compensation claim or take another step to qualify. That means there is no OCA claim button, filing deadline, or documentation upload. The company already has the transaction records needed to identify covered buyers. A message demanding an application fee, password, bank login, or Social Security number to unlock this refund conflicts with the automatic process described in the order.How Was StubHub Required to Send Payments?
The first method is a credit to the original form of payment used for the ticket purchase. If that attempt fails, the order provides for a PayPal payment associated with an email address StubHub has for the buyer. StubHub was also directed to try additional email addresses in its records when appropriate. Administration costs are StubHub's responsibility and do not come out of the $10 million consumer fund.What Deadlines Apply to StubHub?
Within 14 days of entry, StubHub was required to deposit the money and send notices describing the refund. Within 90 days, it was required to issue consumer payments. The broader redress program must be completed within six months, and remaining money after the order's specified period is transferred to the FTC for additional consumer relief. Those are compliance deadlines imposed on StubHub, not dates by which a consumer must file anything.Has the FTC Confirmed Every Refund Was Paid?
Not yet on the public case timeline. The court-entered order creates enforceable deadlines, and the FTC labels the matter “Under Order,” but its case page was last updated April 10, 2026 and does not include a completion report. It is reasonable to say the payment deadline passed; it is not yet supported to say every original-payment or backup PayPal transaction cleared. Consumers should check their statements and StubHub account rather than rely on a generic social-media post.How to Recognize a Refund Scam
A legitimate automatic refund should not require an upfront fee or gift-card payment. Avoid links in unexpected messages that ask for account credentials or financial information. Instead, open StubHub through a saved bookmark or manually typed address and review the transaction. The FTC does not charge people to receive consumer redress. A suspicious message should not be answered with personal documents.Why the Pricing Rule Matters Beyond This Case
The FTC's junk-fee rule applies to live-event tickets and short-term lodging and focuses on the total mandatory price a consumer must pay. It is intended to make comparisons meaningful before a buyer invests time in a checkout flow. The StubHub order addresses the company's conduct during the defined enforcement period; it does not automatically resolve every individual dispute over a canceled event, ticket validity, or a purchase outside May 12–14, 2025.Where to Read the Government Record
The official FTC StubHub case page contains the complaint, the entered stipulated order, the agency announcement, and the current “Under Order” label. Those documents control over summaries. The PDF previously embedded on this page remains useful, but the FTC timeline is the better place to check for a later compliance or refund update.Official Information
Review the latest information on the official FTC StubHub case page website.
Case
Federal Trade Commission v. StubHub Holdings, Inc.
Case Number
1:26-cv-02924
Court
U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York
FTC Matter
252 3117
Order Entered
April 10, 2026
Consumer Fund
$10 million
Claim Form
Not required
Official Website
official FTC StubHub case page
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