All-In Ticket Pricing: What the FTC Fees Rule Requires

What the FTC's Rule on Unfair or Deceptive Fees requires of live-event ticket sellers since May 12, 2025, which charges can still come later, and how to report problems.

go2.fan · Last reviewed October 24, 2026 · 6 min read

For years, the price on a ticket listing often wasn't the price you paid. Fees appeared after you picked your seats, sometimes only after you typed in your card number. A federal rule that took effect on May 12, 2025 changed that for live-event tickets.

The Federal Trade Commission's Rule on Unfair or Deceptive Fees, found at 16 C.F.R. Part 464, requires sellers to show the total price upfront and to tell the truth about their fees. It does not cap fees or ban them. As the FTC put it when the rule took effect, sellers can still charge fees, but they have to tell you the truth about the price.

This guide explains what the rule covers, what has to be in the price you see first, what can still be added at checkout and what to do if a seller isn't following it.

What the rule covers

The rule covers two things: live-event tickets and short-term lodging. The FTC's FAQ describes live-event tickets as tickets for concerts, sporting events, music, theater and other live performances that audiences watch as they occur. Pre-recorded performances and film screenings generally aren't covered.

It applies to any business that offers, displays or advertises those tickets, which the FTC says includes third-party platforms, resellers and travel agents. And it applies wherever the price appears: online, in an app, at a physical box office or through some other means. So the same rule applies whether you buy from the original seller or on the resale market.

What "total price" means

Under the rule, a business can't show any price for a ticket without clearly and conspicuously disclosing the total price, and the total price must be more prominent than other pricing information.

The total price has to include every fee you must pay. The FTC's FAQ says that includes fees you have to pay no matter what, fees you can't reasonably avoid, and fees you can't effectively agree to because of tactics like pre-checked boxes or default billing.

Two examples from the FTC show how this works for tickets:

An online ticket retailer requires a fee to buy tickets online. Because the fee can't be avoided, it must be included in the total price.
An online seller adds a 3 percent credit card surcharge and offers no other viable online payment method without a fee. The surcharge is mandatory, so it belongs in the total price.

Sellers may itemize their fees, but the FAQ says itemization must not overshadow the total price.

What can still be added before you pay

The rule lets a business leave three kinds of charges out of the total price it shows upfront:

Taxes and other government charges.
Shipping charges, which must reasonably reflect the cost of sending physical goods. Handling charges are not shipping charges and must be in the total price.
Charges for optional extras you choose to add.

The FTC's examples of optional extras include a VIP package with drinks and an appetizer, binocular rental at a sports venue, and a credit card surcharge at a box office that also takes cash, debit cards or a payment app without a fee.

Excluded charges can't be sprung on you at the last second. Before asking you to pay, the seller must clearly disclose the nature, purpose and amount of each excluded charge, and show the final amount of payment at least as prominently as the total price.

Honest fee labels, dynamic prices and discounts

The rule also bans misrepresenting any fee, including its nature, purpose, amount or refundability. The FTC's FAQ says businesses must describe what fees are for and avoid vague phrases like "convenience fees," "service fees" or "processing fees."

The FAQ's examples of likely violations include a ticket seller claiming a "usage fee" is required by the government when it isn't, and a secondary ticket seller whose "taxes and fees" line includes money the seller keeps as profit.

The rule doesn't ban dynamic pricing. The FTC says businesses may adjust prices based on demand or inventory, as long as the pricing information isn't misleading.

Discounts have a catch. If a promotion is available only to some people, such as members of a rewards program, the FTC says the total price shown should be the price offered to everyone. Once you qualify for the discount, the seller can update the total.

State laws can add more protection

The federal rule doesn't replace state laws that give buyers more protection. Under section 464.4, a state law isn't considered inconsistent with the rule if it gives consumers greater protection.

New York is one example. Its Arts and Cultural Affairs Law section 25.07, in the version effective until July 1, 2027, requires ticket sellers and resale platforms to show the total cost, including fees, in the listing before the ticket is selected for purchase, and says the price can't go up during the purchase process, apart from reasonable delivery fees for non-electronic tickets. Other states have their own rules, so check yours.

Why the FTC acted

The problem was well documented. In a 2018 report, the GAO reviewed a nongeneralizable sample of events and found that primary and resale ticketing companies charged total fees averaging 27 percent and 31 percent of the ticket's price, respectively. The FTC staff report on its 2019 ticketing workshop said mandatory fees often bulked up prices by as much as 30 percent, and that buyers often didn't see them until after picking their tickets.

The same report explained why sellers rarely fixed this on their own: a platform that shows all-in prices can look more expensive than rivals that hide fees. The report described one resale platform that tried all-in pricing, lost significant market share and dropped the policy after a year.

What to do as a buyer

Compare the total price, not the seat-map price, when you shop across sellers.
At checkout, check that the only new charges are taxes, shipping or extras you chose.
Take a screenshot if a fee appears late or is described vaguely.
Report possible violations to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

The rule has teeth. The FTC says businesses that violate its trade regulation rules can be ordered to change their practices, refund consumers and pay civil penalties. In April 2026, the FTC announced that a ticket resale platform it had sued for allegedly not showing total prices, including mandatory fees, during May 12 to 14, 2025 would pay $10 million in refunds to eligible customers.

Key takeaways

Since May 12, 2025, sellers of live-event tickets, including resellers and platforms, must show the total price upfront.
The total price must include mandatory fees; only taxes, shipping and optional extras can come later.
Excluded charges must be disclosed, with the final amount, before you're asked to pay.
Fees must be described truthfully, including whether they are refundable.
State laws can add protections; report problems at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

Sources

Spotted something out of date? Let us know.