The FTC Junk Fees Rule: What Ticketing Platforms Must Now Disclose
2026-04-06 · 4 min read
On May 12, 2025, the FTC's Junk Fees Rule took effect — requiring all live-event ticketing platforms to display the total, all-in price upfront. The total price must be the most prominently displayed price. No more revealing fees at checkout.
Ticketmaster launched "All In Prices" only after being forced to. Eventbrite updated their checkout flow. The industry scrambled to comply.
FrankTix didn't have to change a thing. We were already doing this from day one.
What the Rule Actually Requires
The FTC's Rule on Unfair or Deceptive Fees requires ticketing platforms to:
- Display the total price, including all mandatory fees, whenever showing any price
- Make the total price more prominent than any other pricing information
- Show the all-in price in all advertising, not just at checkout
- Include all charges that can be calculated upfront
The rule does not ban service fees, processing fees, or convenience fees — it just requires they be shown upfront. Platforms can still charge whatever they want. They just have to be honest about it earlier.
Why This Rule Existed in the First Place
The pattern was universal: you'd find a $45 ticket, click through five screens, and end up at a $74 total. Service fee: $9. Facility charge: $4. Order processing fee: $6.50. Delivery fee: $5.
This is called drip pricing — revealing the true cost incrementally to prevent sticker shock at the start and make it psychologically harder to abandon the purchase near checkout.
Congress heard thousands of complaints. The FTC acted. Bipartisan support got the rule through — it's one of the few areas where both parties agreed: this was consumer fraud dressed up as pricing.
What Changed for Major Platforms
Here's what enforcement looked like in practice:
- Ticketmaster: Launched "All In Prices" toggle, then made it default — after years of fighting transparency. Even now, the fees are still there; they're just shown earlier.
- Eventbrite: Updated checkout to display service fees upfront in pricing tables. Their 3.5% + $1.59 fee is now shown at the start, not buried.
- StubHub, Vivid Seats: Had to overhaul search results to display all-in pricing. Secondary market platforms were arguably the worst offenders.
The Irony: Compliance Doesn't Fix the Problem
Experts noted that the rule won't lower prices — it will just display them sooner. CNBC reported: "Ticket sellers can continue to charge whatever they want... they just have to give the total price upfront."
Ticketmaster's service fees didn't go down. Eventbrite's 3.5% + $1.59 didn't change. The junk fees rule forced honesty — it didn't force fairness.
That's the gap FrankTix was built to fill.
FrankTix: Transparent Before It Was the Law
FrankTix charges buyers $0 in platform fees. Not hidden. Not revealed at checkout. Not "absorbed" into a higher ticket price. Simply: zero.
Event creators pay a flat fee to list an event ($5 to $49 depending on capacity). That flat fee covers the platform — regardless of how many tickets sell or what price they're set at.
The result: a buyer sees a $50 ticket. They pay $50. Total. Done.
Why Flat Fees Are Fundamentally Different
A percentage-based fee creates a misaligned incentive: the platform earns more when ticket prices are higher. That incentive can push platforms toward accepting higher-priced events, de-prioritizing affordable ones, and resisting any pressure to lower prices.
A flat fee aligns incentives differently: the platform earns a fixed amount regardless of ticket price. They benefit by helping more events succeed, not by charging more per event.
The FTC's junk fees rule addressed transparency. It didn't address alignment. FrankTix does both.
What Event Organizers Should Know
If you're comparing ticketing platforms post-Junk Fees Rule, here's the right framework:
- Look at the total cost to run your event — not just the listed fee
- Calculate what your buyers actually pay — fee shown upfront doesn't mean fee is zero
- Ask about the fee structure — flat is better than percentage for high-value events
- Check transparency features — can your buyers see their queue position? Their order total? Their ticket history?
The law now requires honesty at checkout. But you can choose a platform that was honest before it was required.
FrankTix is a transparent ticketing platform — zero buyer fees, flat organizer fee, real-time queue. We were compliant before May 2025. We'll stay compliant forever. Learn more →