Ticketmaster to Eliminate Hidden Fees As New Federal Rule Goes into Effect

Ticketmaster has been at the center of several controversies in recent years. Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, the Oasis reunion tour, and other high-level concert tours have highlighted the ticket broker’s prices. More specifically, those high-profile outings allowed fans to see how high their hidden prices could be. Now, though, the ticketing behemoth has elected to include its fees in the ticket price. The decision comes as the Federal Trade Commission’s new rule banning junk fees came into effect.

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The Federal Trade Commission approved a rule dictating how hotels and ticket brokers display their prices last December. The new rule states that hotels, vacation rentals, and tickets for live events must be listed with their total price including service or convenience fees. However, businesses impacted by the rule can still omit shipping fees as well as state and local taxes from sale prices.

[RELATED: Ticketmaster and Other Ticket Brokers Agree to Get Rid of Hidden Fees]

“People deserve to know up-front what they’re being asked to pay without worrying that they’ll later be saddled with mysterious fees,” FTC Chair Linda Khan said in a press release last year. Khan added that the new rule would “put an end to junk fees around live event tickets, hotels, and vacation rentals, saving Americans billions of dollars and millions of hours of wasted time.”

The Federal Trade Commission’s ban on junk fees went into effect yesterday (May 12). Ticketmaster rolled out its new pricing structure early in the day.

Ticketmaster to Include All Fees in Ticket Prices

Those looking to buy concert or event tickets through Ticketmaster will now see a better representation of their total price while shopping. The price will now include the “face value” of a ticket combined with the service fee connected to the purchase. Additionally, the ticket broker gives customers the option to take a closer look at the overall price. A click will reveal the price of the ticket and the size of the service fees.

According to The Verge, Ticketmaster has almost improved its queue. The site will now offer real-time updates on ticket availability when wait times are longer than 30 minutes. Additionally, customers will now be able to see how many people are in front of them in the queue. This will likely take some of the stress out of purchasing tickets for high-demand events.

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