The Choice
When selling tickets, you can either absorb payment processing fees (deducted from your revenue) or pass them on to the buyer (added at checkout). Both approaches are valid — the right choice depends on your situation.
Absorb Fees
Pros: Clean pricing — if you say £10, the fan pays exactly £10. Better customer experience. Simpler marketing.
Cons: You receive less per ticket. On a £10 ticket with Stripe processing, you would receive approximately £9.65.
Pass On Fees
Pros: You receive the full ticket price. Transparent — the fan can see exactly what they are paying.
Cons: Higher checkout price than advertised. Can cause basket abandonment.
Our Advice
For grassroots events with tickets under £15, absorbing fees usually creates a better fan experience. The few pence per ticket is worth the clean pricing. For higher-priced events, passing on fees is more common and accepted.
Understanding the Two Models
Every ticketing platform that processes payments must deal with transaction fees. How those fees are handled creates two distinct pricing models that significantly affect both the buyer experience and the organiser revenue:
Absorb (organiser pays): You set a ticket price and receive that amount minus all fees. If you price a ticket at £10 and fees are 3.5%, you receive £9.65. The fan pays exactly £10 — what they see is what they pay.
Pass-on (fan pays): You set a ticket price and fees are added on top at checkout. You receive the full £10, but the fan pays £10 plus fees — typically £10.50 to £11.50 depending on the platform.
The Case for Absorbing Fees
Absorbing fees creates a cleaner buying experience. The price on your event page is the price at checkout — no surprises, no friction. This builds trust and reduces cart abandonment.
For grassroots events, this model works particularly well. When your ticket prices are already low (£5 to £15), adding £1 or more in fees feels disproportionate. A £7 ticket that becomes £8.20 at checkout can irritate fans, even though the fee is small in absolute terms.
On Tickts with absorbed fees, you simply factor the 1.5% plus 20p Stripe cost into your ticket price. Instead of listing a ticket at £10.00, you might list it at £10.50 to cover processing. Clean, transparent, and professional.
The Case for Passing On Fees
Passing on fees means you receive exactly the ticket price you set. This makes financial planning simpler — your revenue per ticket is predictable and known. For events with tight margins or fixed costs, knowing exactly how much you will receive per ticket helps with budgeting.
Some organisers prefer this approach because it makes platform costs visible to fans, potentially building appreciation for the organiser covering those costs in future events.
Impact on Sales
Data from UK ticketing studies shows that adding fees at checkout can reduce conversion rates by 15% to 25%. Fans who see a £10 ticket and then face £11.50 at checkout often feel misled, even when fees are clearly disclosed on the event page.
Conversely, absorbing fees and slightly increasing the face value (e.g., £10.50 instead of £10) typically has minimal impact on purchase decisions. Fans evaluate whether the event is worth the listed price, and a small increase rarely tips the balance.
How Tickts Handles Fee Modes
Tickts offers both models. When creating an event, you choose between absorb and pass-on. In absorb mode, your ticket price is the final price. In pass-on mode, the Stripe fee is calculated and displayed to the fan at checkout with full transparency.
Because Tickts has zero platform fees, the pass-on amount is minimal — just 1.5% plus 20p. On a £10 ticket, that adds just 35p. Compare this to Eventbrite pass-on mode, where a £10 ticket can gain £1.28 in added fees.
Our Recommendation
For most organisers, absorbing fees creates the best fan experience. Build the small Stripe processing cost into your ticket price and present a clean, final price. Your fans will appreciate the transparency, and your conversion rates will benefit.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I change fee mode after creating an event?
Yes, you can switch between absorb and pass-on modes at any time through your event settings on Tickts. Existing sold tickets are not affected — the change applies to new sales only.
Which fee mode do most organisers use?
Across the UK ticketing market, absorbing fees is more common for grassroots and community events. Larger venues and festival promoters more often pass fees on. On Tickts, approximately 65% of organisers choose absorb mode.
Does fee mode affect refunds?
When refunding on Tickts, the full amount paid by the fan is returned regardless of fee mode. In absorb mode, you refund the face value. In pass-on mode, you refund the face value plus the fee that was charged.
Curious how tickts compares? See our side-by-side comparison of tickts vs Eventbrite: fees, payouts, and features for UK organisers.