Should You Pass Booking Fees On to Your Customers?
If your ticketing platform charges a booking fee, you face a choice: absorb it, or pass it on to your buyers. Here’s how to decide — and the third option that removes the question entirely.
What “passing on” the fee means
Most platforms let you either add the booking fee to the buyer’s total at checkout, or absorb it out of your ticket price. Either way, someone pays it — the only question is who.
The case for passing it on
You keep your full ticket price, and the fee is transparent to the buyer. It’s common for events where buyers already expect a booking fee.
The case for absorbing it
A clean, all-in price tends to convert better — buyers dislike surprise fees at checkout, and a lower displayed price can mean more sales. You simply earn slightly less per ticket.
The hidden cost of passing it on
Added fees raise your effective price and can hurt conversion — especially on lower-priced tickets, where a fixed fee is a big percentage of the total.
The third option: no fee at all
On a 0%-commission platform there’s no booking fee to pass on or absorb. With Ticketable your advertised price is what the buyer pays (plus, optionally, card processing at cost) — and you keep it. See what ticketing fees actually are for the full picture.
Frequently asked questions
Should the organiser or the customer pay the booking fee?
It's a trade-off. Passing it on keeps your full ticket price but raises the buyer's total and can hurt conversion; absorbing it gives a cleaner price that converts better but earns you slightly less per ticket. On a 0%-fee platform there's no booking fee to assign at all.
Does adding a booking fee reduce ticket sales?
It can, especially on lower-priced tickets where a fixed fee is a large percentage. Buyers dislike surprise fees at checkout, so an all-in price often converts better.
How do I avoid booking fees altogether?
Use a 0%-commission platform. With Ticketable there's no platform fee for you or your buyers — you only pay Stripe's card processing at cost, so your advertised price is what the buyer pays.