Drip Pricing & Fee Transparency Compliance Check

Why this matters

The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 gave the Competition and Markets Authority sweeping new powers to enforce consumer protection law directly, without going to court first, and to fine businesses up to 10% of global annual turnover. Section 230 of the Act specifically targets “drip pricing” — the practice of advertising a headline price and then adding unavoidable fees later in the buying journey, such as at checkout. Since these provisions came into force on 6 April 2025, any “invitation to purchase” must include the total price a consumer will actually pay, or, where that’s genuinely not possible in advance, must clearly state that additional charges apply and how they’re calculated.

This is no longer a theoretical risk. In April 2026 the CMA issued its first financial penalty under the new regime, fining Automobile Association Developments Limited (trading as AA and BSM) £7 million — reduced to £4.2 million under a settlement — after driving lesson customers were shown prices that didn’t include a mandatory £3 booking fee, which only appeared at checkout. The CMA has since reviewed over 400 businesses across 19 sectors, found potential issues in 14 of them, and opened investigations into fees, misleading time-limited offers, and pre-ticked optional charges. Any business that adds mandatory fees, uses multi-step checkouts, or pre-selects add-ons should check its pricing journey now.

What you'll need

• Whether you sell directly to consumers online, by phone, or in person
• Any mandatory fees, charges, or surcharges added on top of your advertised or quoted price
• Knowledge of your checkout or booking journey from first price shown to final payment
• Any optional extras, add-ons, or upgrades presented during checkout

What you'll get

A personalised compliance report covering: a score out of 100, an executive summary, a list of findings ranked by severity, and a prioritised action plan with timeframes.