StubHub Review
StubHub is an online ticket marketplace offering tickets for sports, music and theatre events. StubHub claim to be "the world's top destination for ticket buyers and resellers." Find out about our experience when we put them to the test in this detailed review.
- 100% guarantee on every order
- Precise seat selection
- Transparent fees
- Tickets available for majority of major fixtures
- Clear stadium and venue plans
- Easy to locate and buy seats in groups
- PayPal accepted
- Prices can be very high
- Communication sometimes lacking
StubHub is a large ticket reselling platform which sells (and buys) tickets for a wide range of sports and cultural events. The company processes a huge number of transactions, but as you will learn in this StubHub review, despite the vast scale of the operation, they maintain a good level of service.
Ticket Compare has been a partner with StubHub for over 7 years, including working with their previous brand, Ticketbis. We have referred many football fans to StubHub, and we know the platform has helped hundreds of thousands of fans to get hold of tickets. Nonetheless, we decided to put it to the test, and try out the buying experience ourselves as regular customers.
On 8 November 2023, we headed over to StubHub to buy two tickets for the Sheffield United vs Brentford FC match on Saturday 9 December. Here’s how the experience went.
The buying experience at StubHub
Arriving at the StubHub website, I had one big question. Since StubHub covers so many events, how accurate and bespoke will their service be for the specific football game I want to attend? I quickly discovered that the site was perfectly set up for what I was looking for.
After searching for the game, I found that the site had detailed information about ticket availability and location, with transparent pricing.
Availability of tickets
As a Premier League fixture, the match I wanted to attend was always going to be difficult to get tickets for. That being said, the game was not the most hotly contested fixture of the season. I booked my tickets on 8 November – one month before the event – when Sheffield United were struggling in the relegation zone, and Brentford were mid-table.
At StubHub, I found there were plenty of tickets available, and I had a wide range of choices for where to sit in the stadium.
I wanted to balance affordability and experience, so I opted for the “shortside upper tier.” These were amongst the cheapest tickets available, but as it happened, they offered a nice, elevated view from behind the goal (see images below).
Choosing your seats
StubHub offered a detailed view of Bramall Lane stadium seating plan, which clearly showed which section of the stadium each ticket corresponded to. By hovering my mouse over different ticket options, I could see what seating options were available.
I was more than happy to sit behind the goal, as this meant a much lower ticket cost for this game.
Sitting in groups with multiple people
For this game, I wanted to buy two tickets. The interface made it impeccably easy to see at a glance which options were available to me.
Additional details
One feature I really liked was the advanced filtering system, and especially the option to see prices with fees included. This meant that the pricing was completely transparent, so it was clear what I was paying before I reached the checkout.
Guarantee and protection
StubHub offers a 100% guarantee on all tickets through their FanProtect® guarantee. The terms are clearly outlined in straightforward bullet points, and made me feel confident to go ahead and book. I discuss the exact T&Cs below, in case you want to learn more.
Payment
When it came to payment, unfortunately, I did come up against a small issue. I inputted my card details as normal, but my card was rejected.
The problem was that from here, it seemed impossible to change my card details and input a new card. I’m sure that I could have contacted customer service to rectify the issue, but because I wanted to buy the tickets then and there, I went for “plan B” and used PayPal.
PayPal worked fine, and StubHub pronounced me a legend! I was pleased that StubHub accepted payments via PayPal, as not all ticket vendors offer this option.
Delivery
I was really pleased with the delivery of the tickets – here is the part where StubHub “overdelivered” for me. I was expecting to gain access to the tickets maybe 48 hours, or even 24 hours before the match. The receipt told me I would receive them on 5 December, four days before the match.
However, I actually received the tickets almost immediately. I assume this would not happen on every time, but on this occasion, the tickets landed in my inbox less than 30 minutes after my order.
I opted to print the tickets (I have access to a printer), but I could have also accessed the tickets via the StubHub app.
Support and customer service
Apart from the hiccup with re-entering card details, my purchasing experience was smooth enough that I didn’t need to contact support and customer service.
There is no chatbot on the site – perhaps if there was, I would have used it to sort the payment issue. However, StubHub offers a range of support options. If you visit the ‘Support’ section on their site, you can access a virtual assistant, email support, or phone support for the UK and the US.
Match-day experience
Entry into the ground on the day of the match was totally seamless. My friend and I entered the ground directly from the roadside, and through a single turnstile. There were plenty of attendants who guided us to our seats.
I was very happy with the view I had of the pitch from behind the goal. It was a rainy day, and conditions on the pitch were very wet! Unfortunately, drops of water were landing on both me and my friend, as well as some other fans around us. However, this was clearly the fault of Bramall Lane stadium, and nothing to do with StubHub!
The game was not the finest ever played, but a moment of brilliance just before the half-time whistle saw Sheffield United score the only goal of the match.
Sheffield United were bottom of the league at the time of the game, and their new manager Chris Wilder had just taken over. For this reason, this match was a big result for United, and was a huge lift for their fans. Could it have been the game that turned things around for the club this season?
For Brentford fans, the game will have been a disappointment. Beleaguered by injuries, Brentford failed to create any magic in a game that should have been an “easy win” (relegation rivals Burnley triumphed 5-0 over United just days before).
Overall, the match-day experience was great, with no issues at all as far as ticketing and entry were concerned.
Terms and conditions
I am no legal expert, so I was pleased to see that the terms and conditions stated on StubHub’s site were very straightforward, and reassuring.
Most of all, I was impressed to see that if any issues were to arise with the delivery of the tickets, StubHub would make sure to provide the same “or better” tickets to the event.
This gave me the feeling that if anything went wrong, rather than just refunding me (and me missing the game), StubHub would do their best to make sure I got to the game, one way or another. If you read StubHub’s other positive reviews, many customers report that this is indeed what happened for them.
I would encourage you to check the full terms and conditions published on StubHub’s site, as they cover pretty much all eventualities. However, here are perhaps the two most common questions.
What happens if the game is cancelled and postponed to a later date?
StubHub’s policy on postponement states: “If an event is postponed and rescheduled, you may use the tickets on the rescheduled date or, time permitting, list them for sale on StubHub International. If replacement tickets are required for entry to the event on the rescheduled date, StubHub International will work to obtain replacement tickets for you or provide you a full refund of the price you paid on StubHub International (including any fees and shipping/handling charges). If you cannot attend the event on the rescheduled date, you are also encouraged to list the tickets on StubHub International if you wish. StubHub International does not provide refunds for partial performances, lineup or time changes.”
What happens if the game is cancelled and not re-scheduled?
StubHub’s policy on cancalled events states: “If an event is cancelled and not rescheduled, we will provide you with a full refund of the full amount you paid on StubHub International (including any fees and shipping/handling charges) or credit for use on a future purchase, as determined in StubHub International’s sole discretion (unless a refund is required by law).”
StubHub reviews from other sites
At the time of writing, StubHub UK has a 4.2 out of 5 rating on TrustPilot, from over 2,000 reviews. If you look into these reviews, you will see that the majority are at the extreme ends of the spectrum – either 5 stars, or 1 star. It is worth noting that, compared to other sites in the industry, this a pretty high score.
Interestingly, you will find that many of the 5-star reviews praise StubHub for their customer service. The majority of the 1-star reviews come from customers who turned up to an event and discovered an issue with their tickets upon arrival.
It is also worth noting that Stubhub’s main Trustpilot page is for StubHub UK, but they also have a StubHub IE page. The StubHub IE page has a lower score, but is based on fewer than 100 reviews. In actual fact, we technically partner with the StubHub IE site. However, when writing reviews, most customers don’t differentiate between the two. For this reason, StubHub UK’s main Trustpilot page is actually a fairer reflection of the company.
Two things strike me when reading about other people’s negative experiences. First of all, it is, of course, extremely disappointing to travel to an expensive event and then to not gain entry!
I can totally understand how disappointing this would be, and I think this explains the relatively large number of 1-star reviews. Unfortunately, when something goes wrong on the day, it is very upsetting. As a result, you can be sure that disappointed customers will make their voices heard on platforms like Trustpilot.
However, it is also clear that StubHub is very much a legitimate platform, which takes customer service very seriously. From reading a wide range of reviews, it is manifestly clear that StubHub do their best to make sure no customer is let down, and that they investigate complaints thoroughly.
In summary, here are the common comments from customers about StubHub as found on Trustpilot:
Positives
Many positive reviews cite customer service, as well as a generally straightforward and seamless experience. In the secondary ticketing industry, a common issue is that sellers withdraw their tickets. When this happened to StubHub customers, many of them found that support staff at StubHub were able to reassure them, and find them replacement tickets.
- Effective at resolving issues with sellers
- Reassuring customer service
- Seamless process
Negatives
Although I had a good experience using StubHub, it’s clear that there are several different categories of negative customer experiences using StubHub.
- Lack of response to email communications
- Issues with selling tickets
- Not receiving tickets on time
- Some fake tickets get through the system
Of course, no one wants to encounter any of these issues. These reviews demonstrate that issues clearly do arise from time to time, and some customers find themselves let down.
However, at Ticket Compare, our main interest in helping people who want to buy football tickets. In our experience, the vast majority of customers who simply want to buy football tickets have had a positive experience with StubHub. If you have any issues, we recommend picking up the phone and calling StubHub, rather than emailing them, because that gets a quicker resolution.
Verdict
Overall, our experience of using StubHub was very good. We experienced a minor issue with making payment, but otherwise the buying experience was great. The choice of tickets was excellent, the interface was a great, and the delivery of tickets was very straightforward. The experience at the event itself was entirely smooth. We recommend StubHub as a reliable and safe ticket vendor.
VISIT StubHub- Ticket price
- 4
- Ease to Use
- 5
- Match Day Experience
- 5
- Quality of Support
- 3
