Chicago · Buyers
How cheap-ticket apps show the price
TickPick, SeatGeek, StubHub, and Gametime each publish a buyer-fee page. This note quotes those pages, read Oct. 15, 2026. It does not rank the apps, invent a commission, or add an affiliate code. Rankings on Windy City Game Day come from the weekly file.The disclosure page says schedule links go to the team or the venue, and that no ticket link here carries a code. The buttons below readdata/affiliates.json. Every href there is empty, so each one says the link is not connected.
TickPick
TickPick’s support article, “Are there any additional fees,” says the company does not charge a service fee and does not add the kind of service fee it attributes to competitors. It says the amounts that can sit above the listed ticket price are local pickup at $5, FedEx 2-day shipping at $10.99, overnight shipping at $15.99, and sales tax where the law requires it. Tax, it says, depends on the event’s state and the type of event.
TickPick link not connected.
SeatGeek
SeatGeek’s support article says yes, there is a fee to buy: service fees and marketplace fees. All-In Pricing, as SeatGeek defines it, means the price on the event page already includes all mandatory fees. Taxes, shipping, and optional add-ons may still appear at checkout. The article says fees vary by event and may be set by SeatGeek, the team, the venue, the league, or the promoter. It also says sales are final except for the Buyer Guarantee. It does not publish one commission percentage, so this page does not invent one.
SeatGeek link not connected.
StubHub
Two StubHub pages describe the buyer price, and they do not say the same thing about when fees appear.
The support article says there is no set buyer-fee percentage. Fees change with the ticket price, the time left until the event, event information, and supply and demand. It names a service fee and a fulfillment fee, both shown at checkout. Under Price Display Options, an “Include estimated fees” control is a filter the buyer can turn on. The article says the Review and buy step shows the total. It also names the FanProtect Guarantee.
The newsroom post from Sept. 30, 2026, “How StubHub pricing works,” says that as of a May 2025 FTC rule the displayed price includes all mandatory fees. It says the fee is a percentage of the seller’s price, that the percentage is not set from personal data, and that StubHub does not use purchase history, demographics, location, or account data to set it. It mentions an anonymous cookie among fixed fee levels.
Use checkout for the total. This page does not collapse those two descriptions into one rule, and it does not state a commission rate.
StubHub support on feesStubHub newsroom, Sept. 30, 2026
StubHub link not connected.
Gametime
Gametime’s support article says “Includes Fees” is on by default before you buy. In most states, checkout shows the total with fees and taxes. The article lists states where the pre-checkout Includes Fees price does not include taxes, while checkout still shows fees and taxes: DC, GA, ID, KS, KY, LA, MN, NC, OK, TN, TX, WI, and WV. The buyer can turn the toggle off to see prices without fees.
A May 13, 2025 post from Gametime’s CEO says the company was already showing prices up front before the FTC all-in rule. No buyer commission percentage is on either page, so none is added here.
Gametime on Includes FeesGametime, May 13, 2025
Gametime link not connected.
What this site does with those prices
A get-in on the home page is stamped with the day it was checked, and the line under it says whether fees are included. That stamp is the weekly file, not a live quote from one of these apps. If a game has no checked price, the schedule says it is unpriced until checked.
For a weekend or a weeknight, start with thehome schedule, then the team guide, then the venue’s transit notes. The sports trip page covers the CTA day pass for both. It does not send you through an affiliate link.
FAQ
Does TickPick charge a buyer service fee?
TickPick’s support article says it does not charge a service fee. It says the only amounts above the listed price are local pickup at $5, FedEx 2-day at $10.99, overnight at $15.99, and legally required sales tax.
Does SeatGeek’s listed price include fees?
SeatGeek says All-In Pricing means the price on the event page includes all mandatory fees. Taxes, shipping, and optional add-ons can still be extra at checkout. It says fees vary by event.
Does StubHub always include fees before checkout?
The support article still describes an “Include estimated fees” filter and says the total is on the Review and buy step. A Sept. 30, 2026 newsroom post says the displayed price includes all mandatory fees as of a May 2025 FTC rule. Both pages are quoted below. Neither states a commission this site can repeat.