Drip pricing can leave shoppers paying more than they expected. Here’s what’s changing in the UK and how to spot hidden costs before you buy

You click ‘buy’, and the price at checkout is somehow bigger than the price you started with. That’s drip pricing, as you flow through the steps to purchase, extra costs are added. Meaning the amount you agree to isn’t the amount you actually pay. If you’ve ever wondered what is drip pricing exactly, and why it’s suddenly everywhere in the news, it comes down to one thing: hidden fees that only appear once you’re already committed to buying.

What’s already being done

It’s important to be aware that despite this being a growing issue, there’s already recent law seeking to address it. Since April 2025, UK businesses have been required to show the full price upfront rather than adding fees as you go, and fake reviews have been banned outright. As a result, the Competition and Markets Authority has already used these powers to tackle drip pricing: it fined the AA over £4 million after learners were shown a lesson price that didn’t include a mandatory £3 booking fee until the final step, and it’s currently looking into three more well-known names over the same kind of practice.

What’s happening next

We’re seeing the Burnham government prioritise this with a further round of protection that’s accelerated: rules are now due to land in January 2027, three months earlier than planned. The ambition is that it will require clearer information at sign-up, reminders before a subscription renews, and an easier way to leave than there was to join. If a business doesn’t warn you properly, you get a 14-day window to change your mind. It’s a meaningful step forward, and worth knowing is coming.

A model that already works

The EU offers a useful glimpse of what mature transparency looks like. Since 2022, EU retailers advertising a discount have had to show the genuine lowest price charged in the previous 30 days, not an inflated one invented just before the sale, and the rule has real weight behind it, with fines that can reach 4 per cent of a company’s turnover. It’s proof that a clear, enforceable standard is entirely workable. It isn’t a criticism of where the UK is now, just a helpful sense of where transparency can go.

Things worth keeping in mind

None of this needs a total audit of your spending. A few small habits make drip pricing much easier to spot before it costs you anything :

– Look at the price shown right at the start, and check whether it changes by the time you reach payment
– If something is marked as a discount, notice whether the “original” price feels genuine or invented
– Keep an eye on renewal dates, since the first-year price and the ongoing price aren’t always the same

At etheco, this is part of why we look at how a business treats you after you’ve signed up, not just what it sells you. Clear pricing and an honest cancellation process say something real about how a company values the relationship, not just the transaction.