Fee Transparency Laws Mean All-In Pricing on Run This
Starting immediately, Run This will display all-in pricing, meaning the full price including any mandatory processing fees, for every event on our platform no matter where it is held or where your participants live.
Recent state laws in California, Minnesota, and several others, along with a new federal rule effective May 2025, require any business selling event tickets or registrations to list the total price upfront with all required fees included. These laws are designed to end “drip pricing” practices where buyers only see added fees at checkout.
To keep every event compliant and support a transparent, trustworthy experience for your participants, Run This will automatically show the total price including fees across your event page, registration process, and confirmation emails. This ensures participants always know exactly what they will pay before they click “Register.”
Why Is This Happening?
In states like California, new fee transparency laws now make it illegal to advertise or list a registration price like “$45 + fees” on an event page. Instead, the page must show something like “$48.10,” the total price including all processing fees. The federal law now in effect extends these rules across the entire United States.
Run This believes these requirements are fair and overdue. Hidden fees erode trust in races and events, and clarity on pricing helps athletes make better decisions.
What Will Change on Run This?
- Total pricing displayed automatically:
- Your event pages, registration checkouts, and confirmation emails will all show the complete price including Run This’s standard processing fees.
- No manual overrides:
- For compliance and consistency, events will not be able to customize or hide these prices.
- Consistent worldwide:
- Regardless of where your event takes place or where your participants live, Run This will show upfront all-in pricing worldwide.
- Content caution:
- While Run This will handle pricing on your event pages automatically, if you include prices in your own images, emails, social posts, or ads, you must make sure you show the total amount including fees. Otherwise, your race could face legal penalties under new fee transparency laws.
Why Are There Processing Fees?
Processing fees cover two major costs:
- Payment processing fees charged by banks and credit card networks.
- The investment Run This makes to continue building and supporting the industry’s most athlete-focused registration platform.
These fees allow us to offer features you rely on, like robust registration tools, financial reporting, and innovative ways to connect with your community, while keeping base registration costs competitive.
What Happens If You Don’t Comply?
New fee transparency laws carry steep penalties, with minimum fines of $1,000 per violation in states like California. These laws give consumers the right to pursue events advertising incomplete pricing. That is why Run This will ensure your pricing is displayed correctly by default, helping protect you from unnecessary legal and financial risk.
How Do Run This Fees Compare?
Run This’s processing fees are already among the lowest in the industry, lower than major competitors like Eventbrite or Race Roster, which often charge $1.79 to $1.99 per ticket plus high percentage fees. With all-in pricing, participants will see these differences more clearly than ever.
What Do Race Directors Need to Do?
Most races do not need to do anything:
- Run This will automatically calculate and display total prices including fees.
- Stay mindful of prices you include in your own marketing materials, such as images, emails, and social posts, and be sure to show the total amount including fees there as well.
Run This: Leading the Way on Transparency
At Run This, we are committed to helping events stay ahead of new rules while building participant trust through clear, honest pricing. We believe this change benefits everyone, events, athletes, and the endurance community at large.
Questions? Reach out to our team anytime at kelby@runthis.run.
