Senior Business Development Manager

Hopper FTC settlement hits $35M over hidden fees and dark patterns. The Hopper FTC settlement, announced this week, will see the travel booking app pay $35 million in consumer redress after the US regulator accused it of burying fees, misrepresenting its paid features, and steering users into charges they never knowingly agreed to. Call it the price of friction design. What the Hopper FTC settlement actually covers. The FTC complaint against Hopper, filed on 2 July 2026 as Case 1:26-cv-13058, brings charges under Section 5(a) of the FTC Act and the agency's Rule on Unfair or Deceptive Fees (the Fees Rule, 16 C.F.R. pt.). That rule specifically prohibits failing to disclose the total price every place a price is displayed, failing to disclose the nature and amount of individual fees, and misrepresenting the refundability of charges. Short-term lodging sits squarely within its scope, which makes Hopper a textbook target. The core allegations break into three areas. First, the app's 'VIP Support' feature: users were led to believe it would guarantee responsive customer service but reportedly found meaningful access difficult to obtain. Second, the 'Price Freeze' and 'Hold the Room' products: these promised to lock in a travel price for a defined period, but the FTC says Hopper failed to clearly communicate that the freeze only applied up to a price ceiling and only if the booking remained available. Third, 'Tip' and VIP Support fees that were framed as optional yet arrived pre-selected in the interface, with the charges only becoming visible when users scrolled further down the screen. That last detail is the definition of a dark pattern: the choice architecture was designed to default towards the outcome that benefited Hopper, not the user. Regulators have been circling this territory for years; the FTC is now using statutory muscle to back up what consumer advocates had long flagged. Under the settlement terms, Hopper is prohibited from misrepresenting its pricing structures and is required to clearly disclose all fees before a transaction is completed. A pattern the FTC has been building for months. Hopper is not an isolated case. The FTC described StubHub as 'the nation's largest ticket exchange and resale ticket provider' when it announced a $10 million settlement with that company in April 2026, citing violations of both the FTC Act and the same Fees Rule for advertising ticket prices without clearly disclosing mandatory charges upfront. The StubHub case page on the FTC's own site lays out the parallel structure: hidden totals, misleading price displays, and a rule breach that the agency is applying consistently across sectors. Before that, Booking Holdings settled for $9.5 million following a lawsuit from the Texas Attorney General, which alleged that it displayed low room rates while concealing material fees until checkout. The FTC has also previously settled with Match, neobank Dave, and Epic Games over Fortnite, among others. The throughline is the Fees Rule, which is becoming the agency's primary instrument for junk-fee enforcement across travel, ticketing, and accommodation. The Hopper action, being filed under both the FTC Act and the Fees Rule simultaneously, represents exactly the kind of dual-track enforcement the agency has signalled it intends to pursue. Hopper launched in 2014 and reported surpassing 120 million lifetime downloads worldwide in 2024. At that scale, even a fee that looks modest per transaction aggregates quickly across the user base, which probably goes some way to explaining the settlement figure. The app's AI-driven price prediction tools were always the headline feature; the monetisation layer underneath them is what drew regulatory attention. The $35 million is earmarked for consumer redress, so affected users may eventually see a portion returned. Whether the structural changes Hopper is now required to make actually reshape how travel apps present pricing more broadly is the more interesting question. The FTC's Fees Rule is sector-agnostic: any app that defaults optional charges to 'on' and buries them below the fold is reading from the same playbook Hopper just had to pay to retire. Marcus Hale has been filing general news for the better part of fifteen years. He started at a regional evening paper, moved to a mid-sized digital outlet covering UK news, and spent three years as a general assignment reporter before going freelance. He has covered inquests, council elections, infrastructure announcements, and the kind of stories that sit on page five but matter on page one. He writes about public services, housing, local government, and the institutional stories that take six months to develop and thirty seconds to read. He prefers facts to angles and considers that unfashionable. Marcus lives in Bristol. He still reads the local paper and thinks that makes him an endangered species. July 6, 2026 July 5, 2026

RBC and HTS (Hopper Technology Solutions) come together to elevate the travel booking experience for Canadians français. Mar 30, 2026, 06:01 ET RBC taps HTS to power Avion Rewards Travel, bringing innovative travel offerings to the Canadian market; new travel booking portal to launch later this year for all Avion Rewards members, including Avion credit cardholders TORONTO, March 30, 2026 /CNW/ - RBC and HTS (Hopper Technology Solutions) today announced a long-term collaboration to provide an enhanced travel loyalty experience for all Avion Rewards members, bringing together the country's largest proprietary loyalty program and one of Canada's leading travel technology platforms. This offering not only delivers a world-class travel booking platform for Canadian travelers, it also significantly enhances the value and benefits available to RBC credit cardholders, including Avion cardholders. An enhanced Avion Rewards Travel platform will be seamlessly integrated into the Avion Rewards ecosystem, allowing members to use their Avion points across all travel categories, providing them with greater capabilities for booking flights, accommodations, car rentals, activities and packages. Beyond the core booking capability, flexible booking options and elevated loyalty features will be introduced, driving greater value and engagement for members. This includes a new service that will provide price insights on the optimal time to book flights based on historical and predictive data. Avion credit cardholders will continue to enjoy exclusive fixed-points pricing on any airline, any flight, any time-with no blackout dates or seating restrictions, even during peak periods. The transition will be frictionless for all Avion Rewards members. "RBC's collaboration with HTS represents a significant milestone in transforming travel loyalty, delivering smarter, industry-first features for our Avion Rewards members to enjoy," says Vinita Savani, Executive Vice President, Cards & Loyalty, RBC. "By combining HTS' technology with Avion Rewards' unparalleled loyalty expertise, we're creating a seamless, personalized travel booking experience that puts the needs of our members and credit cardholders first. This exciting shift underscores our dedication to innovation and reinforces Avion Rewards' position as Canada's leading loyalty program." "As a proudly Canadian company, we're thrilled to team up with RBC, Canada's leading bank, to bring next-generation travel innovation to Canadians and deliver a more dynamic, personalized, and rewarding experience for Avion Rewards members," said Dakota Smith, President and Co-Founder of Hopper & HTS. "RBC continues to set the standard for what clients expect from a world-class bank, and this venture underscores our shared commitment to redefining travel and loyalty through best-in-class technology." About RBC Royal Bank of Canada is a global financial institution with a purpose-driven, principles-led approach to delivering leading performance. Our success comes from the 101,000+ employees who leverage their imaginations and insights to bring our vision, values and strategy to life so we can help our clients thrive and communities prosper. As Canada's biggest bank and one of the largest in the world, based on market capitalization, we have a diversified business model with a focus on innovation and providing exceptional experiences to our more than 19 million clients in Canada, the U.S. and 27 other countries. Learn more at rbc.com. We are proud to support a broad range of community initiatives through donations, community investments and employee volunteer activities. See how at rbc.com/peopleandplanet. About Avion Rewards Avion Rewards is a loyalty and consumer engagement platform that provides Canadians with the flexibility to shop, save, earn and redeem for everyday merchandise, aspirational rewards and experiences. Its exclusive shopping companion, Avion Rewards ShopPlus, enables members to access offers seamlessly, saving them time and money right where they shop online. Additionally, as one of the largest travel providers in Canada, Avion Rewards makes it possible for members to benefit from the program's market-leading "any airline, any flight, any time" travel offering, as well as its flagship Avion credit cards and concierge service. About HTS (Hopper Technology Solutions) HTS (Hopper Technology Solutions), a leading global travel technology platform, uses its data advantage and AI-driven travel technology to help partners address modern traveler needs. The company has developed several unique fintech ancillaries that address everything from pricing volatility to trip disruptions. Working with the world's leading banks, airlines and travel providers, HTS supercharges its partners' direct channels with its travel fintech, AI, and e-commerce products. To find out more about HTS, visit hts.hopper.com. SOURCE RBC Royal Bank