New 10 per cent ‘processing fee’ to be added to cinema and event tickets

Mareel. Photo: Shetland Arts

People attending events could face added costs after Shetland Arts announced a 10 per cent “processing fee” would be added to tickets across its venues.

From Monday, the fee will be applied to all tickets bought, whether for the cinema, events or workshops, regardless of whether they are booked online, by phone in person. 

The new fee replaces the previous flat £1 booking fee, which only applied to tickets online and over the phone.

Shetland Arts said the change was partially a response to feedback from customers outwith Lerwick who felt they were being penalised for their inability to book in person and avoid the £1 fee.

The new system has been designed to provide consistency for all customers, no matter where they live or how they choose to book.

For most cinemagoers, this change will result in lower ticket prices.

Under the previous system, a £1 booking fee was added per ticket.

With the introduction of the 10 per cent processing fee, tickets costing under £11 will now incur a smaller fee,
while those over £11 will see a higher charge.

Shetland Arts said the main reason for the fee structure revision had been driven by the rising costs associated with processing ticket sales.

These include charges for payment systems, online security, banking, ticketing software and staff time.

Although Shetland Arts continues to heavily subsidise cinema and event programming through external funding, it said this did not apply to the increasing processing costs.