If you choose to engage MCAG for our Settlement Recovery Service, we will: Provide guidance and assistance in retrieving the applicable documentation and information, Prepare any required forms and ensure an accurate and timely claim submission, Work with settlement administrators to reconcile and distribute the appropriate recovery under the terms of the settlements, and Find future settlement opportunities applicable to your organization.

No. We do not practice law so we don't provide legal counsel. We are not an attorney, class counsel or claims administrator. MCAG is a class action settlement expert, we handle all of the settlement administration details including preparing and submitting any required documentation and claim forms. We also work with settlement administrators to reconcile and distribute appropriate recoveries under the terms of the settlements. If you want legal advice or legal services, you should contact class counsel or an attorney of your choosing.

Since 2003, MCAG has provided services for dozens of class action settlements. We are extremely familiar with the process of preparing, submitting, tracking and reconciling claims for our clients. In addition, we work effectively and successfully with the nation’s preeminent class action litigators and settlement administrators. Our approach to settlements recovery is both strategic and data driven. Whenever possible, MCAG uses data, often provided by our partners and trusted vendors of our clients, to increase client recoveries. MCAG has partnered with many of the nation’s largest healthcare IT companies, payment card processors and acquirers, as well as select law firms and consultants. Through these relationships, we have unrivaled expertise as well as access to relevant data for more than 6 million businesses. We provide dedicated account management for all recovery services. Our “turn-key” operation for businesses helps them to recover the maximum available to them under settlements, and other programs. MCAG does all the data analysis, forms preparation and filing, and the reconciliation and distribution of recoveries. We have distributed hundreds of millions in cash to clients through our recovery services. In most cases, MCAG has greatly improved client recoveries under settlements, exceeding what a client would have received using their own efforts. MCAG is committed to continuously identifying and implementing innovative approaches and tools to help deliver and enhance the settlement recovery process for our clients. We are making a significant investment in innovations that enhance our research quality and ultimately enrich the client experience.

Some notable past settlements include: Washington State LCD Antitrust Indirect Purchaser Settlement Illinois State LCD Antitrust Indirect Purchaser Settlement Polyurethane Foam Antitrust Indirect Purchaser Settlement Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) Indirect Purchaser Settlement US Foodservice Pricing Litigation Settlement Hypodermic Antitrust Settlement Plasma-Protein Derivative Therapy Settlement DRAM Settlement Deepwater Horizon Settlement Oxford NY and NJ Class Action Settlements United Health Care Ingenix Settlement Anthem/Wellpoint Settlement BlueCross/Highmark/Cap Settlement Healthnet Settlement Wellbutrin SR TPP Settlement

Absolutely. You do not have to engage our services or any other third-party claim filing firm to obtain a recovery. You can prepare and file your own settlement claim. However, thousands of companies have engaged MCAG so they can focus on their core business while our team of class action settlement experts monitor and manage the process on their behalf.

MCAG only works on a contingent fee basis when providing recovery services for clients. You avoid upfront fees and enjoy the comfort of knowing that our motivation is in harmony with your needs and expectations.

Click Here and enter your access code, then you may complete our registration form. The access code can be found on a communication from MCAG or one of our strategic partners. If you have not received an access code or are not yet ready to register, complete our contact form or use our chat window and an MCAG representative will contact you shortly.

The judge granted final approval of the Visa/Mastercard Interchange Fee Settlement on December 13, 2019. As is the case with the vast majority of class action settlements, a handful of groups have appealed the final approval. Our expectation is that the impact of the appeals will be limited, and while there may be some minor changes and/or a short delay in the expected claim process, there is no indication that the settlement will be substantially changed or further delayed. Update: On July 8, 2022, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals issued an Order concerning the District Court’s intention to appoint a Special Master to determine which, as between certain oil companies and their branded operators, shall be deemed to have accepted payment cards, and thus within the certified settlement class. Specifically, the Second Circuit ordered the District Court to consider whether its prior judgment entered and appealed from should be considered a partial final judgment. In a July 18th Order, the District Court certified its December 13, 2019 Final Approval Order approving the Superseding Settlement Agreement as a partial final judgment, clearing the way for the Second Circuit to resume consideration of the appeal. Per the official settlement website, the current status is that "The Second Circuit Court of Appeals heard oral arguments regarding objections to final approval of the Settlement on March 16, 2022. At this time, it is unknown when the appeals will be decided." Next Steps for MCAG Clients Claims cannot be submitted until all appeals have been resolved, and the length of that process is unknown. When claim forms do become available, merchants who have already contracted with MCAG will not have to gather nor submit claim forms because MCAG will handle the claims submission on their behalf. Stay tuned, as we will send updates to our registered clients via email as this matter progresses and more information is circulated.

The Visa/Mastercard Settlement arose from a lawsuit claiming that merchants paid excessive interchange or swipe fees for accepting Visa and Mastercard payments because of an alleged conspiracy among Visa, Mastercard and the Bank Defendants. After years of delays, the Court granted Final Approval of this Settlement on December 13, 2019. Some organizations have filed appeals to the final-approval order. A claims process will not begin until all appeals are resolved, and at this time it is unknown how long the appeals process will take. When a claims process is available, merchants must submit a claim to the Settlement Administrator, or have a claim submitted on their behalf, to be eligible to receive any cash from the $5.54 billion settlement fund. Although the claim forms are not yet available, you can engage MCAG now to ensure that a proper and timely claim is filed on behalf of your business.

The settlement covers payments your organization accepted made via Visa or Mastercard from January 1, 2004 to January 25, 2019.

The MCAG access code, which is also referred to as a login, processor, or campaign code, is a unique code that allows merchants to access the appropriate site to register for our service. This is a 6-digit alphanumeric code that merchants receive from one of MCAG's strategic partners, such as a merchant services provider, healthcare association, retail association, EHR provider, attorney, or benefits consultant.

A Merchant ID Number is assigned by your credit card processor/merchant services provider. This can be found either on your billing statement or by contacting your merchant services provider.

When a cardholder makes a purchase with a credit or debit card, there is an interchange fee charged to the merchant. This fee is usually 1% to 2% of the purchase price. Interchange fees typically account for the greatest part of the fees paid by merchants for accepting Visa and Mastercard. Visa and Mastercard set interchange fee rates for different kinds of transactions and publish these rates on their websites, usually twice a year.

The filing deadline is May 31st, 2024. Claim forms have been approved and the settlement administrator plans to open the claims filing process in December 2023.

Yes. Once claim forms are available you can go to the court website for more information (www.paymentcardsettlement.com).

MCAG is an expert at identifying and recovering non-traditional high margin revenue for all types of organizations from class action settlements. We have experience and credibility in getting the most for your claim with the least effort on your part. As part of its comprehensive services, MCAG will: Acquire as much of the historical data applicable to the settlement as possible, Fill out all of the necessary documentation, Submit a comprehensive claim in an effort maximize recoveries, Correspond with the Settlement Administrator, Reconcile returns on behalf of our clients, and Distribute net recoveries from the settlement funds. All of these services are performed on a contingent fee basis – if there is no recovery, there will be no fee. If you do not file a valid and timely claim, or have a claim filed on your behalf by an authorized third party filing agent like MCAG, then you will not recover any money from the settlement.

No, we simply need your merchant identification numbers, associated credit card processor/merchant service provider names, associated tax id’s, and associated address locations.

If your business has multiple locations, we ask that you complete our online registration using information corresponding to your headquarters/primary location. Once you complete that submission, you will receive instructions to register for MCAG’s Settlement Recovery HUB where you can easily provide additional information for your organization, such as additional locations, tax IDs, and merchant IDs. If you own more than one business and the businesses operate as separate entities, then we suggest that you complete a registration form for each distinct business. If you did not process with your current payment card processor / merchant service provider all the way back to 2004, then you can provide information from your previous processors. Still, your current merchant information is what is most critical.

MCAG works on a contingent fee basis so MCAG retains a portion of your settlement recovery amount. If your business is not entitled to a settlement recovery, then MCAG will not charge a fee. Your specific fee, which would include any applicable discounts negotiated by your processing company, can be found on your processor’s communications or at MCAG's Settlement Recovery HUB.

Please use the MCAG chat window or the contact form and provide us with your business name, address, phone number, and email. An MCAG account manager will get back with you.

Once you register for MCAG’s services, we will email you periodic updates. Please make sure MCAG is whitelisted on your email program to ensure you receive these updates. Also, you can go to the court website for any additional updates. The website is www.paymentcardsettlement.com.

Merchants had until July 23rd, 2019 to exclude themselves from the settlement. If you excluded yourself from the settlement, you cannot get any money from this settlement. You can also find more detailed information on this topic at the Official Court-authorized settlement website www.paymentcardsettlement.com.

This is a fixed-fund settlement, and since we expect that the settlement will be oversubscribed (meaning the dollar value of the claims submitted will exceed the total of the settlement fund), all submissions will be pro rata reduced (meaning that claimants will receive a portion of the total of their estimated interchange fee volume during the settlement period). At this time, there is no way to accurately estimate your return. For example, if the total settlement fund = $5 billion and the total amount of valid claims submitted = $125 billion, then the payout from the settlement will be a pro rata portion of each $1.00 submitted as claim. In this example, where $125 billion in claims is submitted to a $5 billion fund, each claimant would receive a gross payout of $0.04 for every $1.00 of valid claims submitted. Returns could be significant because over 150 of the largest merchants, such as Wal-Mart, Amazon, Delta Airlines, American Airlines, and Google have already been compensated by the Defendants, or have opted out of the settlement class, and are not eligible to be paid from the $5 billion in net settlement funds.

Class members are required to submit a claim in order to receive any proceeds (monetary relief) from this settlement. Therefore, if you do not submit a claim on your own, or have MCAG or another third party submit a claim on your behalf, then you will not receive any of the settlement funds (cash payment from the settlement).

A secure online solution where MCAG clients can update their account information, keep abreast of potential future settlements, and view your settlement recovery history (this last portion is not available just yet, but it is coming soon).

You should use the HUB to provide information on additional merchant locations to ensure that all of your locations are included in your claim submission. Entry of an additional location requires submission of an additional Tax ID in the Location Information, or additional Current Merchant ID in the Visa / Mastercard Settlement Information. You do not need to provide additional Addresses that share a previously provided Tax ID or Merchant ID. You may provide merchant information for a location that has closed that you owned during the settlement period. Enter the last known processor and merchant ID in the Current Credit Card Processor and Current Merchant ID fields for that location.

Yes, The HUB is available to MCAG clients as of 2/8/2021.

No. The HUB and its tools are free for MCAG clients.

Your online experience at MCAG is backed by our strong commitment to security and privacy. Learn more by reading our Security Notice.

Yes, the HUB is smartphone-enabled so you can easily access it on your iPhone or Android device.

Complete our Contact Form or email us at info@mcaginc.com to receive a link to the HUB.

Yes. To log in for the first time, use your email address on file with MCAG to register and create your password. You will then receive a confirmation email confirming your ownership of the email account and a link to log into the HUB.

Yes.

If you have more than one account with MCAG, you will be shown a list of your accounts when you log in to the HUB. After you select an account you wish to manage, the HUB will display the Account Dashboard. If you have a single account, you will be shown the Dashboard once you log in. The HUB Dashboard contains the basics you need to manage your MCAG account online. Here you can review your account, update information, provide additional information and stay up to date with the latest settlement news from MCAG. You'll also have access to your "My Locations" screen from the menu tabs on top of the screen. This option is used by MCAG clients that have more than one location (not applicable for clients who contract with MCAG solely for the BCBS Subscriber Settlement). Here you can review and confirm your location list and provide updates.

We’re glad you asked! We’ll occasionally ask for your feedback through pop-up messages, but you don’t need to wait for that to share your ideas. Just send us an email at info@mcaginc.com.