Visa/MC Interchange Fee Settlement
In re Payment Card Interchange Fee and Merchant Discount Antitrust Litigation | MDL No. 1720] ("Settlement").
March 2023 Update: Recently, there was significant movement in the legal proceedings relating to the Visa/Mastercard class action settlement. Here is language from the official update on the settlement website:
“The Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit affirmed all aspects of the District Court’s final approval order save one. At this time, it is unknown if any party will pursue further appeals.”
MCAG will continue to monitor the progress of the settlement and will follow up as more details emerge pertaining to next steps.
Settlement Fund
$5.54 billion
Settlement Period
January 1, 2004 - January 25, 2019
Claim Filing Deadline
TBD
Overview
Visa, Mastercard, and the Defendant Banks have officially reached a settlement on interchange fees with the Court granting final approval of this Settlement on December 13, 2019. Once appeals are decided and a claims process is established, eligible merchants will be able to claim their share of the billions in settlement funds.
If your business accepted Visa or Mastercard payments any time from January 1, 2004 to January 25, 2019, you may be eligible to recover significant funds from this pending Settlement. Although the claim forms are not yet available and the filing deadline for claim submission has not been announced, you can engage MCAG now to ensure that a proper and timely claim is filed on behalf of your business.
Settlement Recovery Service Details
Our service includes the following:
Gather relevant business and payment information that may be available from our payment card processing partners.
Triangulate this data with the Settlement database(s) and other available sources.
File a complete and accurate claim into the settlement in an effort to maximize your return.
Reconcile with the Settlement Administrator to help ensure that you receive a proper and timely recovery.
Register for MCAG's recovery service by going to our registration landing page and entering the unique six-digit code given to you by your processing company. If you don't have a code, fill out a contact form on our website and one of our account services representatives will help you complete your registration.
Frequently Asked Questions
Settlement Info
What is this settlement about?
This settlement arose from a lawsuit alleging that merchants paid excessive interchange fees for accepting Visa and Mastercard payments, as a result of Visa, Mastercard and certain Bank Defendants conspiring together.
What is an interchange fee?
When a payment is made with a debit or credit card, an interchange fee is charged to the merchant accepting the payment (typically, 1-2% of the total transaction). Visa and Mastercard set interchange fee rates for different types of transactions and publish them on their websites.
What period of transactions does the settlement cover?
The settlement covers Visa and Mastercard payments that were accepted between January 1, 2004 and January 25, 2019.
How much money will be provided in this settlement?
Visa, Mastercard and the Bank Defendants have agreed to provide a settlement fund of $5.54 billion to merchants that did not exclude themselves from the Settlement Class. Every merchant in the settlement class that did not exclude itself from the class, and files a valid claim will be paid from the settlement fund.
The settlement fund will also be used to pay various fees and expenses related to settlement administration and notice, taxes, Class Plaintiff awards, and attorneys' fees, as approved by the Court.
Am I eligible to recover money from this settlement?
If you are a merchant that accepted any Visa or Mastercard payments between January 1, 2004 and January 25, 2019, you may be eligible to recover funds from the settlement.
Claim Filing
How do I recover money from the settlement?
If you are an eligible class member, you must file a claim or have a claim filed on your behalf to receive funds from the settlement.
When will the claims process begin?
The claim filing period has not yet been determined. Claim forms will not be available until the appeals to the final approval have been resolved. The timing of the resolution of appeals is unknown at this time, however, MCAG will update clients via email as soon as a claims process is established by the Court.
Is this the official settlement website?
No. The settlement website is www.paymentcardsettlement.com.
Can I file a claim on my own?
Yes. Once claim forms are available, go to the settlement website for more information: www.paymentcardsettlement.com.
MCAG's Services
Why would I use MCAG?
MCAG is an expert at identifying and recovering non-traditional high margin revenue for all types of organizations from class action settlements. Registering for MCAG's service means we will:
Acquire as much of the relevant historical data as possible,
Fill out all of the necessary documentation,
Submit a comprehensive claim in an effort to maximize recoveries,
Correspond with the Settlement Administrator,
Reconcile returns on behalf of our clients, and
Distribute net recoveries from the settlement funds.
MCAG recovers the most for your claim with the least effort on your part. Over 290,000 businesses have already registered for our recovery services, which you can learn more about here.
Do I need to provide any financial statements or data to MCAG?
No. We only need your Merchant ID Number, the name of your merchant services provider/credit card processor, Tax ID, and address.
Through partnerships with dozens of payment processing companies, MCAG uses an immense data warehouse to relieve merchants of the potential burden of having to gather historical data across multiple locations and multiple processors. This includes current and historical data for millions of merchants. MCAG has a proven history of utilizing this supporting data to optimize the claim submission process and increase recoveries.
What is a Merchant ID Number?
A Merchant ID Number, or MID, is assigned to merchants by their credit card processor or merchant services provider. It can be found on billing statements or by contacting the merchant services provider.
Does this service cost me anything?
MCAG works on a contingent fee basis so we retain a portion of your settlement recovery amount, once it is recovered. If your business is not entitled to a settlement recovery, you won't be charged a fee.
How do I stay updated on the settlement?
Once registered for MCAG's services, you will receive email updates when there is new information regarding the settlement. You can also visit the Court website for any additional updates at www.paymentcardsettlement.com.
Click here to read all FAQs about MCAG's services.
Need more information? Call MCAG at 1-800-355-0466 to learn more or CLICK HERE to complete our contact form and an MCAG representative will respond shortly.
Payment Card Settlement Disclaimer: On December 13, 2019 the Court granted final approval of the settlement filed on September 18, 2018 for the Rule 23(b)(3) Class Plaintiffs in this action. No claim forms are available at this time, and no claim-filing deadline exists. No-cost assistance will be available from the Class Administrator and Class Counsel during any claims-filing period. No one is required to sign up with any third-party service in order to participate in any settlement. For additional information regarding the status of the litigation, interested persons may visit www.paymentcardsettlement.com, the Court-approved website for this case.