# UK firms could seek £5bn from Visa and Mastercard over card fees

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/visa-and-mastercard-threatened-with-potential-5bn-uk-lawsuit-over-interchange-fees/
- Published: 2026-10-26T15:30:57+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-26T15:57:35+00:00
- Original publisher: The Guardian (publisher lean: Left)
- Original article: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/oct/26/visa-mastercard-potential-uk-lawsuit-interchange-fees-compensation
- Topics: Americas, Business, Software, Technology, UK, World

## Key points

- Law firms are seeking approval for a claim estimated at £5bn.
- The case concerns card fees charged to businesses since October 2020.
- About 1 million smaller organisations could be included automatically.

## Summary

Law firms Harcus Parker and Hausfeld have applied to bring a group claim against Visa and Mastercard, alleging that the companies’ interchange fees have overcharged UK businesses and weakened competition. The proposed case could seek about £5bn in compensation, making it a potentially significant challenge to the fees charged when customers pay by card.

The claim covers fees dating from October 2020 and would include interest on alleged losses. If approved, around 1 million UK businesses, organisations and charities with revenues below £100m would be included automatically unless they opt out; larger firms would need to opt in. Mastercard calls the claim speculative and says interchange supports secure payments, while Visa says the fees benefit consumers, merchants and banks. The case could take years to conclude.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.