You could be owed £300 if you bought goods from shops accepting Mastercard

Mastercard is accused of owing up to £10bn to 46m UK shoppers. Sign up to stay updated – you could be owed money whether you had a Mastercard or not.

The biggest consumer claim in UK legal history could mean 46m shoppers are owed up to £10 billion. Mastercard is accused of charging shops and supermarkets unlawfully high fees for processing Mastercard payments, which resulted in higher prices on goods and services.

Mastercard in overcharging claim

Shoppers in the UK could each be owed up to £300 for simply buying goods and services from shops and supermarkets over a 16 year period from 1992 to 2008. This applies whether you paid by cash, cheque, debit card or credit card.

Mastercard is accused of charging unlawful fees on transactions processed during this time. More than half a million businesses in the UK that accepted Mastercard payments are said to have passed these fees onto consumers by charging more for goods and services. 

Are you owed £300?

You could have paid higher prices and be owed money if:

  • You were living in the UK on the 6 September 2016
  • You were 16 or over and living in the UK for at least 3 months between 22 May 1992 and 21 June 2008
  • You bought things from UK shops or supermarkets that accepted Mastercard as a means of payment

You could even be eligible if you represent the estate of somebody who meets these criteria but who died on or after 6 September 2016. 

The claim against Mastercard

The claim was launched by former Chief Ombudsman at the Financial Ombudsman Service, Walter Merricks CBE, who has been approved to lead this action on behalf of the 46 million affected UK shoppers whether they paid by Mastercard or not. 

Merricks has instructed the law firm Willkie Farr & Gallagher (UK) LLP to represent him in the Mastercard consumer claim that is seeking up to £10 billion payout from Mastercard. Merricks is funded by litigation funders Innsworth Capital Limited to pay the fees for this claim.

How to claim compensation

You don’t have to do anything at the moment. You are automatically eligible for compensation if you were an adult living in the UK for at least 3 months between 1992 and 2008, and you bought goods and services from retailers who accepted Mastercard.

Sign up to Consumer Voice to stay updated and to find out when you can claim.

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We will keep you updated on the latest developments in the Mastercard claim and other group consumer claims.

What’s happening with this claim?

The Competition Appeal Tribunal confirmed in March 2022 that Merricks can seek damages from Mastercard on behalf of three million people who have died since the claim was filed. In a preliminary hearing in March 2023, the Tribunal rejected Mastercard’s attempts to limit the size of the claim. The trial is underway – with hearings scheduled to consider each issue. The trial that will consider whether the fees were passed onto consumers in the form of higher costs on goods and services will start in November 2024.

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