Retailers have ramped up a battle against Visa and Mastercard with more than a dozen major brands logging fresh legal claims over card payment fees.
The High Court writs, which count Levi, Superdry and AllSaints as claimants, will pile pressure on the two credit card giants following Amazon’s attack on Visa’s high transaction fees last month.
The fashion chains, advised by lawyers at Stephenson Harwood, are seeking compensation for historic charging fees in breach of competition laws.
The claims were logged just days after Amazon said it would block customers from shopping with Visa credit cards on the website in Britain. The e-commerce giant said it would be forced to stop accepting credit cards from Jan 19, blaming Visa’s “high fees” after Brexit.
Visa said the legal battle over interchange fees was not related to Amazon’s decision. It previously said it was “disappointed that Amazon is threatening to restrict consumer choice in the future”.
A spokesperson for Visa added: “Visa considers all claims relating to interchange to be without merit and will be vigorously defended.”
The Supreme Court ruled last year that the fees imposed by both Visa and Mastercard on retailers for every card transaction were a breach of both EU and UK competition law.
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