Visa and Mastercard are paying $167.5 million to settle claims that they blocked independent ATMs from offering lower fees to consumers.
The settlement covers U.S. consumers who paid unreimbursed surcharges at non-bank ATMs from October 24, 2007 through August 14, 2026, according to the settlement administrator's portal.
The lawsuit alleged that Visa and Mastercard's network rules prevented independent ATM operators from discounting access fees when transactions could be processed on competing networks at lower cost. This practice forced cardholders to pay higher fees at independent ATMs than they would have otherwise.
Settlement Details
Visa will contribute $88.775 million to the settlement, while Mastercard will pay $78.725 million. After administrative fees and costs are deducted, valid claimants will share the remaining fund proportionally.
A federal judge in the District of Columbia granted preliminary approval of the settlement on August 14, 2026. Claims may be submitted through February 10, 2027 on the settlement administrator's portal at NonbankATMSurchargeSettlement.com. A final approval hearing is scheduled for February 17, 2027.
Both Visa and Mastercard have denied any wrongdoing despite agreeing to the settlement.
This settlement follows a related ATM surcharge lawsuit that resulted in a $197.5 million settlement in 2024, in which Visa and Mastercard were accused of conspiring with major banks to prevent independent ATM operators from charging lower fees.
