Defense and Compliance Attorneys
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Visa and Mastercard have agreed to pay a combined $167.5 million to resolve a long‑running class action lawsuit over allegedly inflated ATM access fees at independent, non‑bank ATMs.
What the case is about
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The lawsuit claimed Visa and Mastercard conspired to keep ATM access fees artificially high by using network rules that blocked independent ATM operators from offering lower prices to cardholders.
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The case was filed in 2011 in federal court in Washington, D.C., and is one of several related antitrust cases over ATM fees and network rules.
Settlement terms
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The proposed settlement totals $167.5 million, with roughly $88.8 million from Visa and $78.7 million from Mastercard, reflecting about 53% and 47% of the fund respectively.
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The money will go into a settlement fund that could compensate potentially millions of ATM users who paid unreimbursed access fees at independent, non‑bank ATMs since October 2007, if the court approves the deal.
Impact on consumers
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Eligible consumers are expected to be people who used independent (non‑bank) ATMs and paid access fees that were not reimbursed by their bank or another party, during the period starting in October 2007.
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Details on how to file a claim, deadlines, and payout amounts will be set out later in court‑approved notices and a settlement website once the judge grants preliminary and then final approval.
Relation to other ATM cases
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This settlement follows an earlier $197.5 million settlement in 2024 with a different group of ATM users who claimed they were overcharged at bank‑operated ATMs.
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Several banks previously agreed to pay about $66 million in related settlements, and a separate lawsuit by independent ATM owners and operators is still pending in the same court.
Do Visa and Mastercard admit wrongdoing?
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Both companies continue to deny any wrongdoing or illegal conduct in connection with ATM fees, despite agreeing to settle.
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Plaintiffs’ lawyers have called the deal “an excellent outcome” given the risks and length of the litigation, and they plan to seek up to about 30% of the settlement fund (around $50 million) in attorneys’ fees, subject to court approval.
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