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PEOPLE ARE IN LINE FOR A SHARE OF £200 MILLION FROM MASTERCARD 12:50, 02 Jun 2025 People are in line for compensation from Mastercard, even if they have never owned one. Last month it was

announced that Mastercard is set to pay out £200 million in compensation after a legal ruling from the Competition Appeal Tribunal. The news came after consumers financially lost out due to

Mastercard's "unlawfully high" card fees. The case had been running for the last nine years, with Walter Merricks, a former financial ombudsman, first launching the legal

claim in 2016. Mr Merricks alleged 46 million shoppers in the UK were "ripped off" after fees were wrongly levied on transactions made between 1992 and 2008. The fees were paid by

the retailers accepting Mastercard, which were then passed on to consumers in the form of higher prices. ‌Following the ruling, Martin Lewis's MoneySavingExpert.com has explained people

who meet a certain set of criteria will be eligible for compensation. The website explained people must have lived in the UK for at least three consecutive months between 1997 and 2008 and

were aged 16 or older during those three months. During that period, claimants must have bought goods or services from a company or firm selling in the UK, regardless of how they paid, and

you must have lived in the UK on September 6, 2016, when the claim was filed in the courts. Article continues below MSE also says people mustn't have opted out of the legal claim

previously, with everyone who meets the criteria automatically being opted in. When explaining how people will be able to apply, MSE said: "An online claims portal is set to launch

"in the coming weeks" on the MastercardConsumerClaim.co.uk website. "This is being administered by legal services firm Epiq, which was appointed due to its expertise in

processing these types of claims. Epiq is separate from the solicitors that worked the case, namely Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP.= "You should have at least a few months to apply

using the "simple online form", with payments expected to be made by the end of the year." People won't be expected to submit proof to make a claim, but they will be

asked to "self-certify that you meet the criteria and provide some personal information", MSE said. The website continued to say people will likely get £45-£70 but it could be a

lot less. Merricks said it is expected that payments will be made to consumers who register before the end of the year. However, it is not yet clear how the money will be distributed to

those affected. The settlement makes the case one of the largest settlement of a group litigation for the benefit of UK consumers. But the final figure is significantly lower than the £10bn

to £15bn that Mr Merricks claimed shoppers were originally owed. Commenting on the outcome of the case, Walter Merricks said last month: "I started this case because I believed that

Mastercard’s fees paid by retailers for processing card transactions had been unlawfully high and virtually all UK consumers had lost out for long by periods paying higher prices than they

should have done as retailers passed on those costs. ‌"As the evidence came to be known through the litigation process, this was the position only in a relatively small proportion of

transactions and the settlement reflects that. "The settlement that has today been finally approved represents a fair and just outcome for UK consumers. Article continues below "On

any view, recovering £200million by way of a settlement for UK consumers is a huge sum, and that will translate into a meaningful impact in the pockets of UK consumers."