Hospitality businesses across the UK and EEA that have accepted Visa and or Mastercard payments are being invited to register interest in a collective legal claim concerning multilateral interchange fees, commonly referred to as MIFs.
The claim relates to default interchange fees applied to Visa and Mastercard transactions, which increased card processing costs for merchants across hospitality. This includes hotels, restaurants, pubs, bars, leisure venues, and wider hospitality operators that rely heavily on card payments as part of day to day trading.
Tribunal judgment establishes precedent
In June 2025, the UK Competition Appeal Tribunal issued a judgment finding that certain default interchange fees applied by Visa and Mastercard breached EU competition law. The Tribunal’s ruling establishes legal precedent that these fees were unlawful, providing the legal basis on which claims for compensation are now being advanced.
The judgment is being relied upon in subsequent proceedings, with the English courts having previously treated default interchange fees as presumptively anti-competitive. It is on this established legal footing that the current claim is being pursued.
Claim structure and funding
The action is being led by Hausfeld, a competition litigation firm with experience in cases involving Visa and Mastercard. The claim is funded by Bench Walk Advisors.
According to the organisers of the claim:
There are no upfront costs for participating businesses
The claim is covered by After the Event insurance
Participating businesses are required to provide transactional data once onboarded, with data handling undertaken by payment specialists at BB Merchant Services.
The organisers state that the legal team manages the process, with limited operational involvement required from participating businesses.
Eligibility criteria
Published eligibility criteria state that hospitality operators must have processed Visa and or Mastercard transactions in the UK or EEA within the last six years and must have annual card turnover exceeding fifty million euros.
Businesses that have previously entered into settlements with Visa or Mastercard may be restricted from participating, depending on the terms of those settlements.
Registration process
Registration is described by the organisers as confidential, non-binding, and taking less than two minutes to complete. Registering interest does not commit a business to participation in the claim.
Registration deadline: 19 December 2025
