Settlement Fund
$131,000,000 (net) Canadian dollars
Settlement Period
March 23, 2001 - September 2, 2021
Claim Filing Deadline
December 30, 2022
Overview
Class actions were started in Canada claiming certain banks and Visa and Mastercard (the “Defendants”) conspired to set higher interchange fees and to impose rules restricting merchants’ ability to surcharge or refuse higher cost Visa and Mastercard credit cards. “Interchange Fees” are fees paid by merchants and collected by banks for transactions involving Visa and/or Mastercard credit cards in Canada.
Eligibility
If you accept or accepted Visa credit cards and/or Mastercard credit cards as payment for goods or services and incurred merchant discount fees, including interchange fees, in Canada between March 23, 2001 and September 2, 2021, you may be eligible to submit a claim.
Filing Requirements
The only way to receive a payment under the Settlement is to submit a completed claim form and all required documents (if necessary) online, by email or fax no later than December 30, 2022, at 11:59 pm PST. Mailed claim submissions must be postmarked no later than December 30, 2022. Alternatively, you can enroll in MCAG's Settlement Recovery Service.
Plan of Allocation
The Net Settlement Amount will be divided into three (3) funds. Settlement Class Members will be paid from the fund that corresponds to their average yearly revenue
Small Merchant Fund - Settlement Class Members who collect less than $5 million in average yearly revenue over the Settlement Period, and submit an undocumented claim. These entities will receive $30 per year claimed (over the Settlement Period).
Medium Merchant Fund - Settlement Class Members who collect between $5 million and $20 million in average yearly revenue over the Settlement Period, and submit a simplified claim. These entities will receive $250 per year claimed (over the Settlement Period).
Large Merchant Fund - Settlement Class Members who collect more than $20 million in average yearly revenue over the Settlement Period, and submit a simplified claim. These entities will receive $250 per year claimed (over the Settlement Period).
Alternatively, Settlement Class Members that submit a documented claim will receive a proportional share of the Large Merchant fund (to be determined once all claims are submitted).
Enroll in MCAG's Settlement Recovery Service
Organizations who are not yet contracted with MCAG may contact one of our representatives to learn how to sign up for our Settlement Recovery Service. There are no upfront fees—MCAG aligns its incentives with yours and charges a percentage of any recoveries obtained on your behalf. If no money is recovered for your organization from the Settlement(s), then MCAG will not charge or retain a fee.
Need more information? Call MCAG at 1-888-855-6009 to learn more or CLICK HERE to complete our contact form and an MCAG representative will respond shortly.
Disclaimer: No-cost assistance will be available from the settlement parties during any claims-filing period. No one is required to sign up with any third-party service in order to participate in any settlement. For additional information regarding the status of the litigation, interested persons may visit https://www.CreditCardSettlements.ca, the Court-approved website for this case.