MasterCard has today won a High Court legal battle against a group of retailers in connection with interchange fees. Frontier (Europe) advises a range of clients on competition matters relating to interchange fees.
Today’s judgement involved retailers including Asda, Morrisons, New Look, Debenhams and Next. Interchange fees are paid by merchants whenever a customer uses their credit or debit card to make a purchase. Claimants alleged that historic "interchange fees" charged by MasterCard were anti-competitive and too high. The High Court judgement found that the rates were not anti-competitive and were instead necessary for the scheme to function.