Millions of people could receive a payout of up to £70 from Mastercard after a legal dispute which delayed the launch of a £200 million compensation scheme came to an end. MoneySavingExpert.com (MSE.com) has issued a new update on the landmark case, confirming that payouts are now expected to start during the first half of 2027.
Crucially, people do not need to have ever owned or used a Mastercard to potentially qualify for compensation. The case centred on claims that fees charged by Mastercard to retailers resulted in higher prices being passed on to consumers, regardless of how they paid for goods and services.
A £200 million settlement was reached, but an online portal which would allow people to submit claims was delayed by a legal challenge over how the settlement funds would be allocated.
Legal Challenge Dismissed
MSE.com reports that the High Court dismissed the challenge in June and a payment of just over £63m to litigation funder Innsworth was subsequently authorised on July 31, bringing the dispute to an end.
The claims portal is now expected to open in the coming months, with eligible consumers expected to have six months to apply. However, claims cannot be made yet and people are being warned to watch out for potential scams offering access to compensation before the official portal opens.
How Much Could You Get?
MSE.com explained that while the overall settlement is worth £200m, the amount each eligible consumer receives will depend on how many people ultimately submit a claim. If around 2.2m people claim, current estimates suggest payments would be around £45 per person. If fewer people come forward, individual payments could rise to a maximum of £70. However, if significantly more people apply, the amount paid to each claimant could be lower.
Who Could Qualify?
There are several conditions people will need to meet, including rules covering where they lived, their age and purchases made during the relevant period. People in Scotland have a longer qualifying period than those elsewhere in the UK due to different legal rules around time limits for claims.
According to MSE.com, you could qualify if you meet all of the following conditions:
- You lived in the UK for at least three consecutive months during the relevant period. The qualifying dates are: Scotland: May 22, 1992 to June 21, 2008; England, Wales and Northern Ireland: June 20, 1997 to June 21, 2008.
- You were aged 16 or over for the entirety of those three months. MSE.com states that this means anyone born on or after March 22, 1992 will not be eligible to claim.
- You bought goods or services from a business selling in the UK during the same period. It does not matter how you paid for those purchases, which is why people who have never owned a Mastercard could still qualify. Purchases must have been for personal rather than business use.
- You lived in the UK on September 6, 2016, the date the legal claim was filed.
- You did not previously opt out of the legal case. People who met the other qualifying criteria were automatically included in the action unless they actively opted out.
How to Make a Claim
There is nothing anyone needs to submit yet. MSE.com reports that the online claims portal will eventually open through the official Mastercard Consumer Claim website and people will then have six months to complete a simple online application. People will not be required to find receipts or old bank statements to prove purchases made decades ago. Instead, applicants are expected to self-certify that they meet the eligibility conditions and provide personal information including their name, date of birth, home and email addresses, telephone number and bank details so any compensation can be paid.
The claims administrator may carry out anti-fraud checks. MSE.com is urging people to be particularly wary of scams while they wait for the portal to open. It warns that any adverts, social media posts, texts or emails suggesting people can make a claim now are likely to be fraudulent.
The legal action was launched in 2016 by Walter Merricks CBE, former chief ombudsman of the Financial Ombudsman Service. It followed a long-running dispute over Mastercard's interchange fees - charges associated with processing card payments. The claim alleged that the fees made accepting card payments more expensive for retailers and that some of those additional costs were ultimately passed on to consumers through higher prices. This meant shoppers could potentially have lost out regardless of whether they paid using Mastercard, another card or cash. The case originally sought billions of pounds in damages before a £200m settlement was agreed. The settlement was approved by the Competition Appeal Tribunal in May 2025. Mastercard has not admitted liability as part of the settlement. MSE.com said it will update its guidance when the claims portal opens and further details of the application process are confirmed.
