Visa, Mastercard to Pay $167.5 Million For Elevated ATM Fees

Visa Inc. and Mastercard Inc. reached a proposed combined settlement of $167.5 million to resolve a long running U.S. antitrust class action that contended the card networks structured agreements that suppressed competition on ATM access fees. The accord, filed in federal district court in Washington, D.C. on December 19, 2025, must be approved by a judge before any payments are distributed to claimants.

The litigation dates back to 2011 and has focused on so called access fees charged to consumers withdrawing cash from independent, non bank ATMs. Plaintiffs allege the networks enforced rules and practices that effectively fixed prices or reduced competitive pressure, leading to higher out of pocket charges for ATM users for more than a decade. The proposed settlement frames relief for potentially millions of users who paid unreimbursed access fees, though the precise distribution plan and estimated per claimant payments will be determined in the court supervised administration process.

Class certification was a pivotal battleground. A federal judge certified at least some classes, and the networks appealed that certification. The U.S. Supreme Court denied review in April 2024, leaving the certification intact according to plaintiffs counsel Hagens Berman. The case has been litigated through multiple appeals to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, reflecting the complex procedural history that preceded the December filing.

This settlement follows earlier resolutions in related portions of the sprawling litigation. Plaintiffs counsel Hagens Berman reports that on August 8, 2022, U.S. District Judge Richard J. Leon approved a $66.74 million settlement with Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo. Other public accounts have described a roughly $66 million bank settlement reported in 2021 and have said that the card networks earlier agreed to a separate $197.5 million payment to resolve claims by a different group of ATM users who alleged overcharges at bank operated ATMs. Those figures differ slightly in timing and rounding across public materials.

At $167.5 million, the payment is likely small relative to the card networks' multi billion dollar revenue streams, yet the agreement carries broader implications. For consumers, a settlement could mean cash refunds or credits for ATM access fees going back years. For banks and independent ATM operators, the case underscores continued litigation risk around fee structures and network rules. For regulators and antitrust enforcers, the suit is part of a wider focus on card payments; Visa faces other antitrust litigation including a U.S. Department of Justice lawsuit accusing it of unlawfully monopolizing the debit card market, claims Visa has denied.

The proposed settlement, if approved, would resolve the class claims against Visa and Mastercard in this segment of the litigation but would not erase other pending suits or regulatory actions. The court approval process will set deadlines for claims filing and outline any refunds. The case illustrates how longstanding civil litigation over consumer finance practices can produce layered settlements over many years, and how evolving enforcement priorities continue to shape the economics of payment networks and cash access.