Millions of consumers could get £70 each after Mastercard lawsuit

Customers can expect payouts of up to £70 as part of a landmark group legal case against Mastercard next year after it settled outside court for £200m.

You can't make claims just yet, but here's a rundown of who is eligible, how the process could work and how much you could get.

Why is Mastercard paying compensation?

The global technology company agreed at the end of last year to pay £200m to settle a legal case launched on behalf of UK consumers a decade ago.

Claims in the case argued Mastercard's fees were "unlawful" and made it more expensive for retailers to accept card payments and that extra costs were then passed on to consumers through higher prices.

The settlement was approved by the Competition Appeals Tribunal in May last year and an online claims portal was to be launched weeks after the judgment. But this was delayed due to a legal row over the settlement.

When are payouts set to start?

The business that launched the case, Innsworth, which funds legal claims in return for a share of any winnings, mounted a new challenge after it wasn't satisfied with how the settlement funds were allocated.

It filed a judicial review to get a bigger cut, totalling £179m, saying consumers should get no more than £4.50 each.

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The High Court dismissed the claim in June 2026 and the Tribunal authorised a payment of just more than £63m to the company on 31 July, bringing the dispute to an end.

It means the online claims portal is expected to launch in the coming months and payments will follow in the first half of next year.

How will it work?

If you're eligible, you'll have six months to apply using an online form.

You won't have to provide any proof to submit a claim, but you'll need to meet the criteria and provide personal information, including your name, date of birth, home and email addresses, phone number and banking details, so the money can be paid to you.

You will likely be required to attest the information given is true and correct.

Who is eligible?

According to the Mastercard Consumer Claim website, you are automatically a member of the class if you:

• Were either a resident in Scotland for a continuous period of at least three months between 22 May 1992 and 21 June 2008; or England, Wales or Northern Ireland for a continuous period of at least three months between 20 June 1997 and 21 June 2008.
• Were aged 16 or over during those three months.
• Bought goods that accepted Mastercard cards - that would include all supermarkets. It is not necessary that you held or used a Mastercard card to make those purchases
• Were living in the UK on 6 September 2016.

You could receive up to £70

If the expected number of people claim, which is roughly 2.2 million based on professional estimates, each person will get £45.

If fewer people than expected claim, then the maximum each person will get is £70 and any remaining funds will go to the Access to Justice Foundation, a charity.

Find more information here

(c) Sky News 2026: Millions of consumers could get £70 each after Mastercard lawsuit