Visa & Mastercard have agreed to pay $197 million to settle a class action lawsuit that alleged that they violated federal antitrust laws by adopting restraints that allegedly inflated the ATM surcharges. Previously Chase, Wells Fargo, Bank of America settled the same class action for $67 million. Visa will pay $104.6 million in the accord, and Mastercard will pay $92.8 million. It’s not possible to currently file a claim, but once it is we will repost.
Got an email about this today, this is the first contact I’ve received and I wasn’t part of the previous settlement with the “big 3” banks. You can now file a claim as well, so maybe a repost with an update is in order?
Chuck 
William Charles
Link to file?
It’s on the “File a Claim” page at the ATM Class Action site:
atmclassaction.com/Home/FileClaim
I can confirm as I was able to file. I could also screenshot the email if you’d like.
here’s a copy of the email I got today about it (with PII redacted) – https://pastebin.com/qnSrULRd
This was especially relevant to me
If you filed a valid claim and received a payment in the previous settlements, you will automatically be eligible to get a payment from the Settlement with Visa and Mastercard and you do not need to submit another claim unless you paid additional ATM surcharges after submitting your prior claim form and wish to claim these additional transactions.
Right. What I’ve noticed is they’ve all started to limit the amounts you can withdraw so that you have to make multiple withdrawals to do the significant things you’re used to doing.
The two networks actually require at least a $200 minimum for the max listed withdraw limit. If the limit is low it is due to who owns the local ATM. Which if they where smart would have a fee or percentage if the amount is above that standard fee (example: $3 fee or 1%, whichever is higher, so anything above withdrawing $300 would be charged 1% and say getting $400 would be $4.
Looking forward to my $3.50 after lawyers take their cut. Oh wait did I say $3.50, I meant $0.35
You are always allowed to opt out and file
your own claim, or not.
Yes I will get my full $3.50, I will obtain my own legal counsel to file an individual claim
I just hope this restarts Mastercard stock. It’s down $50 per share from its 52 week high. My ATM fees are reimbursed by Fidelity.
I get charged atm fees all the time but my bank reimburses me. Every atm is in my network.
federal antitrust laws? that sound serious. I hope for more than beer money on this.
Anyone dumb enough to pay a surcharge on an ATM withdrawal is too dumb to file a claim in a class action lawsuit they’re eligible for.
I’m curious how you escape paying fees? Discover offers cash back at select ATMs but not all of them. Are there cards/banks that will reimburse all fees?
Get a bank that has a big included network like Allpoint. And/or use Fidelity / Schwab accounts that have ATM reimbursements.
I’ll check out fidelity and Schwab, thanks – discover uses the allpoint network already
Schwab debit card refunds all ATM fees worldwide.
Betterment is another one.
Fidelity and Wintrust banks at least
I stoped laughing at these when I got $92 for battery gate!
How often does the average person actually withdraw from an ATM that charges a surcharge?
You would be surprised. I don’t, but just saying… there are some establishments that expect tips/payments in cash. (nail & hair salons… not (necessarily strip clubs)) Also, people trying to keep their activity off the radar of a P2, the bank, or the gov. They aren’t going to make a “run to the bank” when there is a machine nearby.
That makes sense. I don’t frequent too many cash only establishments… or have to worry about hiding anything. Probably only visit an ATM to withdraw cash once every couple of months or less often.
In legal weed states, I’d venture to guess more than the majority of purchases have a few associated with it. It’s literally the only thing I use cash for and fees are inescapable.
What’s an ATM?
/s
I do probably once a month, kind of. Ally is my hub account and they reimburse $10 per month in ATM fees. Convenient for tips, farmers markets or other little places that do not take cash, etc… If this settlement requires proof I have plenty.
You meant to write places that only take cash, correct?
I suppose those of us on this forum are all inclined to avoid ATM fees (when not reimbursable, that is), but somehow financial frugality isn’t genetically wired into everyone. I had friends who totally didn’t care about ATM fees or forex fees, and I remember cringing at a Walmart watching someone pay a fee to load $35 cash onto one of those Bird cards.
The lawyers estimate that there are between 175-210 million class members, so that should work out to about a $1 per person.