Banks and Credit Unions to Team Up Against Apple Pay Fees
An antitrust lawsuit accusing Apple of blocking tap-to-pay competition is moving forward and will see banks and credit unions able to band together to sue Apple. U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White this week certified a class in the lawsuit. It will include any U.S. entities that issued any payment card enabled for Apple Pay and paid Apple a fee for ‌Apple Pay‌ transactions on that…
A class-action lawsuit accusing Apple of monopolizing the mobile wallet market via Apple Pay fees has been certified by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White. The suit, first filed in 2022, alleges that Apple charges up to $1 billion annually by preventing competitors from accessing the iPhone's NFC chip for mobile payments. U.S. entities that issued payment cards capable of Apple Pay and paid fees for those transactions can now join the legal action.
The lawsuit claims that Apple coerces card issuers to pay fees by making Apple Pay the sole tap-to-pay option, a move that would be impossible if other mobile wallets were available on Apple devices. Apple's current policies allow developers to use NFC payments in their apps in several countries, including the United States, Canada, Australia, and the European Economic Area.
If Apple is forced to support other mobile wallets, attorneys argue that it wouldn't be able to continue charging these high fees. The complaint suggests that Apple's monopoly on mobile payments has resulted in card issuers paying significant fees, with a fee of 0.15 percent for credit cards and half a cent for debit cards. For a $1,000 Apple Pay transaction, Apple collects $1.50 from the card issuer.
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