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Adidas UK Sues Mastercard and Visa in Latest Challenge Over Card Fees

By  |  June 2, 2026
ATM fees

Adidas’ UK operations have launched separate lawsuits against Mastercard and Visa in London’s High Court, adding to the growing list of legal actions brought by merchants against the two global payment networks over card-related fees, according to MLex.

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    The claims mark the latest development in a long-running dispute between retailers and the payment giants, which have faced mounting scrutiny in the UK over interchange and related payment processing charges. While details of Adidas’ specific claims were not immediately available, the lawsuits arrive amid broader litigation that has already drawn in hundreds of merchants seeking compensation for alleged overcharges tied to card transactions, according to MLex.

    The legal battle over card fees has intensified in recent years. In June 2025, the UK Competition Appeal Tribunal ruled that certain multilateral interchange fees imposed by Visa and Mastercard breached competition law, a landmark decision in litigation brought by large groups of merchants. The tribunal found that the fees created a non-negotiable component of the charges retailers paid to accept card payments.

    Read more: UK Watchdog Opens Antitrust Investigation Into PayPal, Visa and Mastercard

    The tribunal’s ruling was hailed by merchant representatives as a major victory. David Scott, global managing partner of law firm Scott+Scott, said at the time: “a significant win for all merchants who have been paying excessive interchange fees to Visa and Mastercard.”

    The Adidas lawsuits emerge against the backdrop of ongoing proceedings over interchange fees, which are charges connected to card transactions and are ultimately borne by merchants through payment acceptance costs. UK courts and competition authorities have spent years examining whether those fees unfairly inflate the costs retailers face when accepting card payments.

    Source: MLex