Amazon has confirmed that it will no longer accept UK-issued Visa credit card payments from 2022.
The company has been emailing UK customers to inform them that from January 19, 2022, Visa cards issued in the UK will not be a valid means of payment for Amazon products and services. The company’s customer service department has also confirmed the news on Twitter.
Amazon says that this is “due to the high fees Visa charges for processing credit card transactions.”
UK credit card payments will still be possible on Amazon, but only using Mastercard or American Express. Meanwhile, Visa debit cards will remain viable.
In a statement, Amazon explains that: “The cost of accepting card payments continues to be an obstacle for businesses striving to provide the best prices for customers. These costs should be going down over time with technological advancements but, instead, they continue to stay high or even rise.”
Visa, for its part, has said that it is “very disappointed that Amazon is threatening to restrict consumer choice in the future”, but that it will “continue to work toward a resolution, so our cardholders can use their preferred Visa credit cards at Amazon UK without Amazon-imposed restrictions come January 2022.”
It’s the latest and most dramatic move in an ongoing war between Amazon and Visa over payments. In September, the online retailer imposed a 0.5% surcharge on Visa credit card transactions issued through its Singapore website. It then applied the same tactic in Australia.
On both occasions, Amazon offered a gift card to entice customers to switch to an alternative payment method.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
