Amazon to stop accepting Visa credit cards in UK

The online giant said that it will stop processing Visa credit card payments from January 19, 2022, and blamed high fees charged by the card issuer.

Amazon shoppers will still be able to use Visa debit cards issued in the UK, and credit cards issued by Visa outside the UK will still be permitted.

In an email to customers, Amazon wrote: “Starting January 19, 2022, we will unfortunately no longer accept Visa credit cards issued in the UK,  due to the high fees Visa charges for processing credit card transactions.”

Amazon urged users to update their payment details in advance of January, acknowledging that the decision was “inconvenient” for affected customers.

Visa responds to the block

Following the UK’s exit from the EU, Visa increased its ‘interchange’ fees (fees paid by a merchant’s bank account whenever a customer uses a credit or debit card for a purchase). 

Mastercard also increased its interchange fees, but it is still accepted by Amazon.

A Visa spokesperson said: “We are very disappointed that Amazon is threatening to restrict consumer choice in the future. When consumer choice is limited, nobody wins.

“We have a long-standing relationship with Amazon and we 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.”