Amazon.com Inc.
AMZN 0.57%
stated clients can proceed to make purchases with
Visa Inc.
V -0.15%
U.Ok. bank cards, stepping again from a menace to dam such transactions due to the cardboard community’s excessive charges.
Amazon
AMZN 0.57%
in November instructed clients it could cease accepting Visa bank cards issued within the U.Ok. beginning Jan. 19. On Monday, the web retailer stated it could permit clients to maintain utilizing their playing cards previous that date whereas it negotiates an settlement with Visa.
On-line retailers equivalent to Amazon are extra reliant on bank cards and different digital funds and are particularly delicate to interchange charges. Card networks sometimes impose larger charges on on-line purchases as a result of they’re deemed extra weak to fraud.
When a client pays with a bank card, the service provider pays a price to the financial institution that issued it. The charges, which might typically run 2% or extra, are set by card networks together with Visa and
Mastercard Inc.
Amazon has stated larger interchange charges on credit-card transactions imply larger costs for consumers. The charges have stayed excessive or risen, Amazon stated in November, regardless of technological advances that ought to have despatched them decrease.
On the time, Visa had stated it was “disenchanted that Amazon is threatening to limit client alternative.”
Retailers and card networks have lengthy clashed over interchange charges. Amazon, one of many world’s largest retailers, has imposed a surcharge on Visa credit-card purchases in Singapore and Australia. Amazon and different massive retailers have sued Visa, Mastercard and card-issuing banks, claiming that they collude to keep away from competing over interchange charges.
Write to Julie Steinberg at julie.steinberg@wsj.com
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