News

NAC seeks injunction in MasterCard, Visa antitrust suit

A motion from the National ATM Council seeks the immediate elimination of Visa and MasterCard ATM access fee rules in the US.

February 24, 2016

The National ATM Council Inc. has announced its filing for a motion for preliminary injunction with the United States District Court for the District of Columbia.

According to a press release from NAC, the motion seeks the immediate elimination of Visa and MasterCard U.S. ATM access fee rules.

The motion stems from a lawsuit filed by NAC and others in October 2011. The suit alleges that Visa and MasterCard network rules unlawfully prohibit ATM operators from offering lower prices for transactions over PIN-debit networks not affiliated with the two card brands. 

The plaintiffs have alleged that this amounts to price fixing that raises the cost to consumers of ATM services, limits the ATM operator's opportunity to earn revenue, and violates the prohibition of unreasonable restraint of trade as defined in the Sherman Act.

The case is The National ATM Council Inc. et al. v. Visa Inc., et al  (D.C.D.C., Civil Action No. 1:11-cv-1803-RJL, filed Oct. 12, 2011).