NEW YORK – Visa and MasterCard, sued last week by independent ATM operators over ATM fees the operators say violate federal antitrust laws, are the target of two new suits brought by consumers regarding their ATM charges.
One suit, filed Monday in federal court in Washington, claims the two credit card giants bar ATM operators from charging consumers different levels of fees depending on which card network processes their transactions. “The ATM restraints prevent ATM operators from offering their customers a discount or benefit for completing a transaction over a network that is less costly to the ATM operator, so consumers cannot be rewarded for using a lower cost and more efficient network,” the suit said.
In addition to Visa and MasterCard, several smaller debit-card networks offer consumers ATM access, including First Data Corp’s Star network and Discover Financial Services’ Pulse network.
A separate suit filed yesterday in the same federal court, which also names Bank of America, J.P. Morgan Chase and Wells Fargo as defendants, makes similar charges and claims the banks conspire to fix ATM fees.
Last week the newly formed trade group for independent ATM operators, called the National ATM Council, filed a suit against Visa and MasterCard arguing the companies’ rules amount to price-fixing.
