Amazon Will Stop Accepting Visa Credit Cards Issued in the U.K.

It's a game of call my bluff to force Visa to reduce retailer charges, I reckon
 
I received a dodgy looking email from “Amazon” today with click here links saying “Visa credit cards will not be accepted, starting 19 Jan, 2022” badly formatted too.

However, it seems likely it is genuine as they are in dispute with Visa over charges :(.
 
Retailer charges can be a PITA, especially in these days of contactless payments. Mrs Nod had a customer who ended up buying several low value items (~£1.50) and paid for each one as a separate transaction. Eats into already low profit margins. Being a sole trader doesn't really allow much negotiation with the card companies.
 
sphexx said:
However, it seems likely it is genuine as they are in dispute with Visa over charges :(.
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Hmmm that's curious I got a notification from my bank, recently, and shortly after receiving my new debit visa card,
telling that I shall by the end of the year, be receiving a new one. A mastercard.
It all looked genuine to me.

My CC is Mastercard from a different source.
 
Their own cards are mastercard so they probably have a good deal from MC compared with visa. My debit card is visa but the CC is M/C.
 
Just seen this on my news feed
news.sky.com

Amazon to stop accepting payments using UK-issued Visa credit cards

The online retailer admits its decision, due to take effect in January, is "inconvenient" for shoppers but insists it is in their best interests while Visa - whose shares fell 5% on the announcement - accuses the company of restricting choice.
news.sky.com news.sky.com
 
There's also a separate thread on the subject - one line below this one at the moment!
 
Just received the same message. Should we feel sorry for Amazon who must be really struggling financially ;)

I find it particularly annoying as I have a long standing VISA card plus I took out a Post Office Mastercard some years ago. Recently the PO card was taken over by the Bank of Ireland and their card is VISA so both my cards are now VISA. I am inclined to contact Amazon and inform them that, at the very least, I will try to avoid using them in after the change. If many customers did this it might make them re-think.

Dave
 
this is just a CC charges thing and i kind of agree with Amazon here, credit card companies make enough on sky high interest charges on stupid people that use them badly. but using the card at point of sale should be very cheap or even free seeing as all the technology is digital now.
 
American Express was always the worst for charges IME.

I stopped taking their cards over fifteen years ago in my business (aviation) and can't understand why any business would continue with them. Visa were always pretty good as were MC - both still high charges, but nothing like AE.

If Visa push it too far, they'll just lose more money as Amazon will just be the start of their problem - other businesses will follow soon after.
 
Sky said:
American Express was always the worst for charges IME.

I stopped taking their cards over fifteen years ago in my business (aviation) and can't understand why any business would continue with them. Visa were always pretty good as were MC - both still high charges, but nothing like AE.

If Visa push it too far, they'll just lose more money as Amazon will just be the start of their problem - other businesses will follow soon after.
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AMEX did have a bad reputation for high charges and for holding money for long periods of time. For that reason I avoided them for years. As we kept getting businesses asking if we accept AMEX I made some enquiries and found that the charges are no more than VISA or MC are charging me. Money is also in my account two days after taking the card payment.
 
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ecoleman said:
I made some enquiries and found that the charges are no more than VISA or MC are charging me. Money is also in my account two days after taking the card payment.
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Wow! They certainly have improved then - I'm glad to hear it. I was so incensed by their charges at the time, that I even gave up my own American Express cards.

I can't remember the figures exactly as my accountant dealt with them, but their rates were much higher and so was their monthly fee for having the 'privilege' of accepting their cards. Diners were the same for a short time, but they soon fixed things.
 
Sky said:
Wow! They certainly have improved then - I'm glad to hear it. I was so incensed by their charges at the time, that I even gave up my own American Express cards.

I can't remember the figures exactly as my accountant dealt with them, but their rates were much higher and so was their monthly fee for having the 'privilege' of accepting their cards. Diners were the same for a short time, but they soon fixed things.
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It does seem that they have cleaned up their act. We pay no monthly fees for accepting AMEX, just processing fees which, as I already said, are comparable to Visa and MC.

Maybe they realised that they could actually make more money by having more vendors on board :)
 
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What makes me laugh is that Amazon will still accept Amex and yet lots of firms will not because they charge more! I suppose it all depends on what sort of deal the big players can squeeze from the likes of Visa.
I have a Visa cashback card so it will increase my Amazon costs by 0.5%, unless of course a deal is done before January.
 
Nice that Amazon are giving £20 to register a new payment card :)
 
It's curious that Amazon will still acept Visa credit cards issued by banks that are not UK based, I wonder why that is?
 
I very much doubt that Amazon pay the charge to Visa on a transaction not Sold By Amazon. I suspect that this cost is past to the seller especially in the Market place area and this is forcing sellers to increase prices rather than Amazon directly objecting to the cost
 
Suvv said:
What makes me laugh is that Amazon will still accept Amex and yet lots of firms will not because they charge more! I suppose it all depends on what sort of deal the big players can squeeze from the likes of Visa.
I have a Visa cashback card so it will increase my Amazon costs by 0.5%, unless of course a deal is done before January.
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As I already stated above. Amex do not charge any more than VISA or MC. They used to, but not any more
 
AgentOrange76 said:
I very much doubt that Amazon pay the charge to Visa on a transaction not Sold By Amazon. I suspect that this cost is past to the seller especially in the Market place area and this is forcing sellers to increase prices rather than Amazon directly objecting to the cost
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All payments on Amazon are handled by Amazon so yes they will pay the fees for all sales on Amazon, even marketplace sellers. Amazon charge the sellers a monthly fee to sell on the platform and take a percentage of each sale which will cover the cost of taking the payment and a tidy profit
 
Nod said:
Being a sole trader doesn't really allow much negotiation with the card companies.
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Nor does a turn over of "only" seven figures in the experience of my workplace.
 
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In the past six months my Mastercard Credit Card has been changed to a Visa Credit Card and my Visa Debit Card changed to a Mastercard Debit Card!

Still tend to pay for everything on my AMEX.
 
broc said:
It's curious that Amazon will still acept Visa credit cards issued by banks that are not UK based, I wonder why that is?
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Very interesting because one of my Visa's is based in Dublin.

Dave
 
I believe, this is something to do with UK, leaving EU. As a result of Brexit the maximum fees that the card schemes can charge merchants no longer exists in the UK and it was set by the EU.
Regardless, Amazon will force visa to give them preferential rates and this is just the start of the campaign, to force that concession.
 
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To me, this sort of thing was inevitable, given Britain leaving the EU.

Inside the Union, we had more or less the same economic clout as China or the US, Out of it, we're small enough to be treated, if not with contempt, certainly as a target for testing business strategies that otherwise would be impractical.

Such is the reward of living in a country run by liars, thieves and incompetents. :tumbleweed:
 
AndrewFlannigan said:
To me, this sort of thing was inevitable, given Britain leaving the EU.

Inside the Union, we had more or less the same economic clout as China or the US, Out of it, we're small enough to be treated, if not with contempt, certainly as a target for testing business strategies that otherwise would be impractical.

Such is the reward of living in a country run by liars, thieves and incompetents. :tumbleweed:
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To me this is one thing that's really shown up since Brexit, the pettiness and empire building of the EC. They really are IMO a shower and have behaved disgracefully over the vaccine, NI and other issues. Perhaps even more so with the French. It's not behaviour that will win them friends.
 
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woof woof said:
To me this is one thing that's really shown up since Brexit, the pettiness and empire building of the EU Tories.
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I've fixed your minor typing mistake there... :naughty:
 
AndrewFlannigan said:
I've fixed your minor typing mistake there... :naughty:
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Nice try but you don't see the Tories shouting that France should be punished for remaining in the EU and I doubt you'll see any UK government hijacking vaccine shipments heading for another country.
 
Cut the politics and make like little trains ..
Ta
 
:coat: Sorry, forgot myself.
 
broc said:
It's curious that Amazon will still acept Visa credit cards issued by banks that are not UK based, I wonder why that is?
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Because UK cards , unlike those issued elsewhere,don't have a cap on charges??
woof woof said:
To me this is one thing that's really shown up since Brexit, the pettiness and empire
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How is two private companies having a public spat, anything to do with other institutions
 
Paul W. H said:

www.bloomberg.com

Amazon Will Stop Accepting Visa Credit Cards Issued in the U.K.

Amazon.com Inc. will stop accepting payments made using Visa credit cards issued in the U.K. starting next year.
www.bloomberg.com www.bloomberg.com

Are they bluffing ? why not just increase prices to cover costs or is there more to it.
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They don't have to - they have pretty much a monopoly on people buying stuff online they have realised people will now accommodate them rather than vice versa. Kind of like Ikea - they know that no matter how badly they treat customers, people who shop at Ikea will shop at Ikea. So 0.2% or whatever more in charges, put up prices or just not bother? It's a simple one.

Like most of their customers, it doesn't really bother me. I have a dedicated "Amazon" card that's used with them and nowhere else. They give a generous cashback on their own site and other firms beat them elsewhere. Also, if I ever see anything on the bill that's not Amazon, I know it's fraud :)
 
I did wonder if it was to persuade us to take up the Amazon Master card. I had thought that my JA JA card was Bank of Ireland and thus based in Dublin so should be OK. I have since discovered that the bank is called The Bank of Ireland UK and based in London. I do not think I will rush as this may all get sorted by Amazon/Visa. If not I will have to take out a Master card but not sure whether I would choose the Amazon version.

Dave
 
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