Amazon will no longer accept Visa credit cards issued in the United Kingdom, the company announced Wednesday.
The changes are set to go into effect Jan. 19, 2022, Amazon announced on its U.K. site, and are due to the credit card company’s high fees, Amazon said in emails to its U.K. customers, The New York Times reported.
“[T]he cost of accepting card payments continues to be an obstacle for businesses striving to provide the best prices for customers,” an Amazon spokesperson told Bloomberg, who first reported on the situation.
Amazon is still accepting Visa debit cards, Mastercard credit and debit, American Express, Eurocard and Maestro, according to its announcement.
Visa was set to raise transaction fees on U.K.-issued cards as the United Kingdom is no longer in the European Union (EU) and therefore no longer subject to the EU’s fee caps, Bloomberg reported. Visa shares slipped following Amazon’s announcement.
“We are very disappointed that Amazon is threatening to restrict consumer choice in the future. When consumer choice is limited, nobody wins,” a Visa spokesperson said in a statement shared with the Daily Caller News Foundation.
The spokesperson said Visa was working towards resolving the situation, noting that shoppers could still use U.K.-issued Visa cards throughout the holiday season.
“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,” the spokesperson said.
Amazon did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for additional comment.
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