Campaigner Launches $2 Billion Legal Action In UK Against Apple Over Wallet's 'Hidden Fees' (theguardian.com)
(Friday January 23, 2026 @10:30PM (BeauHD)
from the anti-competitive dept.)
- Reference: 0180646324
- News link: https://news.slashdot.org/story/26/01/23/2328228/campaigner-launches-2-billion-legal-action-in-uk-against-apple-over-wallets-hidden-fees
- Source link: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/jan/23/campaigner-launches-legal-action-against-apple-over-apple-pay
Longtime Slashdot reader [1]AmiMoJo shares a report from the Guardian:
> The financial campaigner James Daley has [2]launched a 1.5 billion pound (approximately $1.5 billion) class action lawsuit against Apple over its mobile phone wallet, claiming the U.S. tech company blocked competition and charged hidden fees that ultimately harmed 50 million UK consumers. The lawsuit takes aim at Apple Pay, which they say has been the only contactless payment service available for iPhone users in Britain over the past decade.
>
> Daley, who is the founder of the advocacy group Fairer Finance, claims this situation amounted to anti-competitive behavior and allowed Apple to charge hidden fees, ultimately pushing up costs for banks that passed charges on to consumers, regardless of whether they owned an iPhone. It is the first UK legal challenge to the company's conduct in relation to Apple Pay, and takes place months after regulators like the Competition and Markets Authority and the Payments Systems Regulator began scrutinising the tech industry's digital wallet services. The case has been filed with the Competition Appeal Tribunal, which will now decide whether the class action case can move forward.
>
> [...] Daley's lawsuit alleges that Apple refused to give other app developers and outside businesses access to the contactless payment technology on its iPhones, which meant it could charge banks and card issuers fees on Apple Pay transactions that his lawyers say "are not in line with industry practice." The lawsuit notes that similar fees are not charged on equivalent payments on Android devices, which are built by Google. It says that the additional costs were borne by UK consumers, having been passed on through charges on a range of personal banking products ranging from current accounts, credit cards, to savings and mortgages. The lawsuit says that about 98% of consumers are exposed to banks that listed cards on Apple Pay, meaning the vast majority of the UK population may have been affected.
[1] https://slashdot.org/~AmiMoJo
[2] https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/jan/23/campaigner-launches-legal-action-against-apple-over-apple-pay
> The financial campaigner James Daley has [2]launched a 1.5 billion pound (approximately $1.5 billion) class action lawsuit against Apple over its mobile phone wallet, claiming the U.S. tech company blocked competition and charged hidden fees that ultimately harmed 50 million UK consumers. The lawsuit takes aim at Apple Pay, which they say has been the only contactless payment service available for iPhone users in Britain over the past decade.
>
> Daley, who is the founder of the advocacy group Fairer Finance, claims this situation amounted to anti-competitive behavior and allowed Apple to charge hidden fees, ultimately pushing up costs for banks that passed charges on to consumers, regardless of whether they owned an iPhone. It is the first UK legal challenge to the company's conduct in relation to Apple Pay, and takes place months after regulators like the Competition and Markets Authority and the Payments Systems Regulator began scrutinising the tech industry's digital wallet services. The case has been filed with the Competition Appeal Tribunal, which will now decide whether the class action case can move forward.
>
> [...] Daley's lawsuit alleges that Apple refused to give other app developers and outside businesses access to the contactless payment technology on its iPhones, which meant it could charge banks and card issuers fees on Apple Pay transactions that his lawyers say "are not in line with industry practice." The lawsuit notes that similar fees are not charged on equivalent payments on Android devices, which are built by Google. It says that the additional costs were borne by UK consumers, having been passed on through charges on a range of personal banking products ranging from current accounts, credit cards, to savings and mortgages. The lawsuit says that about 98% of consumers are exposed to banks that listed cards on Apple Pay, meaning the vast majority of the UK population may have been affected.
[1] https://slashdot.org/~AmiMoJo
[2] https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/jan/23/campaigner-launches-legal-action-against-apple-over-apple-pay
Simple solution (Score:1)
Use your bloody physical card. Nobody has forced you to use a digital wallet. Ever
Re: (Score:2)
> Use your bloody physical card.
No, I prefer ApplePay. Because of Face/TouchID no-one can steal my phone and pay for anything. They could get a few hundred quid's worth if they stole my card(s). If I use ApplePay online no-one can get a copy of my card details and buy things without my permission. As it happens I was a victim of card fraud just last week. My bank refunded me, but not everyone is as lucky. I don't know how they got my CVV2 but it couldn't have happened with ApplePay.
I don't know who this Daley man is but the fact that TFA
Re: (Score:2)
If you read the summary, you'll find they allege these fees affected everybody, not just the people that used contactless payment. You could contest this but you'd find there is economic theory about "who pays", even in a simple case like a tax, and serious thinkers wouldn't take your argument seriously.