A new collective legal action has been launched against Apple over the way Apple Pay operates in the UK. At its core, the claim is about tap-and-go payments, and whether Apple’s approach has pushed up everyday banking costs for millions of people.
Why Apple Pay is under scrutiny
The claim focuses on how Apple runs its mobile wallet ecosystem.
Apple controls the technology needed to make contactless payments on iPhones, including access to the NFC (near-field communication) chip that enables tap-and-go payments in shops.
According to the claim, Apple does not allow rival mobile wallets to access this technology. As a result, Apple Pay is the only way iPhone users can make contactless payments in stores, and banks have no choice but to use Apple Pay if they want their cards to work on iPhones.
The claim also says Apple links in-store Apple Pay payments with online payments. In practice, this means banks can’t offer tap-and-go payments on iPhones unless they also use Apple Pay for online purchases.
The allegation is that this gives Apple an unfair advantage and makes it harder for other payment services to compete.
How this could affect people who never used Apple Pay
One of the most important — and least understood — parts of this case is who may have been affected.
The claim says the costs imposed on banks by Apple were not absorbed by banks. Instead, it is alleged that they were passed on to consumers through higher charges on everyday banking and financial products.
That means the impact may not be limited to people who actively used Apple Pay.
Anyone who used a UK current account, debit card, credit card or other personal banking product since 22 January 2020 may have indirectly paid higher charges, even if they never owned an iPhone or used Apple Pay.
This is why the case is estimated to affect tens of millions of people across the UK.
This is an opt-out claim — what that means
The Apple Pay case has been brought as an opt-out collective action in the Competition Appeal Tribunal.
Opt-out claims work differently to most legal action. The case is brought on behalf of everyone who meets the criteria set by the court. You do not need to sign up, contact a lawyer or take any action for the claim to be brought on your behalf.
If the claim succeeds, the Tribunal would approve a process for distributing compensation. At that stage, eligible consumers would usually need to register to receive their share. This means that people who are unaware of the claim can miss out.
Join the Claim is raising awareness
This Apple Pay case highlights a wider issue in the UK consumer justice system: not everyone gets the compensation they are entitled to in opt-out claims.
Cases worth billions of pounds can be successful without most affected consumers ever hearing about them. That’s why Join the Claim is running a dedicated campaign to raise awareness of opt-out collective actions.
Our focus is on explaining, in plain English:
- What opt-out claims are
- Who is automatically included
- When people may need to register
- Where to find official information about live cases.
What happens next in the Apple Pay claim?
The claim has now been filed with the Competition Appeal Tribunal. No decision has yet been made on liability or compensation.
For now, the most important thing is awareness.
If you’ve used UK banking products since January 2020, you may already be included in this claim. Understanding this — and staying informed as the case progresses — can make the difference when it comes to actually receiving compensation if the claim succeeds.
Join the Claim will continue to track developments in the Apple Pay case and shine a light on opt-out claims that would otherwise pass most people by.
Join the Claim connects consumers with trusted, SRA-regulated law firms. For this claim, we’re not directly involved, but we’ll keep you informed. Where possible, we’ll share links to official claim websites or updates as they become available.
