--- title: "Court OKs Swipe-Fee Settlement, but Trade Groups Plan Appeal" id: "20927" type: "post" slug: "court-oks-swipe-fee-settlement-but-trade-groups-plan-appeal" published_at: "2013-12-16T23:08:48+00:00" modified_at: "2026-11-09T19:00:43+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2013/12/16/court-oks-swipe-fee-settlement-but-trade-groups-plan-appeal/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2013/12/16/court-oks-swipe-fee-settlement-but-trade-groups-plan-appeal.md" excerpt: "A U.S. District judge has approved the $5.7 billion settlement for retailers in the long-running legal fight over credit card interchange fees paid by merchants. But several large retail industry groups plan to appeal, saying it doesn’t go far enough." taxonomy_category: - "Advocacy" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AI" - "AssociationsNow" - "Business" - "credit card" - "industry partners" - "settlement" - "trade associations" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Association CEO / Executive Director" - "Executive Team" - "For-Profit CEO / President / Owner / Partner" - "VP" taxonomy_persona: - "Industry Professionals" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Court OKs Swipe-Fee Settlement, but Trade Groups Plan Appeal To say that a long-in-the-works settlement on credit card swipe fees is contentious might be putting it lightly. The $5.7 billion settlement approved Friday in the class action suit originally filed in 2005 is meant to give retailers relief from the interchange fees charged by Visa and MasterCard. But many retailers feel the settlement doesn’t go far enough. More details on the situation below: **The crux of the issue:** For more than a year before the settlement was approved, numerous industry groups, including the Retail Industry Leaders Association and the National Grocers Association, [opposed the deal](http://associationsnow.com/2013/04/trade-group-drops-out-of-credit-card-pact/) , citing the temporary nature of its relief from the fees and that it would prevent future legal action on the issue—a stance which Judge Gleeson disagreed with [in his ruling (opens in a new tab)](https://www.nyed.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/opinions/20131213-05md1720-mo.pdf) [PDF]. “While we anticipated that a decision of final approval was likely,” NGA President and CEO Peter Larkin [said in a statement (opens in a new tab)](http://www.nationalgrocers.org/news-room/press-releases/2013/12/16/nga-expresses-opposition-to-credit-card-swipe-fee-settlement) , “NGA and hundreds of retailers joined in stating their objections to the proposed settlement, and we expect that many of those who opposed the approval, including our organization, will join in appealing this decision.” **A promise to appeal:** NGA joins the National Retail Federation and a number of other retail-industry groups who are considering appealing the settlement, [according to The Washington Post (opens in a new tab)](http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/us-judge-approves-visa-mastercard-57-billion-credit-card-settlement-with-retailers/2013/12/13/bd42b88c-643a-11e3-aa81-e1dab1360323_story.html) . “We are very disappointed that this deeply flawed settlement has been approved,” Mallory Duncan, NRF’s general counsel, [said in a press release (opens in a new tab)](https://www.nrf.com/modules.php?name=News&op=viewlive&sp_id=1722) . “It is not supported by the retail industry and would do nothing to reduce swipe fees or keep them from rising in the future.” NRF says the interchange fees cost merchants and customers as much as $30 billion per year, a level it says has tripled in the past decade. **The credit industry’s take:** For its part, Visa and MasterCard, which have been the targets of regulatory scrutiny for decades, say the settlement is in the best interests of the overall market. In a statement to Bloomberg, Mastercard said that the settlement does much to “resolve the long-standing legal differences between merchants and the payments industry.” The Electronic Payments Coalition, which represents the credit and banking industry, agreed. “This settlement is in the best interest of all involved parties and that has been proven today with the court’s final approval,” the group [said in a statement (opens in a new tab)](http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20131213005811/en/Electronic-Payments-Coalition-Issues-Statement-Approval-Interchange) . While the settlement also includes some rule changes—such as statutes which allow merchants to pass the cost of interchange fees on directly to consumers—retailers have largely avoided taking advantage of such moves out of fear of consumer backlash. (Photodisc/Thinkstock) [Ernie Smith](https://associationsnow.com/author/ernie-smith/) Ernie Smith is a former senior editor for Associations Now. [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/ernie-smith/) Tags: [#AI](https://associationsnow.com/tag/ai/) [#Business](https://associationsnow.com/tag/business/) [#credit card](https://associationsnow.com/tag/credit-card/) [#industry partners](https://associationsnow.com/tag/industry-partners/) [#settlement](https://associationsnow.com/tag/settlement/) [#trade associations](https://associationsnow.com/tag/trade-associations/) **Stay Informed** [Subscribe to our free newsletter](https://associationsnow.com/newsletter/) , *Associations Now Daily News*, to find out what’s happening in the association world every business day. ## You Might Like - [PodcastAssociations NOW Presents: All for the Love of Chicago: Rethinking the Destination ExperienceSeptember 10, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/09/10/associations-now-presents-all-for-the-love-of-chicago-rethinking-the-destination-experience/) - [VideoExploring New Frontiers: Leadership, Resilience and the Future of SpaceflightAugust 27, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/08/27/exploring-new-frontiers-leadership-resilience-and-the-future-of-spaceflight/) - [PodcastAssociations NOW Presents: Industry Partner Edition-Sponsorships That Deliver Real ValueJuly 9, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/07/09/associations-now-presents-industry-partner-edition-sponsorships-that-deliver-real-value/) - [Video2025 Sponsorship Recap VideoJune 17, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/06/17/2025-sponsorship-recap-video/) ## Comments **Comments are for ASAE members.** [Learn more about comments on this site.](https://associationsnow.com/comments/) [Log in](https://associationsnow.com/login?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fassociationsnow.com%2F2013%2F12%2F16%2Fcourt-oks-swipe-fee-settlement-but-trade-groups-plan-appeal%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !