Death no bar to Mastercard claim

Court dismisses appeal by credit card company in long-running consumer case

The estates of three million UK residents who died between September 2016 and August 2021 can take part in a groundbreaking £14 billion consumer claim against Mastercard, the Court of Appeal decided yesterday.

Dismissing an appeal by the credit card company, three judges ruled that potential claimants who had died after the claim was filed but before it was finally given the go-ahead by the Competition Appeal Tribunal should form part of a class or group of 46 million people who may each receive around £300 if the claim ultimately succeeds.

The claim is being brought on behalf of adult consumers who bought goods or services from businesses in the UK that accepted Mastercard between May 1992 and June 2008. Crucially, the claim is not confined to people who used Mastercard or any other credit card for their purchases.

Walter Merricks CBE

Walter Merricks CBE, a lawyer and one-time legal commentator who went on to head the Financial Ombudsman Service, is the representative claimant. But the claim would not have gone ahead without the support of litigation funders who are, in effect, betting on a successful outcome.