$197.5 Million Visa & Mastercard ATM Surcharge Settlement, Are Payments in Your Inbox?

The Visa and Mastercard ATM Surcharge Settlement is a $197.5 million federal antitrust settlement where eligible consumers who paid unreimbursed ATM fees at bank-operated ATMs between October 1, 2007 and July 26, 2024 can receive a pro-rata cash payment. The settlement administrator began issuing payments to approved claimants on April 6, 2026. The claim deadline closed on January 22, 2025 — no new claims can be filed for this settlement. However, a second, separate $167.5 million settlement for nonbank ATM users is now pending, and that claim window has not yet opened.

Quick Facts: Mackmin v. Visa Inc., No. 1:11-cv-01831-RJL-MAU

Field	Detail
Settlement Amount	$197,500,000 (Visa: $104,675,000 / Mastercard: $92,825,000)
Claim Deadline	CLOSED — January 22, 2025. No new claims accepted.
Who Qualifies	Anyone who paid an unreimbursed ATM access fee at a bank-operated ATM in the U.S. between Oct. 1, 2007 – July 26, 2024
Payout Per Person	Pro-rata share; claimants report payments ranging from ~$62 to $1,944+ depending on documented fees
Proof Required	Yes — bank statements documenting unreimbursed ATM fees
Settlement Status	Finally Approved — Payments began April 6, 2026
Administrator	A.B. Data, Ltd.
Official Website	ATMClassAction.com
Administrator Contact	[email protected] / 1-877-311-3724
Last Updated	April 23, 2026

Current Status & What Happens Next

• Payments are being sent digitally via email in waves. Claimants receive options including PayPal or a virtual debit card. Check your inbox, spam folder, and promotions folder for a message from the ATM Surcharge Settlement administrator. If you have not received a payment email yet, continue checking over the next several days.
• Out of 63.5 million claims filed, only approximately 297,000 were verified as legitimate after a fraud review by A.B. Data — meaning the pool of valid claimants is small and individual payouts are substantially larger than originally projected.
• A second, separate settlement — Burke v. Visa Inc., covering nonbank ATM fees — covers surcharges paid at independent, nonbank ATMs after October 24, 2007, and its claim window is expected to open after court approval in 2026. If you missed the Mackmin deadline, this is your second chance.

What Is the ATM Surcharge Lawsuit About? Mackmin v. Visa Inc., No. 1:11-cv-01831-RJL-MAU

This is a real settlement paid out by Visa and Mastercard to eligible ATM users. A federal court approved the $197.5 million settlement amid allegations that the companies conspired to “restrain trade” and inflate ATM surcharges, violating federal antitrust laws. The specific statute at issue is the Sherman Antitrust Act, which prohibits companies from conspiring to fix prices or suppress competition.

The case originated in October 2011, when plaintiffs Andrew Mackmin and Sam Osborn filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia against Visa, Mastercard, and major U.S. banks. The complaint alleged that Visa and Mastercard used their network access fee rules — the rules that govern how ATM operators charge cardholders — to prevent independent ATM operators from offering lower fees on competing networks. That, plaintiffs argued, artificially kept ATM surcharge prices inflated across the country for over a decade.

The 2024 Visa and Mastercard settlement came from a lawsuit that previously settled with JP Morgan, Wells Fargo, and Bank of America for $67 million in 2021. Neither Visa nor Mastercard admitted any wrongdoing as part of this settlement. Settlement class counsel includes Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP, Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP, and Mehri & Skalet, PLLC, all appointed by the court.

The LSI terms at the center of this case include ATM access fees, interchange fees, network access rules, foreign ATM transactions, and unreimbursed surcharges — all terms you will need to understand your eligibility and payout tier. A related case worth knowing about is the Visa Mastercard interchange fee settlement — see our article on [Payment Card Interchange Fee Antitrust Settlement on AllAboutLawyer.com].

Who Is Eligible for the ATM Surcharge Settlement?

The Mackmin claim deadline has permanently closed. The eligibility information below applies to the payment distribution phase — meaning those who already filed valid claims.

• You may qualify (if you already filed) if you paid an unreimbursed ATM access fee directly to JP Morgan Chase, Wells Fargo, Bank of America, or any bank that is a member of the Visa and/or Mastercard ATM networks.
• You may qualify if the transaction occurred between October 1, 2007 and July 26, 2024.
• You may qualify if the ATM used was a bank-owned ATM — meaning the ATM was operated by a financial institution different from the bank that issued your card (commonly called a “foreign ATM transaction”).
• You may not qualify if all your ATM surcharge fees were reimbursed by your bank (as many premium checking accounts offer surcharge reimbursement).
• You may not qualify if your ATM card was issued by a non-U.S. financial institution.
• You are no longer eligible to file a new claim. The deadline passed January 22, 2025. If you have not already submitted a claim, you will not receive payment from this settlement.

Second Chance — Burke v. Visa (Nonbank ATMs): The separate $167.5 million Burke v. Visa case deals with customers who paid unreimbursed surcharges at independent, nonbank ATMs — freestanding devices found in corner stores, bars, and gas stations, as opposed to machines connected to banks. That claim window has not yet opened.

How Much Can You Receive from the ATM Settlement?

Payments are pro-rata — meaning your payout depends on how many valid claims were approved and how much in documented ATM fees you reported.

Due to the high rate of rejected “bot” and fraudulent claims, confirmed class members are now estimated to receive between 23% and 38% of their total documented overcharges. The small number of valid claimants relative to the large fund means individual payouts are running higher than initially expected.

Real-world payment amounts reported by claimants on the official settlement website include a wide range — one claimant received $1,944 via Venmo, another received $1,384, and some lower-volume users received payments around $62. The difference comes down entirely to how many qualifying ATM transactions you documented in your claim.

For the Burke v. Visa nonbank ATM settlement, legal experts anticipate a flat-rate payout option of around $15–$25 for those without receipts and a higher “documented loss” option for those with bank statements showing years of fees. Those figures are not confirmed — the Burke settlement has not yet received final court approval.

How to Collect Your Mackmin Settlement Payment

If you filed a valid claim before January 22, 2025, here is exactly what to do right now:

Step 1 — Check your email inbox immediately — including your spam folder and promotions folder. Payment notification emails are arriving from AB Data in waves throughout the day.

Step 2 — Open the email from the ATM Surcharge Settlement administrator. It will confirm your pro-rata share amount from Mackmin v. Visa.

Step 3 — Select your preferred digital payment method. Claimants are being given digital payment options including PayPal and virtual debit cards.

Step 4 — Follow the instructions in the email to collect your payment. Do not ignore the email — there may be a response deadline to claim your funds.

Step 5 — If you have not received an email after several days, contact the settlement administrator directly at [email protected] or 1-877-311-3724 with your Claim ID to verify your payment status.

Step 6 — Save your payment confirmation for your records — you may need it for tax purposes (see FAQ below).

Estimated time to complete: 5 minutes.

Important Deadlines & Dates

Milestone	Date
Case Originally Filed	October 2011
Previous Bank Settlement (JPMorgan, Wells Fargo, BofA)	2021 — $66.74 million
Preliminary Approval of Visa/Mastercard Settlement	July 26, 2024
Claim Filing Deadline	January 22, 2025 — CLOSED
Final Approval Hearing	TBD — Final approval granted June 23, 2025
Court Authorizes Fund Distribution	December 3, 2025
Payments Begin	April 6, 2026
Expected Payment Completion	TBD — payments distributed in waves through mid-2026
Burke v. Visa (Nonbank ATM) — Preliminary Approval Filed	December 18, 2025
Burke v. Visa — Claim Window Opens	TBD — pending court preliminary approval in 2026
Burke v. Visa — Expected Claim Deadline	TBD — proposed up to 180 days after preliminary approval

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a lawyer to collect my ATM settlement payment? 

No. If you filed a valid claim before January 22, 2025, the administrator sends your payment directly to you by email. No attorney involvement is needed to collect your funds. Simply respond to the payment email from AB Data and select your preferred payout method.

Is this ATM settlement legitimate or a scam? 

This is a real settlement. Digital payments from this settlement began on April 6, 2026, according to the official settlement website. Snopes rated the claim as legitimate and not a scam. The case — Mackmin v. Visa Inc., No. 1:11-cv-01831 — is a real federal court proceeding in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The administrator is AB Data, Ltd. and the official site is ATMClassAction.com.

When will I receive my payment? 

Payments are going out in waves. If you have not received your email yet, keep checking over the next few days. If you still have not received anything after a week, contact the administrator at [email protected] with your Claim ID to verify your email address is correct.

What if I missed the claim deadline? 

The deadline to submit a claim passed on January 22, 2025. If you have not already submitted a claim, you are no longer eligible to receive money from this settlement. However, the separate Burke v. Visa $167.5 million nonbank ATM settlement is pending — that claim window has not opened yet and covers surcharges paid at independent ATMs like those found in gas stations and convenience stores.

Will my ATM settlement payment affect my taxes? 

Possibly. The IRS generally treats class action settlement payments as taxable income unless the payment compensates specifically for a physical injury. Payments compensating for financial overcharges — like excess ATM fees — are typically treated as ordinary income. Consult a tax professional about your specific situation, especially if you received a payment of $600 or more.

Why are some people receiving $1,000+ while others receive far less? 

Your payout is calculated on a pro-rata basis tied directly to how many qualifying ATM transactions you documented in your claim. Confirmed class members are now estimated to receive between 23% and 38% of their total documented overcharges. A consumer who documented years of high-frequency ATM use across multiple banks will receive far more than someone who documented only a handful of transactions.

What is the Burke v. Visa nonbank ATM settlement and how do I file?

The Burke v. Visa Inc. settlement is a separate $167.5 million case covering consumers who paid surcharges at independent, nonbank ATMs after October 24, 2007. Visa will pay approximately $88.8 million and Mastercard approximately $78.7 million. No claim form exists yet. Claims will open after the court grants preliminary approval, which is expected in 2026. Monitor ATMClassAction.com for updates.

What if the payment email went to my spam folder and I missed the collection window?

 Contact the settlement administrator immediately at [email protected] or 1-877-311-3724. Provide your Claim ID and explain the situation. The administrator has discretion to reissue payment instructions in certain circumstances — do not assume your funds are forfeited without contacting them first.

Sources & References

• Official Settlement Website: https://atmclassaction.com
• Settlement Administrator (A.B. Data, Ltd.): [email protected] / 1-877-311-3724 / P.O. Box 170500, Milwaukee, WI 53217
• U.S. District Court, District of Columbia — Case No. 1:11-cv-01831-RJL-MAU: https://pacer.gov (search Mackmin v. Visa Inc.)

Prepared by the AllAboutLawyer.com Editorial Team and reviewed for factual accuracy against the official ATMClassAction.com settlement website, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia case docket, and Snopes independent fact-check verification on April 23, 2026. Last Updated: April 23, 2026

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Legal claims and outcomes depend on specific facts and applicable law. For advice regarding a particular situation, consult a qualified attorney.