Amazon to stop accepting UK-issued Visa credit cards

Ecommerce giant Amazon is to stop accepting payments made from Visa credit cards issued in the UK as from January 19 next year.

Visa debit cards and credit cards from other issuers like Mastercard and Amex will still be accepted. The reason for the move is cited as Visa’s high processing charges.

Amazon's email to customers -- which it has to be said looks a bit phishy at first sight -- says, "Starting 19 Jan, 2022, we will unfortunately no longer accept any Visa credit cards issued in the UK, due to the high fees Visa charges for processing credit card transactions. You can still use debit cards (including Visa debit cards) and non-Visa credit cards like Mastercard, Amex, and Eurocard to make purchases."

This is quite short notice for such a significant change. Customers of Amazon.co.uk are being offered an incentive of £20 off their next purchase if they set up a new, non-Visa credit, card as the default payment source on their account.

The email concludes, "We know this may be inconvenient, and we’re here to help you through this transition so you can continue enjoying Amazon's low prices and wide selection."

A spokesperson for Visa responds:

UK shoppers can use their Visa debit and credit cards at Amazon UK today and throughout the holiday season.

We are very disappointed that Amazon is threatening to restrict consumer choice in the future.

When consumer choice is limited, nobody wins. We have a long-standing relationship with Amazon, and we continue to work toward a resolution, so our cardholders can use their preferred Visa credit cards at Amazon UK without Amazon-imposed restrictions come January 2022.

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