from BBC news:
Millions of shoppers could get up to £70 each after a court ruled historic fees administered by card provider Mastercard were unfair.
The decision comes after a long-running legal case going back almost a decade, brought forward by a former financial ombudsman.
Walter Merricks argued that shoppers were charged higher prices after fees were wrongly levied on transactions made over a 15-year period between 1992 and 2008.
It is not necessary to have owned a Mastercard at any point to be eligible for compensation. Mastercard declined to comment on the court ruling.
Consumers are eligible to claim compensation if they lived in England, Wales or Northern Ireland for at least three months between June 1997 and June 2008, and bought goods or services from UK businesses that accepted Mastercard credit cards.
For those who live in Scotland, the starting point is May 1992.
The entire settlement is for £200m, with £100m ringfenced for consumers who have until the end of this year to claim and if the expected 5% of claimants - 2.5 million people - come forward, then each will receive £45.
If fewer people apply, payments will be capped at £70 per claimant.
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