Consumers caught in middle as Amazon, Visa clash over fees

By KELVIN CHAN
AP Business Writer

LONDON (AP) — Customers are caught in the middle of a growing dispute between Amazon and Visa over transaction fees. The online retail giant moved this week to stop shoppers from using Visa credit cards issued in the United Kingdom starting next year. It’s the latest salvo in a battle between payment networks and retailers. Amazon blamed “high fees,” marking an escalation from extra charges it’s levied for using Visa credit cards in Singapore and Australia. Merchants have been grumbling for years about card fees, which include payments to banks on either side of the transaction and the card network itself. The British Retail Consortium has warned that “abusive fee hikes” add to costs that consumers pay.