“We are very disappointed that Amazon is threatening to restrict consumer choice in the future,” a Visa spokesman reportedly said.
Amazon.com Inc will stop accepting payments made using Visa credit cards issued in the United Kingdom starting next year, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday.
The company explained that it was prompted to make the decision due to the “high fees Visa charges for processing credit card transactions”.
“The cost of accepting card payments continues to be an obstacle for businesses striving to provide the best prices for customers…These costs should be going down over time with technological advancements, but instead, they continue to stay high or even rise,” an Amazon spokesman reportedly said.
However, Amazon customers still will be able to use Visa debit cards, Mastercard and Amex credit cards as well as Visa credit cards issued outside of the UK, the agency added, citing information that Amazon had shared with its customers.
Visa reacted to the move by saying that they 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,” a Visa spokesman said in an email obtained by Bloomberg.
The news has prompted a heated debate online, with people sharing their outrage at Amazon’s decision and wondering why the company cannot pay the costs it faces when clients use UK-issued Visa cards.
. @amazon @AmazonUK Are you really serious about this? If so, it is a slap in the face for many people! Are you really telling me that a multi-billion dollar company like yourself, can't absorb this sort of cost? @JeffBezos your company is taking the piss! #Amazon #visa @VisaUK pic.twitter.com/rEOMfoHnke
— Doc Atherton Esq. (@realdocatherton) November 17, 2021
I’m sorry?! @amazon You’re company is loaded. Enough so that old Jeffy boy can build a dick rocket and fly to space… but you’re finding @Visa credit fees too high. Boo frigging who! What a joke ????????????#smallviolin #Amazon #Visa #joke@joelycett – enjoy ???? pic.twitter.com/TkH0K2b3i7
— ????????Hayley Grant???????? Went to Mars 3 times! (@HayleyG89x) November 17, 2021
If Amazon can afford to wave goodbye to business lost by refusing Visa credit cards, they can afford the Visa card charges
And they can afford to pay their workers more— Charles Delaware (@CharlesDe1aware) November 17, 2021
Although it’s probably going to cause some chaos and upset for me, I 100% support Amazon telling Visa to fuck off.
Amazon may be evil, but Visa and MasterCard are much much worse.
— Dr Owain Kenway (@owainkenway) November 17, 2021
Missouri, USA: Nancy Pelosi is a VISA investor (Made millions). The fact they still accept visa DEBIT CARDS (Same as cash) is telling. UK is expecting high death numbers from COVID, VISA doesn’t wana lose money from bad CREDIT CARD debt.