A proposed $167.5 million settlement over surcharges at non-bank ATMs covers almost nineteen years of cash withdrawals. The class period runs from October 24, 2007, to August 14, 2026, which is almost nineteen years. Anyone who paid a fee at an independent machine in that span and was not fully paid back by their bank may be in the class.
The settlement website describes the class as people who withdrew cash from a non-bank ATM and were assessed a surcharge. A notice from the sponsoring law firms says a claim form must be postmarked by February 10, 2027.
Which withdrawals count?
The settlement website lists the dates as between October 24, 2007, and August 14, 2026. A notice issued by Finkelstein Thompson LLP and Lovell Stewart Halebian Jacobson LLP defines the Nationwide Class as people in the United States who paid a surcharge or access fee to take cash from a deposit account at an independent ATM in the U.S. or its territories during that period, and who were not fully reimbursed by their bank.
Statewide classes also exist for California, Illinois, Massachusetts and Michigan. The notice sends readers to the settlement website for the full class definition.
The reimbursement condition matters. Plenty of banks refund out-of-network ATM charges on certain accounts, and a withdrawal whose fee the bank paid back in full does not fit the class description.
Do withdrawals from years ago still count?
Yes, if they fall inside the dates. A surcharge paid at an independent machine in late 2007 sits within the class period just as one paid in the summer of 2026 does. The people most likely to have a long history of such fees are those who rely on cash and live where bank branches are scarce, including many retirees and others on fixed incomes.
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The practical problem is proof. Few people kept receipts from 2008, but old bank statements, online account histories and card records can show a withdrawal and the surcharge added to it. The notice does not state a per-person amount, so the size of any one payment is not fixed.
Who is paying, and how much?
The notice says the settlement fund totals $167.5 million. Visa is paying $88,775,000 and Mastercard is paying $78,725,000. The defendants are Visa Inc., Visa U.S.A. Inc., Visa International Service Association and Plus System, Inc. on the Visa side, and Mastercard Incorporated and Mastercard International Incorporated, doing business as Mastercard Worldwide. Both companies deny the claims and any wrongdoing.
The case is Burke v. Visa Inc., No. 1:11-cv-01882, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Two related cases, Mackmin v. Visa Inc. and National ATM Council v. Visa Inc., are in the same court.
Money is not paid out in full to claimants. After attorneys’ fees, litigation costs, notice and administration costs and service awards come out, the notice says the rest is divided pro rata among valid claimants. Lawyers may ask for up to 30% of the fund in fees and up to $17,500 for each class representative.
What are the deadlines?
- December 11, 2026: the date to ask to be excluded from the settlement, which keeps the right to sue separately, or to object if staying in.
- February 10, 2027: the postmark deadline for a claim form submitted online or by mail.
- February 17, 2027: the final approval hearing in the District of Columbia federal court.
Payment is not automatic. The notice requires a claim form, which is filed at the settlement website or by mail. A phone line, 1-866-893-1052, is listed for questions. The notice does not name a settlement administrator.
The claim window is open now, with nearly four months before the filing deadline. Whether any single claimant’s years of fees add up to a meaningful share depends on how many people file and on the court’s approval in February.
Not sure which of your ATM fees fall inside the dates?
A claim that spans October 24, 2007 to August 14, 2026 means sorting years of statements before the February 10, 2027 postmark date, and a mistake in the dates on a notice can mean a late or rejected filing.
The Settlement & Refund Recovery System includes the four-date rule for reading a settlement notice, a step-by-step filing walkthrough and a claim log and payment tracker, plus a source vault of 12 official places money sits.
Get the four-date rule for the non-bank ATM claim in the Settlement & Refund Recovery System →
More Financial Reading
- 21 Ways to Stretch a $2,087 Social Security Check
- 15 Places to Find Your Share of the $4.25 Billion States Give Back
- 21 Ways Retirees Can Raise $1,000 Fast Without a Job
This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
