On September 23, 2026, U.S. District Judge Jeffrey S. White reportedly certified a class in the antitrust case over Apple Pay fees allegedly paid by U.S. card issuers. The ruling lets qualifying issuers pursue claims together; the case’s questions of antitrust liability and damages remain for the court to resolve.
What the certification changes
Class certification allows eligible card issuers to litigate their claims as a group. In the same reported ruling, Judge White denied Apple’s motion to exclude testimony from plaintiffs’ damages expert Christopher Vellturo. His testimony can remain in the case, and Apple may challenge its assumptions and conclusions as the litigation proceeds.
The case is Affinity Credit Union et al. v. Apple Inc., filed in 2022. Affinity Credit Union filed the original complaint on July 18, 2022; GreenState Credit Union and Consumers Co-op Credit Union were named in an amended complaint filed October 28, 2022.
Who is covered by the class
The certified class covers U.S. entities that issued a payment card enabled for Apple Pay and paid Apple a fee for an Apple Pay transaction made with that card. Affinity Credit Union, GreenState Credit Union, and Consumers Co-op Credit Union are the three named credit-union plaintiffs.
The fees the plaintiffs allege
The lawsuit alleges two fee structures for U.S. card issuers. These are alleged payments from issuers to Apple, not fees charged to Apple Pay users in the lawsuit’s claims.
| Card type | Alleged issuer fee | Calculation basis |
| Credit card | 0.15% | Transaction value |
| Debit card | $0.005 | Per transaction |
At the alleged credit-card rate, a $1,000 purchase would generate $1.50 in issuer fees. The plaintiffs seek repayment of fees and an injunction changing Apple’s challenged practices.
