Apple hit with £1.5bn lawsuit over Apple Pay in the UK
Apple is facing a massive £1.5 billion class action in the UK, accused of using its power to limit access to its NFC chip and force banks into unfair deals for Apple Pay.
The case, led by Fairer Finance's James Daley and has been filed (reported on 23 January 2026), marks the first big group lawsuit against Apple Pay here.
What's the issue? Higher fees for almost everyone
The claim says Apple charges higher fees for every contactless or online payment made through Apple Pay compared to Android devices.
This has allegedly pushed up costs for around 50 million people—nearly all UK consumers—even if they don't use an iPhone.
Where things stand—and what Apple says
A team of top lawyers is handling the case, but it still needs approval from the tribunal before moving forward.
If successful, affected users could get about £26 each.
Meanwhile, Apple denies any wrongdoing, saying it doesn't charge extra fees for users or merchants and that its security features actually help cut down bank fraud.
They have also recently added tech capabilities, including near-field technology (NFC) and secure element (SE) application interfaces in the UK.