Amazon stops accepting UK Visa credit cards, cites high fees

LONDON (AP) — Amazon says it will stop accepting Visa credit cards issued in the United Kingdom because of a dispute over fees.

The e-commerce giant said in a message Wednesday to customers that they won’t be able to use the payment company’s U.K. credit cards starting Jan. 19, blaming “the high fees Visa charges for processing credit card transactions.”

Shoppers will still be able to use Visa debit cards and other credit cards including Mastercard and American Express, Amazon said. The notice suggests Visa credit cards issued in other countries will still be accepted.

Visa said it was “very disappointed that Amazon is threatening to restrict consumer choice in the future.”

The payment company said in a statement that it has “a long-standing relationship with Amazon and we continue to work toward a resolution.”

Amazon said in a press statement that “the cost of accepting card payments continues to be an obstacle.”

“These costs should be going down over time with technological advancements, but instead they continue to stay high or even rise,” it said, without providing figures.