Discover Card Merchant Interchange Fee Settlement – Businesses File by May 18, 2026

What happened

Class period: January 1, 2007 through December 31, 2023

Starting in 2007, Discover allegedly misclassified certain consumer credit cards — the rewards, premium, and premium plus variety — as commercial cards. The practical effect: merchants processing those transactions were charged higher interchange fees than they should have been. For 16 years. To be fair, "misclassification" can happen. What's harder to explain is how it kept happening, year after year, consistently in the direction that benefited Discover. Three related class action lawsuits were filed, covering Discover merchant interchange fee transactions processed between January 1, 2007 and December 31, 2023. Discover denies any wrongdoing but has agreed to settle.

What you can get

Key dates

Who may qualify

• Your business accepted Discover credit cards directly from customers between January 1, 2007 and December 31, 2023 (End Merchant) OR your business had an agreement with Discover to facilitate Discover credit card transactions during that period (Merchant Acquirer) OR your business processed Discover credit card transactions on behalf of other businesses during that period (Payment Intermediary) You do not need to have received a notice to file — if you believe you qualify, you can submit a claim online by May 18, 2026

How to file

1. Visit the official settlement website at discovermerchantsettlement.com Click "Submit a Claim" and register using your Claimant ID and PIN from your mailed or emailed notice If you did not receive a notice but believe you qualify, you can still file — register without a Claimant ID and PIN using your business's Taxpayer Identification Number Review your Discover MIDs (merchant identifier codes) on the Check My Discover MIDs page to confirm your associated transactions Submit your completed claim online, or download the claim form and mail it postmarked by May 18, 2026 Merchant Acquirers and Payment Intermediaries have additional data submission requirements — check the FAQs for your specific member type

Proof required

• For most End Merchants: no supporting documentation required beyond completing the claim form For Merchant Acquirers: additional Merchant Acquirer Information data submission was required by November 12, 2025 — if you missed this, contact the Settlement Administrator For Payment Intermediaries: additional Payment Intermediary Information was required by February 25, 2026 — contact the Settlement Administrator if you have questions If you wish to challenge your payment determination later, documentation showing your business paid the Discover interchange fees (e.g., merchant statements) will be helpful to have on hand

Payment timing

Payments will be issued after the settlement receives final court approval on May 20, 2026 and all processing is complete. All eligible claimants will receive a determination notice with their payment amount before checks go out, and will have the opportunity to challenge the calculation. Settlement checks are valid for 120 days after issuance.

Important links

• Official website
• Claim form
• Important dates
• FAQs
• Documents

Contact

Extra details

You do not need a Claimant ID or PIN to file — businesses that did not receive a notice can still register and submit a claim using their Taxpayer Identification Number Your business may be associated with more than one Claimant ID; follow the instructions for each unique ID to make sure you receive your full payment The minimum payment is $10, even if your calculated overcharge amount is lower Third-party companies may contact you offering to file your claim for a cut of your recovery — you are not required to use them and they cannot get you paid faster or more than you are entitled to Settlement checks that go uncashed will be distributed to a nonprofit educational or public benefit organization

FAQ