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Payments companies asked about Visa, Mastercard ( MA ) fees

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Visa, Mastercard ( MA ) process about two-thirds of euro zone

card

payments

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EU antitrust scrutiny triggered by retailers' complaints

By Foo Yun Chee

BRUSSELS, May 23 (Reuters) - EU antitrust regulators

have widened their investigation into Visa and

Mastercard's ( MA ) fees as they seek feedback from terminal

providers and payments companies that could lead to charges of

anti-competitive practices, according to a European Commission

document seen by Reuters.

A new questionnaire was sent after a similar one was

distributed to retailers and merchants last month. The EU

competition enforcer's scrutiny started in September as a result

of complaints from merchants and payments companies about Visa

and Mastercard's ( MA ) fees.

The two companies, which charge scheme fees for services

related to participation in their card system, process about

two-thirds of card payments in the euro zone.

The latest questionnaire asked about the number of fees or

services charged by the two companies between 2017-2024, the

number of new fees or services introduced, and the number of

changes.

Regulators also wanted to know which scheme and processing

services are mandatory, and how Visa and Mastercard ( MA ) inform

payments companies about new fees or changes to existing fees.

The questionnaire asked if information provided by the two

companies is sufficiently clear and if they give sufficient

notice about changes to fees and services.

Respondents are also asked whether they have complained to

Visa and Mastercard ( MA ) in the last seven years and how long it has

taken to process the grievances.

"Mastercard ( MA ) offers consumers and businesses choice, ways to

pay and be paid that are hassle-free and worry-free, secure and

most convenient for them," a Mastercard ( MA ) spokesperson said.

Visa, meanwhile, said its fees reflected the value it

provides to financial institutions, merchants and consumers in

Europe. "This includes extremely high levels of security and

fraud prevention, near-perfect operational resilience and

reliability."

The questionnaire focuses on the degree to which the schemes

must be accepted by all payment service providers and how they

have raised fees in recent years, said a person familiar with

the matter.

"This shift suggests that the Commission may be exploring

ways to establish that Visa and Mastercard ( MA ) hold a dominant

market position and are potentially abusing that dominance," the

person said.

The Commission did not immediately respond to a request for

comment.

The deadline for replies is June 2. Bloomberg first reported

on the questionnaire.