The online retailer said the change would
not be implemented as planned on Wednesday. Amazon had announced the move in
November, blaming “the high fees Visa charges for processing credit card
transactions.”
“We are working closely with Visa on a
potential solution that will enable customers to continue using their Visa
credit cards on Amazon.co.uk,” the retailer said in an email to customers.
Amazon didn't rule out future action but
told customers it would give them “advance notice” of any changes related to
the acceptance of Visa credit cards.
Credit card fees have been a growing source
of tension between Amazon and Visa. Last year, Amazon started charging
customers in Australia and Singapore who use Visa credit cards a 0.5 percent
surcharge.
In any credit card transaction, there are a
number of fees involved, such as an “interchange fee” that the shopper's bank
pays to the retailer's bank and other costs like service and technology
charges. It isn't clear which fee is the focus of the UK dispute.