The US Department of Justice (DOJ) revived its longstanding investigation into Visa in the wake of claims that it charges retailers more if they do not subscribe to the company’s token technology. Going back to 2021, the antitrust inquiry aims to determine if Visa engages in anticompetitive practices when it comes to debit card payments.
Visa under the DOJ microscope once again
A world leader in payments, the company now finds its policies regarding this tokenisation initiative under the DOJ microscope. Visa confirmed that the department’s antitrust arm requested information on US-based debit card practices in May 2023.
When using tokenisation technology, those with sensitive card numbers can use a token to make payments. This token is linked to a specific device or merchant and increases the security of payments. Introduced in 2014, tokenisation essentially replaces a 16-digit card number with a unique token, which can only be decoded by Visa to protect users.
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Since instituting the strategy, Visa has released more than 4 billion tokens to over 13,000 merchants. These include big names such as Microsoft Corp., Fitbit, and Netflix Inc. As an incentive, participants pay a lower price when subscribing to the Visa tokenisation.
More than two years after the initial probe, this refreshed investigation comes on the back of the Mastercard Inc. case, now resolved, centring around the same issue. Reports indicate the DOJ is issuing a flurry of civil demands in terms of the Sherman Antitrust Act, which aims to address market monopolies.
