Apple Faces £1.5 Billion UK Lawsuit Over Alleged Apple Pay 'Hidden Fees'

Financial campaigner James Daley has launched a £1.5 billion class action lawsuit against Apple in the UK. He claims the tech giant's practices with its Apple Pay service harmed millions of British consumers. The lawsuit alleges Apple blocked rival payment services from its iPhones. This made Apple Pay the only contactless payment option for iPhone users in the UK for nearly ten years. Daley argues this anti-competitive behavior created a monopoly. He says it allowed Apple to charge "hidden fees" to banks and card issuers. These costs were then passed on to UK consumers through higher prices. The collective claim seeks compensation for an estimated 50 million people in the UK. It argues they all paid more because they could not use cheaper alternative wallets on their iPhones. Apple has not yet publicly commented on the new legal action. The case will be heard at the UK's Competition Appeal Tribunal.