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Trader Joe’s customers may be able to get a payout as part of a class action settlement.
Customers who made a purchase with a credit or debit card between March 5, 2019, and July 19, 2019, may be eligible to claim an estimated $102.45.
Trader Joe’s Co. agreed to pay $7.4 million to settle a class action lawsuit that alleged the company violated the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act.
The lawsuit claimed that during a specific period in 2019, certain Trader Joe’s stores printed receipts that displayed both the first six and last four digits of customers’ card numbers, increasing the potential risk of identity theft.
Trader Joe’s denies the allegations and any wrongdoing or liability, insisting that it was a small minority of transactions that resulted in the receipts with card digits in some stores.
They also said on the settlement website that no one had reported identity theft from the receipt situation.
“However, identity theft is not required to prove a FACTA claim, and therefore you do not need to have suffered identity theft to submit a claim for payment from this settlement,” the grocery chain added.
To be eligible to file a claim, you must be an account holder of a credit or debit card used in a transaction at a Trader Joe’s store between March 5, 2019, and July 19, 2019, and have received a receipt for that transaction in which the payment processing software formatted to display the first six and last four digits of the card.
The class does not include all Trader Joe’s store locations or all transactions made during that time.
There’s an estimated 757,663 unique card numbers in the class, which is the same number of class memebrs eligible.
Each eligible member who submits a valid claim can receive an estimated payment of $102.45.
However, the actual amount may vary depending on the number of valid claims submitted and the final costs for settlement administration, attorneys’ fees and expenses, as well as an incentive award to the class representative.
Attorney’s fees are anticipated to come out to about $2.46 million, and the incentive payment to the representative would come out to $10,000, the settlement website noted.
The less people submit claims, the more each person who submits a claim will get in the payout. If more people submit, the share decreases.
Class members can submit an online claim form or print out the PDF claim form and physically mail it to the settlement administrator.
To file online, members must provide the claim ID and PIN from the settlement notice they received via email or postcard.
Those who submit a claim will lose their right to sue Trader Joe’s on the claims of the lawsuit and any claims related to the grocery store printing too much information on receipts within the relevant time period.
If a class member excludes themselves or opts out by June 9, they’ll be allowed to continue pursuing those claims in the future.
The deadline to file a claim is June 9, 2026, and the fairness hearing will take place on Aug. 10, 2026.
The settlement administrator will distribute payments to those eligible within 45 days of the court resolving any appeals and granting final approval.
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