If you shopped at Trader Joe’s in mid-2019, you have until Tuesday to file a claim to be included in a $7.4 million class action lawsuit brought against the popular grocery chain. But be forewarned: Qualifying for the settlement isn’t so straightforward.
The settlement, announced earlier this year, stems from a lawsuit first brought in 2019 by plaintiff Brian Keim, who alleged that Trader Joe’s had violated the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACTA). Though the Monrovia, California-based grocer has denied his claims it agreed to a settlement related to a roughly 18-week period between March and July 2019 when Trader Joe’s said the payment processing software caused some receipts at select locations to display the first six and last four digits of customers’ credit or debit card numbers.
In the years since the plaintiff first sued the company, Trader Joe’s said in a court filing that no customers have reported that they’ve been the victim of identity theft related to the conduct alleged in the case. That said, identity theft isn’t required to prove a FACTA claim.
WHO QUALIFIES FOR A PAYOUT
While you may have shopped at Trader Joe’s between March 5 and July 19, 2019, only a very limited number of customers will qualify for a settlement payout.
The plaintiff’s legal team notified 757,663 people by email or postcard that they were flagged as potentially affected—though a claim must still be submitted to qualify. If you happen to have some old Trader Joe’s receipts lying around from that period, that may be another way to qualify.
Affected customers can file a claim online through the settlement website. Trader Joe’s loyalists who aren’t sure whether they’re included may also call the settlement hotline at 1-888-444-7415.
HOW MUCH CUSTOMERS WILL RECEIVE
Multimillion-dollar class action lawsuits may get some customers excited about potential payouts, but the amounts may often seem rather meager—even in a case with rather limited scope. The per-person payout for the Trader Joe’s settlement is estimated to be $102.45.
But the exact figure will depend on how many people file claims and how much money is left after legal fees and administrative costs are deducted. Keim, the plaintiff, will receive $10,000, according to court filings.
The settlement must ultimately be approved by a court, and a hearing is set for August 10. Payments should be sent out within 10 business days after the judge grants final approval of the settlement.
TRADER JOE’S AND CLASS ACTION LAWSUITS
Court filings note that Trader Joe’s “vigorously denies any and all liability or wrongdoing,” noting that it never willfully, negligently, or knowingly caused the receipt printing issue. The company didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment from Fast Company.
Trader Joe’s has previously been the subject of a few different class action lawsuits in recent years regarding claims of false advertisements of the ingredients of some items sold in stores. Earlier this year, customers filed a lawsuit against the grocer regarding caffeine levels in its French Roast Low Acid whole bean coffee.
If it feels like you’re hearing about more and more class action lawsuits—or mysteriously receiving payouts for which you didn’t file a claim—there’s been a surge in the number of these cases, according to data from LexisNexis.
The number of federal class action filings surpassed 12,200 cases in 2025, a roughly 25% increase from 2024 and the highest volume in at least a decade, based on findings in the Lex Machina 2026 Class Action Litigation Report. And consumer protection class actions accounted for nearly half of all filings over the past decade.
What’s more, the Trader Joe’s class action lawsuit is seemingly not the first rodeo for Keim. In 2012, a man with the same name and living in the same Florida city filed a class action lawsuit against several companies that operate Pizza Hut restaurants regarding unsolicited text messages. That suit ultimately resulted in a $6 million settlement.