Frequently Asked Questions

Why am I receiving a replacement Virtual Mastercard?

Cardholder services noticed suspicious activity on a small batch of Virtual Mastercards and took the step of proactively canceling the affected cards.  

In the small likelihood your card was impacted, you will have received a new email with a full-value replacement Virtual Mastercard.  

If you have any issues activating or using your virtual MasterCard, we’re here to help: 

Call 833-249-7650 for Cardholder Services. 

I missed the deadline to accept my payment, can I still get it?

No, the settlement claims process is now completed.  

If you are experiencing issues activating or using your payment, please call Cardholder Services at

833-249-7650. For all other inquiries, contact customer service at support@payments.boughtmilk.com.

Please include the following information in your email and we will get back to you as soon as possible:
1. Recipient Name:
2. Recipient Email Address:
3. Claim ID Number:
4. Description of issue:

Are there inactivity fees on my virtual Mastercard? 

Inactivity fees are charges incurred when you have not used your card for 12 consecutive months. After a year of inactivity, the default inactivity fee is monthly but will be refunded for the BoughtMilk case.  If an inactivity fee does occur, we will return this fee on your card. 

You do not need to do anything at this time.  No inactivity fees have been applied to your Virtual Mastercard at this time. 

After you’ve had your card more than 12 months: if you discover your balance is lower than expected, call us at 833-249-7650. We will immediately confirm whether your card incurred an inactivity fee and refund this amount.  

You may choose to not use your card and the balance will slowly go down until the card balance is at $0. At that point, the card would be considered finished. Please note that the Virtual Mastercard has no relation and will not affect your personal credit cards.

We encourage you to spend on your card at least once every 12 months and no inactivity fees will occur. Please call 833-249-7650 with any questions. 

What if my Virtual Mastercard has a $0 balance? Will I still be charged fees?

It is important to note that the Virtual Mastercard is a gift card and will work as such. Thus, if there is no money on the gift card, no fees will be applied.  

This Virtual Mastercard gift card has no relation and will not affect your personal credit cards. 

Do You Have Any Helpful Tips for Using My Virtual Mastercard? 

• Push your Mastercard to your preferred digital wallet for more spending flexibility. 

• Some retailers do not allow “split payments.” This means the retailer may not accept your card if the total amount of your purchase is more than the balance on your card. If this happens, you can use the full balance on your Mastercard to buy an eGift Card at the retailer where you are shopping.

• If you login with your card on https://www.myprepaidcenter.com/home  there is an option to order a physical card.

• It is also possible to load the Virtual Mastercard funds onto Amazon by:
  1. Search “Amazon reload” which is basically adding Amazon funds to your account.
  2. Click on “Other” and add your requested amount. Example: $10.50
  3. When checking out, add the Virtual Mastercard information
  4. Funds should be loaded onto Amazon within 5-10 minutes.

• Spend on your card at least once every 12 months and no inactivity fees will occur.   

• If you have not spent on your card in 12 consecutive months, monthly inactivity fees could bring your balance to zero – BUT does not create a negative balance.  To receive a refund on any inactivity fees, please call 833-249-7650. 

• Please note that the Virtual Mastercard gift card has no relation and will not affect your personal credit cards. 

Call 833-249-7650 with any questions – we’re here to help! 

How do I get my digital payment?

If you’ve never received a digital payment, they’re fast, easy and convenient! Click here to view a 3-minute video that shows you how to receive your funds.

What is the pro-rata distribution and how can I get it? 

The pro-rata distribution will be distributed digitally between January 1st and January 5th,2022.  

Starting on January 1st ,2022 any claimant who accepted their initial payment will receive a new email containing their additional payment on a digital Virtual Mastercard. The pro-rata amount is still being calculated and will be updated soon.  

Please keep an eye out for the new email and check your spam or junk folders.  

**UPDATE** 

Starting on January 1st, 2022 any claimant who accepted their initial payment will receive a new email containing $18.90 on a digital Virtual Mastercard.  

Please keep an eye out for the new email from the sender BoughtMilk@hawkmarketplace.com and check your spam or junk folders. 

If my payment is expired, can I still get my settlement money? 

You will have until December 6th, 2021 to select a payment method from your payment notification email. Please note that after December 6th, we will not do an automatic payment method selection for claimants who have not already accepted their payment.  Instead, the Court has ordered the remaining settlement funds be distributed on a pro-rata basis to those who have responded to the payment notifications.  

We want you to receive your funds, so please claim your payment before December 6th! 

**UPDATE**

Claimants had until December 6th, 2021 to select a payment method from your payment notification email.

The deadline to reinstate expired payments has passed. We can no longer accept reinstatement requests.  

After clicking the “Accept Your Payment” link, it says ‘Payment Failed’. What do I do?

Unfortunately, your payment failed due to an issue beyond our control — a spam complaint, unsubscribe request, or email bounce. If you would like to request that this payment be reinstated, please contact support@payments.boughtmilk.com.

Please have the following in your email:

1. Recipient Name:
2. Recipient Email Address:
3. Claim ID Number:
4. Payment Link:

**UPDATE**

Claimants had until December 6th, 2021 to select a payment method from your payment notification email.

The deadline to reinstate expired payments has passed. We can no longer accept reinstatement requests.  

After clicking the “Accept Your Payment” link, it says ‘Page is not secure’. What do I do?

Please note: if you experienced this message, the issue has been resolved. You should now be able to successfully access your funds using the link provided in your payment notification email.

What happened: The HTTPS certificate provider Let’s Encrypt let its root certificate expire on September 30th. Due to this event, some computers, devices, and browsers were unable to trust sites using Let’s Encrypt. This includes the BoughtMilk payment page for a short period of time.

Why is my payment less than what I expected?

We received more claims than anticipated, which lowered the originally expected payout amounts on the fixed settlement fund.

I didn’t receive an email payment notice. What do I do?

Please check your junk mail or spam folder; a firewall may also have prevented you from receiving your email payment notice. Otherwise, it’s possible you do not have a valid claim. Please contact support@payments.boughtmilk.com to see if you have a valid claim.

I don’t have access to the original email address anymore. Can I change the email for my payment?

You can request an alternate email address by sending your Claim ID, old email address, and new email address to support@payments.boughtmilk.com.

**UPDATE**  

The deadline for email change requests has passed. We can no longer accept email change requests.  

For those who have already submitted a change request you will receive a payment email starting on November 15th. 

I submitted a new email address, but I still haven’t received anything. When will I get my payment?

Please be patient as payments to new email address are sent out on November 15th. If you haven’t received it, please contact support@payments.boughtmilk.com.

**UPDATE**  

The deadline for email change requests has passed. We can no longer accept email change requests.  

For those who have already submitted a change request you will receive a payment email starting on November 15th. 

The payment link doesn’t work. How do I access it?

If your email is in a spam or junk folder, move the email to your primary inbox and try again.
If you’re on your desktop, try using your mobile phone. If you’re on your mobile phone, try your desktop.
If the payment link still doesn’t work, please contact support@payments.boughtmilk.com and include your name and claim ID number.

I can’t access the paywall. It’s showing an error and links are not working. What do I do?

Enable pop-ups in your browser.
Try accessing it on another internet network or try using your phone’s cellular data plan.
Try another browser. We recommend Chrome, but most modern browsers like Firefox, Safari, and Opera also work.
If the paywall is still not working, please contact support@payments.boughtmilk.com and include your name and claim ID number.

How long will it take to get the payment?

How do I use my retailer or digital debit card?

Both can be used at point-of-sale, like any other form of payment. Most retailers will have a field to enter your e-gift card number; digital debit cards operate like any other debit card. If you have additional questions, please contact Cardholder services at 833-249-7650. You will be connected with a live agent who can assist you.

Do I have to do anything to activate my retailer or digital debit card?

Retail gift cards can be used as soon as they are received; no activation is needed.
Digital debit cards must be activated online since they hold cash; in addition, all debit products require an address to be associated with the card for online usage. You can activate your digital debit card at MyPrepaidCenter: https://www.myprepaidcenter.com/.

I chose my payment option but still haven’t received my eGift or digital debit card. What do I do?

Please note that it will take 24 to 48 hours for your payment to be processed.

Check your spam folders; sometimes gift cards get sent to junk mail.

Some email service providers may categorize this email as “Promotional” if you have a managed inbox.

If you still can’t find your card, please call card holder services at 833-249-7650. Please have the following information ready from your confirmation email:

1. Recipient Name:
2. Recipient Email Address:
3. Claim ID Number:
4. eGift Code:

It says my payment has expired! What do I do?

A payment option will be automatically selected for you, and you will receive your payment at the beginning of January 2022, though it may be in a reduced amount.

**UPDATE** 

All expired payments will be reactivated on November 15th. You will receive an email notification with your payment available for you to accept until December 6th, 2021. If you have not accepted your payment yet, please see your payment notification email.  

You will have until December 6th to accept payment. Please note that after December 6th, we will not do an automatic payment method selection for claimants who have not already accepted their payment. Instead, the Court has ordered the remaining settlement funds be distributed on a pro-rata basis to those who have responded to the payment notifications.  

We want you to receive your funds, so please claim your payment now! 

Do I have a valid claim?

If you received an initial payment notification that informs you of a payment to come soon, you have a validated claim.

What if I filed both an individual and an entity claim?

If you filed both an individual claim and an entity claim, you will received two (2) initial email notices and two (2) subsequent digital payment notices.

I thought I submitted a valid claim, but I didn’t get an initial payment notice. Who do I contact?

First, check your junk mail or spam folder.  Otherwise, customer support will be provided starting on September 20th. Please revisit this FAQ page at that time. 

When will I receive my payment?

You will receive an initial email between August 27th and September 14th.  Then between September 20th and October 14th, 2021, payments will be sent out. You will receive an email payment notice for your claim. 

I don’t have access to the original email address anymore. Can I change the email for my payment? 

You can request an alternate email address by sending your Claim ID, old email address, and new email address to customer support. Customer support will be provided starting on September 20th. Please revisit this FAQ page at that time. 

How can I contact customer support? 

Customer support will begin on September 20th. Please revisit this FAQ page at that time for customer service contact information. 

How much will my payment be?

The Fresh Milk Products Price-fixing Class Action payout amounts have been finalized. We received more claims than anticipated, which lowered the expected payout amounts on a fixed settlement fund. Individuals will receive $7.51, and entities will be receiving $210.28.

Any remaining funds may be distributed in a second round using efficient digital payments methods with a fixed dollar amount, based on triggering purchases of milk or fresh milk products in the relevant states, or, depending on the funds remaining, distributed to the Attorneys General for the class jurisdictions for use in prosecuting consumer antitrust claims. Under no circumstances will the money go back to the defendants.

What do I have to do to get my payment?

File a claim online or by mail by January 31, 2017. The simple online claim form only takes less than 1 minute for most individuals. Claims may be submitted online at www.BoughtMilk.com or by mail to Fresh Milk Products Antitrust Litigation, PO Box 43430, Providence RI 02940-3430.

Please do not email us claim information, we will not respond to nor accept claims submitted through our information email.

Why should I read the notice?

You may be eligible for a payment from a settlement reached with defendants National Milk Producers Federation, aka Cooperatives Working Together (CWT), Dairy Farmers of America, Inc., Land O’Lakes, Inc., Dairylea Cooperative Inc., and Agri-Mark, Inc. to resolve an antitrust class action lawsuit pending before Judge Jeffrey White in federal court.

This antitrust lawsuit alleges a nationwide conspiracy by CWT and its members to limit the production of raw farm milk by prematurely slaughtering cows, in order to illegally increase the price of milk and other fresh milk products. Defendants deny any wrongdoing or liability for the claims alleged.

This antitrust lawsuit has already been certified by the Court as a class action. In a class action, one or more individuals, called named plaintiffs, file suit on behalf of others with similar claims, called the class or class members. These named plaintiffs represent and act on behalf of the class. You are a class member if you purchased milk or other fresh milk products (including cream, half & half, yogurt, cottage cheese, cream cheese, or sour cream) while a resident of Arizona, California, the District of Columbia, Kansas, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, Oregon, South Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont, West Virginia, or Wisconsin during the period of 2003 to the present for your own use and not for resale.

The Court has ordered that this notice be published to inform you of the settlement and your rights in the litigation. This notice is not an expression by the Court of any opinion as to the merits of any of the claims or defenses asserted by either side in this lawsuit. Read on for more information on your options, including how to claim your cash payment.

Who is included in the settlement?

Individuals and entities who, as residents of Arizona, California, the District of Columbia, Kansas, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, Oregon, South Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont, West Virginia, or Wisconsin, during the period of 2003 to the present, purchased milk or other fresh milk products (including cream, half & half, yogurt, cottage cheese, cream cheese, or sour cream) for their own use and not for resale. Governmental entities are excluded from the class.

To be a class member, you must not have purchased the milk or other fresh milk products directly from a defendant. Instead, you must have purchased the milk indirectly, for example, through a grocery store or other retailer.

To be a class member, you must have purchased the milk for your own consumption or that of your household or organization and not for resale. Entities charging their participants for milk, for meals including milk, or for general programming with meals and/or drinks including milk are not eligible to recover.

Eligibility is based off of the state in which you were a resident, which may or may not be the state in which you purchased the item. Not every state permits the claims pursued by the plaintiffs.

What does the settlement provide?

The settlement provides for $52 million in recovery for the class. You can submit a simple online claim form opting for cash, with no proof of purchase required. If final approval is granted to the settlement, Class members who have filed valid and timely claims will receive cash payments distributed directly into an online account of their choosing. There will be two different levels of fixed cash payments, based on class member’s purchases and the total number of class members making claims. Any class member whose claim form identifies it as purchasing milk and fresh milk products in an amount that exceeds normal household purchases will receive the higher fixed amount. For example, the regular fixed amount may be $30, or it may be higher or lower depending on the numbers of all class members making claims, with the higher fixed cash payment above that amount. Any remaining funds may be distributed in a second round using grocery loyalty cards to be automatically loaded with a fixed dollar amount, based on triggering purchases of milk or fresh milk products in the relevant states, or, depending on the funds remaining, distributed to the Attorneys General for the class jurisdictions for use in prosecuting consumer antitrust claims. Under no circumstances will the money go back to the defendants.

Who are released?

The settlement releases defendants National Milk Producers Federation, aka Cooperatives Working Together (CWT), Dairy Farmers of America, Inc., Land O’Lakes, Inc., Dairylea Cooperative Inc., and Agri-Mark, Inc. from the claims made in this litigation.

How do I exclude myself from the class?

You can choose to exclude yourself from the litigation and keep your right to sue the defendants on your own. If you exclude yourself, you cannot receive any benefits from the settlement. Your written exclusion must set forth your name and a statement that you request exclusion from the class and do not wish to participate in the settlement. All requests for exclusion must be postmarked by October 28, 2016 and sent to Fresh Milk Products Antitrust Litigation, PO Box 6002, Larkspur, CA 94977-6002.

How do I file an objection?

You can ask the Court to deny approval to the settlement by filing an objection. Please note that you cannot ask the Court to order a larger settlement or otherwise change the terms of the settlement; the Court can only approve or deny the settlement. If the Court denies approval, no settlement payments will be sent out and the lawsuit will continue. If that is what you want to happen, you must object.

You may object to the proposed settlement with a written objection filed or postmarked on or before October 28, 2016. All written objections and supporting papers must (a) clearly identify the case name and number (Edwards v. National Milk Producers Federation, Case No. 11-CV-04766-JSW); (b) be submitted to the Court either by mailing them to the Class Action Clerk, United States District Court for the Northern District of California, 1301 Clay Street, Oakland, CA 94612, or by filing them in person at any location of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California; and (c) be filed or postmarked on or before October 28, 2016.

You may also appear at the Final Approval Hearing, described below, either in person or through your own attorney. If you appear through your own attorney, you are responsible for paying that attorney.

How do I go to the hearing?

The Court will hold a final approval hearing on December 16, 2016, at 9:00 a.m. at the United States District Court, 1301 Clay Street, Oakland, CA, Courtroom 5, 2nd Floor, to consider whether to approve the settlement as fundamentally fair, adequate, and reasonable, dismiss this lawsuit, and enter judgment or to deny the settlement and require the lawsuit to continue.

The Court will also consider at the final approval hearing the request of class counsel for an award of attorney’s fees, not to exceed one third of the settlement funds or $17,333,333 plus accrued interest; the request of class counsel for reimbursement of costs and expenses incurred in pursuing this lawsuit, not to exceed $2,400,000; a request for service awards to each named class representative not to exceed $5,000 per named individual and a total of $90,000; and the Court’s approval to pay the costs of settlement administration, not to exceed $2,000,000.00, to the third party settlement administrators. These amounts, if awarded, will be deducted from the settlement fund.

You may appear at the final approval hearing either in person or through your own attorney, at your own expense. If you do not do so, you will be represented in the case by class counsel.

The Hearing may be moved to a different date or time without additional notice, so please check the Court docket in this case through the Court’s Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) system at https://ecf.cand.uscourts.gov or www.boughtmilk.com for any updates and additional information.

Who represents me?

The Court appointed Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP to represent the class. You may hire your own attorney, if you wish, at your own expense.

How can I get more information?

For the precise terms and conditions of the settlement, please see the settlement agreement available at www.boughtmilk.com, by contacting class counsel at Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro (milk@hbsslaw.com), by accessing the Court docket in this case through the Court’s Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) system at https://ecf.cand.uscourts.gov, or by visiting the office of the Clerk of the Court for the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, 1301 Clay Street, Oakland, CA 94612, between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding Court holidays.

For questions about the settlement or the claims process, you may contact the Settlement Administrator at 1-877-417-4561, via our support page, or visit www.BoughtMilk.com. Please do not telephone the Court or the Court Clerk’s Office to inquire about this settlement or the claims process.