Online retail giant Amazon on Wednesday said it plans to stop accepting payments in the UK made with Visa credit cards, blaming the move on high fees.

"These costs should be going down over time with technological advancements, but instead they continue to stay high or even rise," Amazon said in a statement.

Amazon's UK online site will no longer accept the cards as of January 19.

UK customers will still be able to use Visa debit cards to order from Amazon
UK customers will still be able to use Visa debit cards to order from Amazon AFP / Ronny Hartmann

Customers can continue to use Visa debit cards, Amazon said.

"With the rapidly changing payments landscape around the world, we will continue innovating on behalf of customers to add and promote faster, cheaper, and more inclusive payment options to our stores across the globe," Amazon added.

Visa hit out at the move, with a spokeswoman saying the card payments giant was "very disappointed that Amazon is threatening to restrict consumer choice".

"When consumer choice is limited, nobody wins. We have a long-standing relationship with Amazon and we continue to work toward a resolution," she added in a statement.