A Canada-wide class-action settlement could give you extra cash this Christmas. But apply soon — the deadline is approaching!

Earlier this year, an Ontario court approved a settlement of a class-action lawsuit filed against Yahoo Inc. and Yahoo Canada Co. for data breaches.

On December 2, lawyers involved in the case reminded Canadians that the window to submit a claim is closing soon.

"Yahoo! and Rogers account holders in Canada have less than a month to claim up to $375 in cash compensation," they stated, adding that $20 million in settlement benefits have been set aside to remedy the data breaches.

If you were impacted, you have until December 27 to get your share.

Am I eligible for this class action settlement?

For context, Rogers email is powered by Yahoo. If you used a Rogers email account during the defined time, you could be eligible to receive cash.

The first data breach occurred in 2013, and Yahoo issued a notice on December 14, 2016. The second breach occurred in 2014, and Yahoo issued a notice on September 22, 2016. In February 2017, Yahoo issued a notice about the third breach that occurred in 2015 and 2016.

The class-action lawsuit alleges that Yahoo failed to protect account holders' personal information and that the data breaches were due to "inadequate data security measures in place."

"The defendants Yahoo Inc. and Yahoo! Canada Co. deny that they have violated any laws and deny that they have engaged in any wrongdoing," reads a court notice.

To be eligible, you must be a Canadian resident with a Yahoo account between January 1, 2012, and December 31, 2016.

How much money can I get?

There are two types of claims.

Category A includes users who incurred expenses within four months of receiving any of the data breach notices and can submit a claim for cash reimbursement. You can also get paid $25 an hour for a maximum of five hours spent "mitigating the impact of the three data breaches (up to a combined total of 15 hours)."

As a result, if you were affected by all of the data breaches, you can claim a maximum of $375.

Finally, if you paid for the premium ad-free email services or Aabaco Small Business services between August 1, 2013, and December 31, 2016, you can claim 25 per cent of the costs of those services.

Under category B, Canadians can claim up to five hours of "wasted time and inconvenience" responding to each of the three data breaches. You'll be eligible for a total of $375, which is $125 for each data breach.

Credit Monitoring Services for up to one year plus cash reimbursement for out-of-pocket costs up to $25,000 and up to 25 per cent for costs of paid services such as Yahoo advertisement-free or premium email services and/or Yahoo/Aabaco Small Business services.

To submit a claim, you must provide your Yahoo email address, documentation of expenses incurred, and other documents. The deadline to submit a claim is December 27, 2024.

You can submit your claims online or request a paper claim form to be mailed to you by phone at 1-866-808-8075.

With files from Irish Mae Silvestre