diff --git a/servant-client/servant-client.cabal b/servant-client/servant-client.cabal
index 539e3fc0..ac01279a 100644
--- a/servant-client/servant-client.cabal
+++ b/servant-client/servant-client.cabal
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@ library
     Servant.Common.Req
   build-depends:
       base                  >= 4.7      && < 4.10
+    , base-compat           >= 0.9.1    && < 0.10
     , aeson                 >= 0.7      && < 1.1
     , attoparsec            >= 0.12     && < 0.14
     , base64-bytestring     >= 1.0.0.1  && < 1.1
@@ -72,6 +73,7 @@ test-suite spec
     , Servant.Common.BaseUrlSpec
   build-depends:
       base == 4.*
+    , base-compat
     , transformers
     , transformers-compat
     , aeson
diff --git a/servant-client/src/Servant/Client.hs b/servant-client/src/Servant/Client.hs
index 1f11d7ef..7554c536 100644
--- a/servant-client/src/Servant/Client.hs
+++ b/servant-client/src/Servant/Client.hs
@@ -27,9 +27,6 @@ module Servant.Client
   , module Servant.Common.BaseUrl
   ) where
 
-#if !MIN_VERSION_base(4,8,0)
-import           Control.Applicative        ((<$>))
-#endif
 import           Data.ByteString.Lazy       (ByteString)
 import           Data.List
 import           Data.Proxy
@@ -40,6 +37,8 @@ import           Network.HTTP.Client        (Response)
 import           Network.HTTP.Media
 import qualified Network.HTTP.Types         as H
 import qualified Network.HTTP.Types.Header  as HTTP
+import           Prelude ()
+import           Prelude.Compat
 import           Servant.API
 import           Servant.Client.Experimental.Auth
 import           Servant.Common.BaseUrl
diff --git a/servant-client/src/Servant/Common/Req.hs b/servant-client/src/Servant/Common/Req.hs
index 7a8d7a1e..77de15d4 100644
--- a/servant-client/src/Servant/Common/Req.hs
+++ b/servant-client/src/Servant/Common/Req.hs
@@ -7,9 +7,9 @@
 
 module Servant.Common.Req where
 
-#if !MIN_VERSION_base(4,8,0)
-import Control.Applicative
-#endif
+import Prelude ()
+import Prelude.Compat
+
 import Control.Exception
 import Control.Monad
 import Control.Monad.Catch (MonadThrow)
diff --git a/servant-client/test/Servant/ClientSpec.hs b/servant-client/test/Servant/ClientSpec.hs
index 98d9e9b5..7833cd4e 100644
--- a/servant-client/test/Servant/ClientSpec.hs
+++ b/servant-client/test/Servant/ClientSpec.hs
@@ -10,8 +10,8 @@
 {-# LANGUAGE OverloadedStrings      #-}
 {-# LANGUAGE PolyKinds              #-}
 {-# LANGUAGE RecordWildCards        #-}
-{-# LANGUAGE StandaloneDeriving     #-}
 {-# LANGUAGE ScopedTypeVariables    #-}
+{-# LANGUAGE StandaloneDeriving     #-}
 {-# LANGUAGE TypeFamilies           #-}
 {-# LANGUAGE TypeOperators          #-}
 {-# LANGUAGE UndecidableInstances   #-}
@@ -26,9 +26,6 @@
 #include "overlapping-compat.h"
 module Servant.ClientSpec where
 
-#if !MIN_VERSION_base(4,8,0)
-import           Control.Applicative        ((<$>))
-#endif
 import           Control.Arrow              (left)
 import           Control.Concurrent         (forkIO, killThread, ThreadId)
 import           Control.Exception          (bracket)
@@ -46,19 +43,21 @@ import qualified Network.HTTP.Types         as HTTP
 import           Network.Socket
 import           Network.Wai                (Request, requestHeaders, responseLBS)
 import           Network.Wai.Handler.Warp
+import           Prelude ()
+import           Prelude.Compat
 import           System.IO.Unsafe           (unsafePerformIO)
+import           Test.HUnit
 import           Test.Hspec
 import           Test.Hspec.QuickCheck
-import           Test.HUnit
 import           Test.QuickCheck
 import           Web.FormUrlEncoded         (FromForm, ToForm)
 
 import           Servant.API
 import           Servant.API.Internal.Test.ComprehensiveAPI
 import           Servant.Client
+import qualified Servant.Common.Req         as SCR
 import           Servant.Server
 import           Servant.Server.Experimental.Auth
-import qualified Servant.Common.Req         as SCR
 
 -- This declaration simply checks that all instances are in place.
 _ = client comprehensiveAPI
diff --git a/servant-client/test/Servant/Common/BaseUrlSpec.hs b/servant-client/test/Servant/Common/BaseUrlSpec.hs
index afe541ba..e25da65d 100644
--- a/servant-client/test/Servant/Common/BaseUrlSpec.hs
+++ b/servant-client/test/Servant/Common/BaseUrlSpec.hs
@@ -1,11 +1,9 @@
-{-# LANGUAGE CPP #-}
 {-# OPTIONS_GHC -fno-warn-orphans #-}
 module Servant.Common.BaseUrlSpec where
 
-#if !MIN_VERSION_base(4,8,0)
-import           Control.Applicative
-#endif
 import           Control.DeepSeq
+import           Prelude ()
+import           Prelude.Compat
 import           Test.Hspec
 import           Test.QuickCheck