CNBC: Is it worth paying credit card surcharges to earn rewards?
A credit card surcharge is an additional fee businesses charge on purchases made with credit cards. This helps offset the swipe fees credit networks charge businesses for both credit and debit card transactions. These fees average just over 2%, sometimes up to 4% of your purchase, and according to a March 2025 study from the Merchant Payments Coalition, the combined total of credit and debit card swipe fees rose to a record high of $187.2 billion in 2024, an almost 9% increase from the year before, and 70% higher than during the pandemic.
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NACS Daily: Colorado House of Representatives Passes Swipe Fee Reform
Nationally, swipe fees continue to be one of the largest expenses for convenience retailers, and the numbers continue to climb. The Merchants Payments Coalition noted that swipe fees in 2024 totaled $187.2 billion across all of retail, a $15 billion increase over 2023.
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NACS Daily: Swipe Fees Hit Record High in 2024
“As sure as the sun rises in the east, swipe fees go up each year and the credit card industry tells Congress not to believe their own eyes,” said Doug Kantor, NACS general counsel (and MPC Executive Committee member). “But even the Wall Street giants with all their money can’t cover up the truth forever. The credit card market is broken and the 70% national increase in swipe fees since the pandemic is just one more thing showing what any casual observer knows – the credit card market desperately needs reform to stop the financial pain for Main Street America and its customers.”
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CSP Daily News: Credit and Debit Card Swipe Fees Hit Record of $187.2 Billion
At more than $187 billion, credit and debit card interchange fees reached another new record last year, according to the Merchants Payments Coalition. MPC said swipe fees are driving up consumer prices, and the group continues to urge Congress to pass the Credit Card Competition Act. “With no competition to hold them in check, price-fixed swipe fees rise every year and shot up again last year,” said MPC executive committee member Christine Pollack, vice president of government relations at FMI, The Food Industry Association.
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Progressive Grocer: Credit and Debit Card Swipe Fees Reach New Record in 2024
“With no competition to hold them in check, price-fixed swipe fees rise every year and shot up again last year,” said Christine Pollack, MPC executive committee member and VP of government relations at Arlington, Va.-based FMI – The Food Industry Association. “As Main Street small businesses and American families continue to face economic uncertainty, the giant card networks and Wall Street banks continue to take more money out of their pockets every day.”
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Credit Unions Today: Merchants Push For Credit Card Competition Act Amid Record Swipe Fees
The Merchants Payments Coalition is once again stressing the need for Congress to pass the Credit Card Competition Act, citing 2024’s “record year” credit and debit card “swipe” fees.
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CStoreDecisions: Swipe Fees Hit Record Number
Credit card swipe fees, a prominent challenge that circulates the c-store industry often, are once more making headlines with a record number. Swipe fees for credit cards and debit cards combined totaled $187.2 billion in 2024, up from $172 billion in 2023, according to the Nilson Report. The Merchants Payments Coalition noted that was up 70% since the pandemic.
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Abasto: Swipe Fees Hit Record $187B, Raising Prices
The Merchants Payments Coalition said today in a press release that credit and debit card “swipe” fees reached another new record last year, led once again by Visa and Mastercard. This drove up consumer prices and further demonstrated the need for Congress to pass the Credit Card Competition Act.
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Convenience Store News: Credit & Debit Card Swipe Fees Reach New Record in 2024
Credit and debit card swipe fees reached a new high of $187.2 billion in 2024, further driving up prices for consumers, reported the Merchants Payments Coalition.
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CardRates.com: Let’s Respect the Decisions of Merchants Displaying the “Cash Only, Please” Signs
In January 2025, Visa raised some of its credit card swipe fees. The Merchants Payments Coalition, an advocacy group supported by restaurant, retail, and other trade organizations, estimates that the fee hike alone will add up to an additional $100 million in annual fees.
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