PRESS RELEASES

May 04, 2022

Merchants Testify Before Congress That Lack of Competition Has Led to Soaring Credit Card Swipe Fees

The Merchants Payments Coalition today called on Congress to bring competition to the U.S. credit card market, saying decades of domination by Visa and Mastercard has shut out innovation and led to soaring “swipe” fees that are a burden for small businesses, drive up prices for consumers and contribute to inflation.

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April 27, 2022

Merchants Welcome Senate Hearing on Anticompetitive Credit Card Industry Practices Fueling Inflation

The Merchants Payments Coalition welcomed today’s announcement that the Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing next week on anticompetitive practices by the credit card industry that have led credit card “swipe” fees to more than double over the past decade and are driving up prices as consumers face near-record inflation.

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PRESS RELEASES

April 15, 2022

Letter Shows Both Republicans and Democrats Support Credit Card Swipe Fee Competition Amid Rising Inflation

The Merchants Payments Coalition today welcomed a letter from bipartisan members of the House and Senate asking Visa and Mastercard to withdraw credit card swipe fee increases set to take effect this month, and agreed that the increases would drive up prices paid by consumers already facing high inflation.

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March 31, 2022

Merchants Ask House Committee to Add Swipe Fees to Examination of Bank Fees ‘Costing Consumers Billions’

The Merchants Payments Coalition today asked the House Financial Services Committee to go beyond overdraft fees as it looks into bank fees “costing consumers billions,” saying credit and debit card swipe fees should be considered as well.

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March 28, 2022

Credit Card Fees Swipe More Than Two Dozen Easter Eggs and Cost Consumers Millions on Easter Purchases This Year

Hidden “swipe” fees charged by big banks and credit card networks to process transactions could cost the average consumer the equivalent of two dozen eggs this Easter and total hundreds of millions of dollars nationwide, the Merchants Payments Coalition said today.

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March 08, 2022

Merchants Ask Congress to Investigate Visa and Mastercard, Citing Biden Call to Fight Inflation with Competition

The Merchants Payments Coalition today called on Congress to investigate Visa and Mastercard’s anticompetitive dominance over the U.S. credit and debit card markets, citing President Biden’s call in his State of the Union address to fight inflation by increasing competition.

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PRESS RELEASES

February 28, 2022

Merchants’ Ad Campaign Highlights Harm of Credit Card Swipe Fees Ahead of $1.2 Billion Increase

With fees set to rise in April, the Merchants Payments Coalition today announced an advertising campaign to educate Congress and other policymakers on high “swipe” fees credit card networks and big banks charge merchants to process transactions and the impact the fees have on consumers, small businesses and the U.S. economy.

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PRESS RELEASES

February 17, 2022

Merchants Renew Call for U.S. Action on Credit Card ‘Swipe’ Fees After Amazon and Visa Resolve Dispute in UK

The Merchants Payments Coalition renewed its call for U.S. officials to address credit card “swipe” fees following today’s announcement that Amazon has agreed to continue accepting Visa credit cards in the United Kingdom.

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February 17, 2022

Merchants Tell Congress Credit Card ‘Swipe’ Fees Place Small Businesses at a ‘Distinct Disadvantage’

The Merchants Payments Coalition urged Congress to protect small businesses against rising credit card “swipe” fees as the House Financial Services Committee held a hearing today on ensuring that small and minority-owned businesses share in the nation’s economic recovery.

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PRESS RELEASES

January 27, 2022

Merchants Say Visa Study on Increasing Use of Credit Cards Shows Need to Bring Fees Under Control

A new study by Visa shows the importance of bringing “swipe” fees charged to process credit and debit cards under control as consumers and small businesses move away from cash and the fees exacerbate record inflation in consumer prices, the Merchants Payments Coalition said today.

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