BigBanksTakeASwipe
Miscellaneous February 05, 2024

MPC TV Commercial: Credit Card Swipe Fees Are a Punch in the Face

“Ever get the feeling big banks are taking a swipe at you?” a new Merchants Payments Coalition TV ad asks. “They are. Every time you swipe your credit card banks make big money, charging you up to 3% in hidden fees.”

READ MORE +
credit cards corner detail
MPC In the News February 05, 2024

Southern Jewelry News: Merchants Call Credit Card 'Swipe Fees' Biggest Bank Scam

Credit and debit card “swipe” fees are among the issues Congress should examine as lawmakers look into banking scams, the Merchants Payments Coalition said today. “There are many banking scams, but swipe fees are the biggest scam of all,” MPC Executive Committee member and National Association of Convenience Stores Senior Vice President of Government Relations Lyle Beckwith said. “Everyone pays higher prices because of swipe fees regardless of whether they use a credit card or not, but they don’t even know it. Taking $1,000 from every American family each year without them knowing it is a huge hidden scam.”

READ MORE +
Press Release
Press Release February 01, 2024

Merchants Call Credit Card 'Swipe' Fees Biggest Bank Scam

Credit and debit card “swipe” fees are among the issues Congress should examine as lawmakers look into banking scams, MPC said.

READ MORE +
credit cards corner detail
MPC In the News February 01, 2024

Digital Transactions: 20 Years of Payments Coverage

The CFPB isn’t the only regulatory agency turning up the heat. The Department of Justice has opened its own probe of Visa Inc.’s and Mastercard Inc.’s debit card practices. Even Congress is getting in on the act with the re-introduction of the Credit Card Competition Act, which takes aim at lowering credit card swipe fees by giving merchants a choice of network, other than Visa and Mastercard, over which to route credit card transactions. “Regulatory enforcement has clearly been picking up,” says Doug Kantor, an executive committee member at the Merchants Payments Coalition and general counsel for the National Association of Convenience Stores. One area where Kantor sees regulators turning their attention lies in anti-trust issues, which means large companies. “There is a growing concern in general in government about large companies,” says Kantor. “As more scrutiny comes, there will have to be changes to the way the payments industry operates.”

READ MORE +
online card payment
MPC In the News January 23, 2024

Convenience Store News: Federal Reserve Extends Comment Period for Debit Card Swipe Fee Changes

Numerous retail groups, including the National Retail Federation (NRF), the Retail Industry Leaders Association and the Merchants Payments Coalition, applauded the proposal (to lower debit card swipe fees) but raised concerns that the revisions do not go far enough, as Convenience Store News previously reported. "This is a significant reduction that will save money for retailers and their customers, and we welcome the progress that has been made," said NRF Chief Administrative Officer and General Counsel (and MPC Executive Committee member) Stephanie Martz. "Nonetheless, it still doesn't get to the 'reasonable' level Congress sought and it isn't proportional to banks' falling costs."

READ MORE +
choosing card payment
MPC In the News January 16, 2024

Trade Groups Back Law to Tackle Credit Card Swipe Fees

In an open letter sent last week, trade groups like the National Retail Federation, the Merchants Payments Coalition and the National Small Business Association again threw their weight behind the bipartisan and bicameral Credit Card Competition Act, sponsored by Senators Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) and Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) and Representatives Lance Gooden (R-Tex.) and Zoe Lofgren (D-Ca.).

READ MORE +
Press Release
Press Release January 16, 2024

Merchants Say Record JPMorgan Chase Profits Show Need to Pass Credit Card Competition Act

Record annual profits reported last week by the nation’s largest credit card issuer are the latest evidence of the need to bring soaring credit card swipe fees under control, the Merchants Payments Coalition said.

READ MORE +
smart watch tap payment
MPC In the News January 12, 2024

NACS Daily: Thousands of Companies Call on Congress to Fix Swipe Fees

Almost 2,000 companies and nearly 300 trade associations called on Congress to pass the Credit Card Competition Act as lawmakers returned to Washington this week, the Merchants Payments Coalition said.

READ MORE +
touch screen POS device
MPC In the News January 11, 2024

Digital Transactions: Merchants Nudge Congress to Vote on the CCCA as Members Reconvene for 2024

he battle between merchants, on one hand, and financial institutions and payment networks, on the other, over the Credit Card Competition Act continues to heat up. The Merchants Payments Coalition on Thursday sent a letter to Congress signed by nearly 2,000 merchants, including hundreds of small businesses, calling on legislators to pass the CCCA. The latest move follows a similar letter sent to Congress Wednesday from 291 merchant trade associations from every state and Puerto Rico.

READ MORE +
credit card detail
MPC In the News January 11, 2024

Convenience Store News: Trade Groups and Companies Unite in Call for Swipe Fee Changes

Almost 2,000 companies and nearly 300 trade associations organized through the Merchants Payments Coalition called on Congress to pass the Credit Card Competition Act as lawmakers returned to Washington, D.C., this week.

READ MORE +