Miscellaneous August 10, 2021

MPC's Comments on Clarification of the Fed's Regulation II

The Merchants Payments Coalition (MPC) is grateful for the opportunity to provide comment on the Board’s proposed clarification of Regulation II. The language of Regulation II is clear that two unaffiliated networks must be available for all debit transactions, yet for too many years many of the largest issuers have failed to meet that requirement.

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smart watch tap payment
MPC In the News August 09, 2021

Debit Rule Battle Dumps 500-Plus Comments on Fed

The Federal Reserve Board is now awash with 560 comments from payments market participants espousing the pros and cons of a seemingly simple rule clarification proposal on the processing of debit card transactions.

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credit cards and laptop keyboard
MPC In the News August 02, 2021

Letter: Bring Competition to Credit Card Swipe Fees

The reason is that credit card networks and the big banks charge merchants a “swipe” fee averaging about 2 percent of the purchase amount every time a credit card is used, whether it’s swiped, inserted or used via a digital wallet. Those fees add up quickly, totaling almost $100 billion a year. They are among most merchants’ highest cost and drive up prices by hundreds of dollars a year for the average family.

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card tap payment
MPC In the News July 26, 2021

Letter: Congress Should Act on 'Swipe' Fees

Most consumers don’t know it, but the average family pays hundreds of dollars a year because of hidden “swipe” fees banks charge merchants to process credit card transactions.

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online card payment
MPC In the News July 24, 2021

Grocers Need Competition on Credit Card Fees

Rather than competing like other vendors, virtually all banks that issue Visa and Mastercard cards follow fee schedules set by the two networks and refuse to negotiate.

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green payment cards
MPC In the News July 24, 2021

Congress Should Better Control Swipe Fees

As a merchant who sees my pocket picked every day by Visa, Mastercard and the big banks, I strongly believe it’s time for Congress and the nation’s banking regulators to do something about the growing problem of “swipe” fees.

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Press Release
Press Release July 14, 2021

Big Banks Should Not Be Priming the Pump to Gouge Consumers and Main Street as Card Volume Rises

The Merchants Payments Coalition today decried outrageous swipe fees pocketed by big banks, which have reported dramatic increases in credit and debit card volume this week as Main Street still struggles to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

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choosing card payment
MPC In the News July 13, 2021

Trade Group Seeks Biden Antitrust Focus on Payments

The Merchants Payments Coalition (MPC) called on the Biden administration to include the payments industry in its federal crack down on antitrust concerns in American business.

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smart watch tap payment
MPC In the News July 09, 2021

Colorado scraps ban on credit card surcharges

Colorado passed a new law this week jettisoning its ban on credit card surcharges, leaving only two states with such prohibitions as a nationwide legal campaign against the ban gains ground.  

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Press Release
Press Release July 09, 2021

Merchants Welcome Biden Order on Competition and Say it Should be Applied to Payments Market

The Merchants Payments Coalition welcomed an executive order on competition signed today by President Joe Biden and called for its principles to be applied to address lack of competition in the payments market.

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