FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: J. Craig Shearman
(202) 257-3678 craig@shearmancommunications.com
WASHINGTON, Jan. 13, 2026 — The Merchants Payments Coalition today applauded President Trump’s strong words of support for the Credit Card Competition Act.
“Everyone should support great Republican Senator Roger Marshall’s Credit Card Competition Act, in order to stop the out of control Swipe Fee ripoff,” the president wrote on his Truth Social platform. “Roger is a FANTASTIC Senator!!! President DJT.”
Credit and debit card swipe fees — which have risen 70% since the pandemic and reached a record $187.2 billion in 2024 — unfairly punish merchants and consumers alike.
“Thank you, President Trump, for protecting America’s consumers and Main Street businesses,” said MPC Executive Committee member and National Association of Convenience Stores General Counsel Doug Kantor. “Giant credit card companies and Wall Street banks have gotten away with price-fixing credit card swipe fees and sticking everyday Americans with the bill for years. The average family pays $1,200 more each year just to cover these fees. Enough is enough, and the President deserves enormous credit for taking on this issue that secretly eats away at every family’s budget.”
Swipe fees are most merchants’ highest operating cost after labor, and are far too steep for merchants — especially small ones — to absorb.
The CCCA is supported by almost 2,000 companies and nearly 300 trade associations, as well as a broad group of consumer, labor and pro-competition organizations.
Visa and Mastercard — which control 80% of the market — each centrally set the swipe fees charged by banks that issue cards under their brands, and also block transactions from being processed over other networks that could do the job with lower fees and better security. The legislation would require banks with at least $100 billion in assets to enable cards they issue to be processed over at least two unaffiliated networks — Visa or Mastercard plus a competitor like NYCE, Star or Shazam.
Banks would choose which networks to enable but merchants would then choose which to use, resulting in competition over fees, security and service that is expected to save merchants and consumers $17 billion a year. Rewards would not be affected, security would be improved, consumers would still use the same cards, and community banks and all but one credit union would be exempt.
About MPC
The Merchants Payments Coalition represents retailers, supermarkets, convenience stores, gasoline stations, online merchants and others fighting for a more competitive and transparent card system that is fair to consumers and merchants. Follow MPC on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn for the latest on swipe fees.