NGA Applauds Reintroduction of Credit Card Competition Act

• January 13, 2026

Legislation Would Bring Much Needed Competition to the Credit Card Marketplace

Washington, D.C. -The National Grocers Association (NGA) voiced its support today for the reintroduction of the Credit Card Competition Act by Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS), Rep. Lance Gooden (R-TX-05), and Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA-18) that would bring much needed competition to the credit card marketplace after years of excessive swipe fees that harm small businesses like independent grocers.

"This legislation is urgently needed to fix a credit card marketplace that is fundamentally broken and stacked against small businesses-especially independent community grocers," said Christopher Jones, NGA chief government relations officer. "Visa and Mastercard control 80 percent of the credit card marketplace and refuse to negotiate fees with family-owned supermarkets. With margins of under 2%, grocers have no choice but to pass these excessive swipe fees on to consumers in the form of higher grocery prices. The Credit Card Competition Act would provide much-needed relief to independent grocers and their customers, who benefit the most from competition in the marketplace."

Visa and Mastercard set the fees they charge banks, and the two card networks implement fee changes that almost always increase merchants' costs. They also block competitors from processing credit transactions by restricting processing to their own networks, stifling competition from independent providers with lower fees and stronger security.

As a founding member of the Merchants Payments Coalition, NGA has worked alongside other merchant associations to address swipe fees for nearly two decades. Upon reintroducing this landmark legislation, NGA also sent a letterto Republican and Democratic leadership to formally endorse it.

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About the National Grocers Association

NGA is the national trade association representing the retail and wholesale community grocers that comprise the independent sector of the food distribution industry. An independent retailer is a privately owned or controlled food retail company operating a variety of formats. The independent grocery sector is accountable for about 1.2 percent of the nation's overall economy and is responsible for generating more than $250 billion in sales, 1.1 million jobs, $39 billion in wages and $36 billion in taxes. NGA members include retail and wholesale grocers located in every congressional district across the country, as well as state grocers' associations, manufacturers and service suppliers. For more information about NGA, visit www.nationalgrocers.org.