NEGAUNEE, Mich. - Speedway and other Michigan convenience stores have begun a campaign to let consumers know about how hidden interchange fees impact everyone, UpperMichigansSource.com reports. Each time a credit or debit card is swiped, retailers pay a transaction fee of about 2 percent of the purchase cost.

NACS reports that interchange fees gobbled up $4.8 billion in 2008 and were the second biggest expense for businesses, behind labor. "If you can reduce those costs, make them manageable, that??s more money you can put in the business whether it??s hiring new staff or any other type of upgrades for your operations," said Jeff Lenard, NACS spokesman.

At each of the 1,600 Speedway stores in nine states, signs encourage customers to add their signature to a petition asking Congress to step in and lower swipe fees.

"These fees that are charged are five times greater than those of some other countries, so they??ll able to make money in other countries. I don??t understand why the fee levels that are set in this country are so much higher," said Lenard.

With swipe fees costing the average American household more than $400 annually, NACS is asking for transparency and competition in interchange fees.

Learn more about the NACS petition campaign at fightswipefees.com.