By Margaret Hardin

NACS is urgently pushing for the passage of the Credit Card Competition Act of 2023 and is holding meetings with each member of Congress to ask for their support of the bill, which would introduce competition into the credit card marketplace and deliver much-needed relief for the convenience industry and our customers. However, the credit card companies and megabanks are fighting this bill hard, spending millions on paid advertising to blanket the airwaves with mistruths about the bill.

The only way the Credit Card Competition Act will pass is if every member of our industry activates and engages at the grassroots level with their members of Congress. The credit card industry may have more financial resources, but the convenience industry has always outpaced them in the number of passionate advocates for our industry.

Wondering how you can lend your voice to the fight? Here are nine ways to take action this summer in support of the Credit Card Competition Act.

1. Send an email message.

• It only takes a few clicks to send an email to your member of Congress via our Grassroots Portal. Simply fill out your name and address, and the system will automatically populate your legislators’ information, along with a message asking them to support the Credit Card Competition Act. If you get a response from your legislator, be sure to report it back to me: mhardin@convenience.org.
   

2. Make a phone call.

• You will most likely speak with a staffer, as members of Congress are not usually answering their phones directly. Introduce yourself and your business and establish that you are a constituent. Share details on the swipe fees you pay and ask the staffer to tell their boss to support the Credit Card Competition Act of 2023.
  • If needed, you can find your legislators’ phone numbers in this database or on their official homepage.
  • Remember to report back to me if you have a good (or bad!) call with staff.
     

3. Post on social media.

• Share what you paid in swipe fees in 2022 and how the Credit Card Competition Act would deliver much needed relief to your business. And don’t forget to tag your member of Congress!
  • If you’re posting on Twitter, here is a list of all House and Senate Twitter accounts.
     

4. Share your swipe fee stories.

• NACS is collecting personal testimonials on the impact of skyrocketing swipe fees and how they’ve affected the convenience industry. We plan to use these testimonials in meetings on Capitol Hill because the best stories to tell policymakers are the ones that come from their constituents who are directly impacted by their actions. Share your swipe fee story with us via our Grassroots Portal.
   

5. Write a letter to the editor or op-ed.

• If you’d like to put pen to paper, consider writing a short letter to the editor of your local newspaper calling on your members of Congress to support the Credit Card Competition Act of 2023. Want to write even more? NACS can help you put together a longer form op-ed that we can also help get placed in your local or regional papers. Send me a note for more details.

6. Meet in person.

• Nothing beats the power of meeting with a member of Congress or their staff in person. Consider setting up a time to meet in a district or state office when your legislators are back home during August recess. NACS is also planning for more mini “Days on the Hill” in support of the Credit Card Competition Act in Washington, D.C., throughout the rest of this year, so reach out if you’re interested in flying up to meet with your lawmakers on Capitol Hill.

7. Host an In Store.

• The NACS In Store program brings members of Congress into their local convenience stores and grants them the opportunity to gain first-hand knowledge of our industry and the ways swipe fees impact the day-to-day operations of a convenience store. When they return to Capitol Hill, they are better informed and better equipped to make decisions about the legislation that could affect our industry, like the Credit Card Competition Act. If you’re interested in hosting a lawmaker at one of your stores, you can shoot me a note for more information.

8. Stay informed.

• Things can move quickly on Capitol Hill—you can become even more engaged in NACS activities by becoming a Friend of NACS. Friends of NACS stay in the know and receive regular legislative and regulatory updates from our nation’s capital, including any breaking news on swipe fees or the Credit Card Competition Act.
   

9. Recruit a friend!

• The only way we’ll get the Credit Card Competition Act over the finish line is if our industry collectively uses our voice to fight for a fair shot at competition in the credit card market. Help grow our grassroots army by sharing this list with a friend—and remember, you can always do more than just one of these options on the list. The more the better!

Margaret Hardin is NACS manager of government relations. She can be reached at mhardin@convenience.org.