Small businesses across the country are increasingly leveraging credit card rewards as a strategic tool to stretch budgets, manage cash flow, and reinvest in growth. From cashback on everyday purchases to travel points and discounts on essential services, credit card rewards programs have evolved beyond consumer perks into valuable business resources.

When I opened Burque Throwdown just south of Downtown Albuquerque, I didn’t simply want to build a business — I wanted to build community. That’s why at our pottery school and studio, we welcome people from all over to slow down, get their hands dirty and create something beautiful in clay. Located between Downtown and the historic Barelas neighborhood, the studio has become more than just a place to create and learn. It’s become a gathering space — a place to make friends, unwind and feel a sense of connection.

A few years ago, I took the leap and started Asche Woodworking here in Wisconsin,
turning my passion for crafting custom furniture and cabinetry into a small business.
Like many entrepreneurs, I've learned that success depends on adapting to how
customers want to do business. In this day and age, that means accepting credit card
payments.

When new proposals that could affect how businesses manage operations and serve our customers come out of Washington, I pay close attention. One such proposal is the Durbin-Marshall Credit Card Mandates, also known as the Credit Card Competition Act.

As the proud owner of Appalachian Oddities, a small shop in the heart of Weston, I’ve built my business the way many small-town entrepreneurs have—through long hours, honest work, and, yes, access to credit. That’s why I’m deeply concerned about the Credit Card Competition Act (CCCA), a bill being promoted under the guise of “lowering fees” but one that, in reality, threatens the financial foundation of small businesses and working families like mine.

New data from the Small Business Payments Alliance once again reaffirms the value of credit cards for small businesses. According to consumer surveys and research gathered over the first quarter of 2025, small businesses rely on credit cards to drive sales and expand growth. Small businesses also rely on electronic payments to protect against fraud and unlock e-commerce opportunities.

When I founded Assured Flooring & Countertops in Louisiana two decades ago, I never imagined how vital credit card rewards would become to our operations. Today, they’re a critical tool for managing our expenses and staying competitive.

Over many years in the trailer business, I’ve learned a lot by listening to my customers. I know how hard they work, and many rely on their credit card rewards to lower their expenses. When someone swipes their credit card to buy a trailer, it’s not because they’re chasing luxury; it’s because they know that their transaction will be secure, and they’ll earn credit card rewards that can make a real difference in their monthly budget.

Credit cards have become an essential tool for many small businesses. As the owner of a construction company in Iowa, I use them on a daily basis. With the cost of raw materials rising year after year, we’ve relied on our business credit cards to pay for them, allowing us to earn rewards and keep costs down. Every purchase adds up, and being able to earn rewards helps us stretch budgets further.

Whether it’s processing a recurring subscription payment, selling advertising space, or helping effectuate payments for partner promotions, our business depends on a reliable electronic payment system that protects both us and our customers from fraudulent actors. That system, which is used by millions of businesses nationwide, stopped $80 billion in fraud attempts in 2022 alone—ensuring that businesses like ours don’t have to absorb costly fraudulent charges or put our customers’ financial information at risk.

As small business owners in Philipsburg, Montana, we understand how tourism shapes our local economy. From skiers heading to Discovery Ski Area to summer visitors exploring Georgetown Lake, our small town thrives thanks to the steady flow of visitors who come to experience the natural beauty of our corner of Montana and many of the small businesses in our town rely on tourists to stay afloat.

Any given day, you can walk by the Crumbl and find a line of eager cookie eaters lining up out the door. Our cookies have become a teen sensation that Gen Z can’t seem to get enough of.

You know what Gen Z also can’t get enough of? Tapping to pay with their credit cards.

As the president of the South Florida Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, I know how much Florida’s small businesses contribute to our local economies. They are the coffee shops, souvenir shops, restaurants, boutiques and service providers that make our communities unique and vibrant.

Atlanta resident and owner of Kayla’s Italian Ice Theresa Bostic said that she has significant concerns about the proposed Credit Card Competition Act, warning that it could jeopardize digital payment security and customer trust. She argues that while the bill is framed as support for small businesses, it may actually harm them by threatening essential financial resources and eliminating critical credit card rewards.

As the owner of a hospitality group with locations in North and South Carolina, I know from experience the benefits the existing credit card and electronic payments system offers. The current system helps us to streamline our operations, safely process transactions, and earn rewards to invest in our employees and back into the business. In addition, the current system also allows small businesses to earn rewards, which we have leveraged to stay afloat during the pandemic and used to invest in our employees.

As any small business owner knows, the customer experience is just as important as the quality of products or services we offer. For my wellness and beauty business, AN Skin & Beauty in O’Fallon, my customers expect and depend on being able to shop our products in my store and online with ease and peace-of-mind.

Melanated communities in Colorado and across the country have historically and perpetually faced systemic barriers to credit and banking access. Melanated communities are already chronically underbanked, including 27% of Black families and 18% of Hispanic families. And, too often for those who are “banked,” the understanding of how to use these accounts for their benefit while keeping money in interest-bearing accounts and investments is not the norm.

As a small business owner, I work every day to keep my business up and running — and thriving. I own DA SPOT, a unique retail space featuring more than 100 creative brands by people of color.

The Credit Card Competition Act, imposing routing mandates on credit cards, would shift billions in consumer spending to less secure processing firms that would weaken the nation’s payment system. It will likely lead to even more private consumer information being made available to foreign networks (e.g.; China and Russia).

With their convenience and flexibility, credit cards have become an essential part of modern financial transactions and are often a consumer’s first entry into the broader financial services world. Unfortunately, recent policy proposals are threatening to disrupt this ecosystem, and the cumulative impact of these changes could have serious consequences for bank customers.

Economic development has always been near and dear to my heart. Helping our economy grow strong is one of the reasons I ran for the West Virginia House of Delegates, and it is something that I take very seriously.

Sometimes expanding our economy means that I must support state bills and sometimes it means that I must oppose others that I think will hurt expansion and growth. And sometimes it means that I must either support or oppose federal legislation.

CUNA Deputy Chief Advocacy Officer Jason Stverak appeared on the Live Richer podcast recently to discuss the many negative effects that come with the Credit Card Competition Act. CUNA, Leagues, and credit unions prevented the from moving forward in the previous Congress, despite efforts to include it in must-pass end-of-year legislation.

The absolute last place you want to see someone practicing sleight of hand is when they have your credit card.

Alas that’s exactly what a bipartisan group wants to do with millions of Americans’ credit card benefits, hoping to distract us with some nice-sounding words about reform and affordability, all so they can service mega-retailers.

That is why I am concerned about proposed legislation in Congress called the Credit Card Competition Act (CCCA) – a bill which despite its name would disproportionately benefit larger retailers while jeopardizing the many benefits small businesses owners enjoy from their use and acceptance of credit cards.

President Reagan famously said that the most terrifying words in the English language are, “I’m from the government and I’m here to help.” Likewise, when Congress threatens to “inject more competition in an industry,” skepticism should be our first response.

With the holiday shopping season upon us, it’s important to recognize the locally owned, small businesses that are the backbone of our economy. My cycling studio, Harlem Cycle, thrives on the energy and enthusiasm of our diverse clientele in the heart of Harlem. As a business rooted in the community, we cherish the trust our clients have for us and we take pride in representing everything that makes Harlem unique.

The phrase “revolving credit line” usually conjures up images of balding bankers, meticulously reviewing detailed loan applications, while bright-eyed prospective borrowers wait on the edge of their seats. Today,
revolving credit lines for consumers take the form of colorful plastic cards that fit neatly in your wallet, and provide access to rewards, concert tickets, and much more. These colorful plastic cards—credit cards — are merely the end of an intricate network that combines consumer loans, account reconciliation, purchase protection, and security that is available to you, worldwide, on a 24-7 basis.

Survey commissioned by Electronic Payments Coalition and conducted by Morning Consult shows more than 4 in 5 Americans with credit cards have rewards programs, including 75% of households with incomes less than $50,000.

Small businesses claim they have legitimate concerns that their larger counterparts will be the beneficiaries of lower card acceptance costs should the Credit Card Competition Act become law, argues the Small Business Payments Alliance, a trade organization recently formed by the Electronic Payments Coalition.

I’m the co-owner of Happy Howie’s, a manufacturer of dog treats in Detroit that has been in operation for 12 years. I assure you that running a small business is not easy and rather than helping, the Act will hurt small businesses by taking away credit card rewards, something most owners rely on.

A new piece of legislation regarding credit cards has been introduced in the U.S. Senate. The proposed Credit Card Competition Act of 2023 (CCCA) targets credit card interchange income that issuers receive to offset costs and provide benefits in offering credit cards to their customers.

The Credit Card Competition Act will increase costs on small businesses and consumers, reduce investment in payment security, and empower regulators such as the Federal Reserve.

Last month, backers of the Credit Card Competition Act (CCCA) indicated that they anticipate a vote before the end of the year. This seems even more likely following Senator Dick Durbin’s most recent statement, urging that his bill be brought forward for a vote, ultimately to fight against what he calls the Visa-Mastercard “duopoly.”

Changes are coming to airline and credit card rewards programs, but the quest for higher status is still worth it.

Most small businesses begin as an idea and a dream. Through risk-taking, creativity and sweat those dreams become the economic lifeblood of local communities across America. This activity has provided a pathway for millions to achieve prosperity and financial security.

As a proud Arizonan and Latina small business owner, I advocate against any policies that threaten economic empowerment for our communities. I can say wholeheartedly that the Credit Card Competition Act will hurt us more than it will help us.

Supporters of the Credit Card Competition Act say it will lower how much you pay at the store. Critics of the bill say that’s not a guarantee, and that history shows credit card rewards are likely to suffer.

The Credit Card Competition Act of 2023—nicknamed “Durbin 2.0” after its co-sponsor, Sen. Dick Durbin, who enacted debit card regulations following the passage of the Dodd-Frank Act in 2010—would require every credit card transaction to have two networks—one of them not Visa or Mastercard—enabled to route transactions.

One of the lessons my dad taught me early in life was the “law of unintended consequences,” which is that the actions of people — and especially of government — always have effects that are unanticipated or unintended.

Democratic lawmakers like Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin and the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division want to impose new rules for credit-card transactions that would reduce competition, harm consumers and crush small banks.

These days as technology gets more advanced, it seems like consumers are under constant attack from hackers and online scammers. Now more than ever, consumer safety and protection are of the utmost importance, which is why I need to sound the alarm on a bill that could compromise our safety.

If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. That seems to be the prevailing sentiment Wednesday (June 7) when it was announced that the Credit Card Competition Act legislation is being reintroduced on Capitol Hill.

When you think of credit card networks, Visa and Mastercard are probably the first — and maybe the only — brand names that come to mind. The Credit Card Competition Act of 2022 aims to change that.

Last fall, the House Financial Services Committee passed a Financial CHOICE Act that repealed harmful Dodd-Frank Act price controls. That provision would have benefited consumers and small businesses and strengthened small banks and credit unions.