The Benefits of Accepting Credit Cards
Accepting credit cards provides merchants unique benefits that generate significant
net value above and beyond the cost of acceptance.
February 24, 2026
SBPA is fighting to ensure the payments system keeps working for all of us.
Share your Voice
The electronic payments system provides benefits that are an essential part of day-to-day operations for locally owned, independent businesses and their workers.
$100 Billion
Credit card issuers spend an estimated $100 billion on rewards and partner payments, funding the cash back and points programs small businesses need
Customers spend 5x more when using credit cards vs. cash
5X
$80 Billion
In 2021, our electronic payment system stopped $80 billion in fraud attempts
Maintaining a modern, safe, and secure electronic payments ecosystem
SBPA was formed in the wake of proposed changes to the electronic payments system that will jeopardize credit card access and benefits. Tradespeople, entrepreneurs, and locally-owned, independent businesses alike use credit cards to support their workers, manage their cash flow, cover operating costs, and amass rewards points to re-invest in their businesses. Credit cards also ensure that their customers can make safe, secure, and convenient payments. The current competitive, free market credit card ecosystem provides major benefits to both small businesses and American consumers, and we’re making sure it stays that way.
TAKE ACTION
Washington needs to hear from you, not just the big box retailers who stand to benefit the most. Tell Congress how important credit cards and our electronic payments system are to your business operations.
Submit a Video
Send a Letter
Join us
In the News
SBPA SMALL BUSINESS REPORT: CREDIT CARD REWARDS
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.
October 22, 2025
Proposed credit card mandates would harm Maine’s small businesses | Opinion
Running a coffeehouse may look simple from the outside, but anyone who has stood behindthe counter knows how complex it really is. At Coffee By Design, we’re not just making coffee. We’re managing a nonstop flow of customers on their way to work, parents juggling kids, students racing to class and visitors passing through Portland.
October 15, 2025
Council Bluffs business owner says proposed credit card legislation a threat to small businesses
For more than 40 years, Oak Ridge Builders has been serving customers in Iowa. Running a construction company means dealing with big jobs and big numbers. Whether it is ordering materials, paying subcontractors, or making sure payroll is covered on time, money has to move quickly and reliably.
September 26, 2025
Resources
Generating Value: The Benefits of Accepting Credit Cards
Credit cards are very popular among U.S. consumers. By year-end 2024, there were 608 million open general purpose card accounts, a 35% increase since 2018.
Electronic Payments Quarterly Data Dashboard
Consumers prefer using electronic payments when making purchases at small businesses. As consumer preferences continue to shift towards using cards and digital payment apps
over cash, small businesses that accept these payments offer a better customer experience and generate higher sales, allowing them to better compete with larger firms.
Durbin-Marshall: Implications for Small Businesses and Consumers
The Durbin-Marshall credit card bill was introduced last year in Congress as the “Credit Card Competition Act” (CCCA), and the bill’s sponsors are pushing for a vote this fall. The proposed legislation is a direct threat to the electronic payments and rewards system and would have a major negative impact on small business owners who use credit cards and rewards to support their businesses. Despite its name, the legislation would circumvent the competitive market with a new government routing mandate that would dictate processing networks, without regard to security or quality.
SMALL BUSINESS CREDIT CARD REPORT
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 2024, credit cards continue to provide crucial benefits to small businesses.
Imposing Alternative Payment Networks on Credit Cards Will Likely Hurt Low Income Households and Small Merchants
This research note finds the proposed Credit Card Competition Act (CCCA) will likely generate between $13 billion and $15 billion in transfers to merchants from financial institutions and consumers. However, this distributional analysis finds almost all of those savings will accrue to retailers with $500 million in sales or more—none of which constitute small businesses under the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) definition.
Protecting Consumers During Holiday Shopping Season
The Holiday Season is in full swing and as consumer spending rises, so too do fraud attempts. According to a 2022 study by AARP, three out of four U.S. adults age 18-plus have been targeted by or experienced at least one form of fraud. Fortunately, more and more consumers and merchants are using credit cards to protect themselves against financial losses.