DENVER, Colo, – This week, members of OHI leadership along with 14 campground members from across the country joined forces with the Merchant Payments Coalition in DC to advocate on Capitol Hill for the Credit Card Competition Act, legislation that will provide competition in the credit card swipe fees marketplace and ultimately save small businesses like RV parks and campgrounds thousands of dollars each year.
The OHI team met with more than 65 members of the US Senate and House of Representatives on the issue, which is likely to be a focal point of debate in 2025 for the 119th Congress.
Visa and Mastercard’s market dominance and network structure have allowed them to impose some of the highest fees on U.S. merchants globally, totaling over $100 billion in credit card fees in 2023—most of which directly impact small, family-owned businesses like OHI members. These fees consist of interchange fees, which small businesses pay to issuing banks, and network fees, paid directly to Visa and Mastercard.
Ultimately, these costs are passed on to consumers through higher prices for goods and services and currently small business owners are powerless to negotiate these fees. It’s OHI’s goal to change that, which is why advocating for the Credit Card Competition Act and sharing the campground owners and operators stories is so important.
“It was really exciting to be here along with my fellow campground owners and operators advocating with the OHI team for something that really matters to small businesses across the country like my small, family-owned campground,” says Ashley Cary, whose family owns Hidden Acres Family Campground in Preston, Connecticut. “It felt like we were really making a difference for our own businesses and for the industry.”
During a hearing of the Senate Judiciary committee on November 19, Chairman Dick Durbin (D-IL) warned the credit card industry that “…help is on the way (for small business owners). In July of 2022, I joined my colleague Senator Roger Marshall to introduce the bipartisan Credit Card Competition Act. The Credit Card Competition Act would break the Visa-Mastercard stranglehold on the market by requiring only the largest banks—those with more than $100 billion in assets—to enable two networks on their cards, and one must be a company other than Visa or Mastercard. In this way, small businesses would finally have a real choice.”
In the new year, the Senate will re-convene to consider the Credit Card Competition Act. OHI’s timely advocacy during the lame duck period will play an important role in shaping their perspective of both credit card swipe fees, and the outdoor hospitality industry broadly.”
In advocating for the Credit Card Competition Act, our goal is to support legislation that promotes fairness and helps our industry thrive,” says OHI President and CEO Paul Bambei. “As the national voice of the Outdoor Hospitality Industry, we’re committed to representing our members’ interests and ensuring their concerns are heard in Washington. We’re proud to stand with our members and give them a powerful voice on Capitol Hill.”
The OHI team will continue to advocate on this and other issues, with multiple DC fly-in trips already planned. If you would like to join the OHI team on a future DC fly-in, please let OHI know at OHI.org/Advocacy.
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