Senators Marshall and Durbin introduced the Credit Card Competition Act last Congress. The legislation was cosponsored by then-Senator Vance, and Senators Hawley, Welch, and Reed.
The Credit Card Competition Act — first proposed in Congress in 2022, and most recently reintroduced in January 2026 — is pitting retailers against banks.
To amend the Electronic Fund Transfer Act to require the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve system to prescribe regulations relating to network competition in credit card transactions, and for other purposes.
WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman Lance Gooden (TX-05) reintroduced the bipartisan, bicameral Credit Card Competition Act (CCCA), legislation to end Wall Street’s exploitation of American consumers and small businesses through excessive credit card swipe fees.
Merchants may save from increased competition among card networks, but critics say the Credit Card Competition Act could harm consumers and the economy. The Credit Card Competition Act (CCCA) may be back in front of Congress soon, according to the office of Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL).
The reintroduction of the Credit Card Competition Act in January 2026 has major implications for the U.S. payments infrastructure, with the potential to fundamentally alter the competitive dynamics of the credit card industry.
Credit Card Competition Act of 2023. This bill addresses network access and competition in electronic credit transactions.
Summary of H.R. 3881 (118th): Credit Card Competition Act of 2023 ...
What is the Credit Card Competition Act? The Act requires large credit card issuers—those with over $100 billion in assets—to allow merchants to choose which network to process credit cards. The catch: the two largest processing networks, Visa and Mastercard, can only be one of the network options. The networks selected can’t be affiliated.