Mobile app platform provider Rovertown has partnered with the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) and more than 16 convenience retailers to advocate for credit-card interchange fee reform with a customer-engaging campaign that has generated more than 10,000 letters to Congress through mobile apps in weeks. On their mobile apps, customers who tapped to learn more about swipe fees were directed to a NACS Grassroots page that outlined the issue and made it easy to contact lawmakers.
Building on earlier efforts in late 2024 that produced more than 3,000 letters, the expanded campaign underscores how retailers are increasingly using digital tools to engage customers and drive meaningful advocacy on one of the industry’s most pressing issues.
“Swipe fees are a hidden tax on nearly every transaction,” said Anna Ready Blom, strategic advisor at NACS. “They’re the second-highest cost for convenience retailers, yet most consumers don’t realize they’re paying them. This campaign helped turn awareness into action by giving retailers and their customers a way to demand change.”
While inflation and rising prices remain top concerns for many Americans, few realize how much credit card swipe fees contribute to the problem, according to Richmond Heights, Missouri-based Rovertown. Controlled largely by Visa and Mastercard—who together dominate more than 80% of the U.S. market—these fees are set without competition and passed on to retailers, ultimately driving up the cost of everyday purchases, it said. With no market pressure to keep them in check, swipe fees have surged from $26 billion in 2010 to more than $187 billion in 2024, it said.
In the latest phase of the campaign, more than 15 retailers—including Martin & Bayley (Huck’s), Y-Not Shop, GoMart, Weigel’s and Childers Oil (Double Kwik)—partnered with Rovertown to deliver swipe fee reform messaging through their mobile apps. Customers who tapped to learn more were directed to a NACS Grassroots page that outlined the issue and made it easy to contact lawmakers. In a matter of weeks, more than 10,000 letters were sent to Congress.
“Giving our customers a voice has been powerful,” said Murat Tokad, president and CEO at Huck’s. “With just a few taps, they saw how swipe fees impact them and took real action to push for change. This campaign sends a clear message to lawmakers that enough is enough.”
“At Rovertown, we believe in the power of mobile apps to turn attention into action,” said Co-Founder and President Jeffry Harrison, a member of the NACS Political Engagement Committee. “In moments like this, we’re proud to help retailers mobilize their customers and make their voices heard.”
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