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PeanutSalsa t1_ix9bu4h wrote

Do you think credit card fees charged to merchants are too high and do you know if there are any efforts by the government to regulate them lower?

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BuySideWSJ OP t1_ix9f25b wrote

I don't know enough about the issue to say they are "too high" or "too low." Buy Side is really about helping consumers make financial decisions in their own lives. So we would pay close attention to which credit card is good for you, without necessarily focusing on what may or may not happen in Washington.

That said, I have heard arguments that the fees hurt small business and also that they disadvantage lower-income consumers by raising prices across the board for retail staples. I think these are plausible arguments, but I am just not enough of an expert in this area to understand all the alternatives.

As to possible legislation, our colleagues in the WSJ newsroom have written about a recent bill to address these fees. -- Ian Salisbury, Buy Side from WSJ's money editor

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