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Credit-Card Backlash Mounts as Kroger Weighs Expanding Visa Ban

Visa Inc. debit and credit cards are arranged for a photograph in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Friday, Oct. 20, 2017.
Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg

Kroger Co. is considering expanding a ban on Visa Inc. credit cards imposed by one of its subsidiaries, in the latest signal that retailers are preparing a fresh battle over the $90 billion they pay in swipe fees every year.

Shares of payment companies including Visa, American Express Co. and Mastercard Inc. dropped on Monday. Merchants have long looked for ways to cut such charges, including by lobbying lawmakers for lower rates and through technology upgrades that avoid traditional card payments entirely.