MasterCard showed an increase in lobbying charges as the rest of the credit card giants, (Visa, American Express, and Discover) reported a decline for the third quarter of 2010. 

Visa lobbied the Federal Reserve, Federal Trade Commission, and Congress for various issues regarding interchange fees, credit card regulations, and the creation of the consumer protection agency. 

American Express involved the Treasury and Energy departments, the Postal Service, the Internal Revenue Service, the Treasury and Energy departments and Congress on credit card reform law, which included gift card issues and card practices for small business.  Lobbying issues for American Express included online data collection, card interest rate caps, tax laws, online behavioral advertising and mail delivery.  

During the same period, MasterCard contracted the federal government in regards to consumer financial products regulations, online payments, internet-based card purchases, interchange fees, internet gambling and data security.  Generally, MasterCard lobbied the Federal Reserve, Congress and the Treasury Department.

Discover involved the Senate and the House of Representatives on issues related to regulation of fees charged to merchants for processing transactions, financial regulatory overhaul and credit card lending.

The Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility and Disclosure (CARD) Act of 2009 laid down various regulations that would limit the fees charged to customers by the credit card industry.

The Dodd-Frank Act, which was signed in July 2010, further capped interchange fees that card issuers charge merchants for accepting their cards as payment.