What We Do | Merchant Advisory Group

Driving positive change and innovation in the payments industry

COLLABORATION

Engages with other prominent merchant trade associations in order to enhance and leverage the merchants’ voice in payments issues.
Attends most of the largest payments industry and network-hosted events and often is the sole representative of the merchant voice.
Participates in a variety of meetings sponsored by regional Federal Reserve Banks, and is a member of the Fed's Mobile Payments Industry Workgroup.

ADVOCACY

Vigorously pursues merchant objectives regarding payments issues of importance, including improving the customer payment experience, lowering the high cost of payment acceptance, reducing payment fraud, ensuring a fair and competitive payments landscape for in-person and digital payments, educating stakeholders on the need for open standards and pressing for meaningful representation in decision-making payments forums.

Seeks out opportunities to represent its members at payments industry events and in the trade press and actively collaborates with other merchant trade associations, acting as a resource for subject matter expertise on payments matters.

Promotes a fair and equitable payments system that best serves the needs of U.S. consumers and to ensure merchant choice in payments services is not infringed upon by any stakeholder in the payments chain to Congress and federal agencies.

EDUCATION

Provides educational sessions at our Annual and Mid-Year Conferences.
Produces educational materials to help payments professionals at differing levels of expertise including Merchant Readiness Guides, Best Practices, and Quick Reference Guides.
Supplies the MAG Learning Center (MLC) with webinar recordings, conference session presentations, session recordings, industry publications, member surveys, best practices, and additional tools to help you educate new employees and manage your department.

Testimonials

Through our affiliation with MAG, we continue to establish, grow and solidify successful and mutually beneficial business relationships with key retail and payment industry individuals and organizations. In addition, our participation in MAG-sponsored events has positively impacted our growth and success in the payments space through the exchange of important industry information and ideas.

Accel, Elite Brand Sponsor Accel, MAG Elite Brand Sponsor

MAG Engagement

Engages with other prominent merchant trade associations in order to enhance and leverage the merchants’ voice in payments issues.
Attends most of the largest payments industry and network-hosted events and often is the sole representative of the merchant voice.
Participates in a variety of meetings sponsored by regional Federal Reserve Banks, and is a member of the Fed's Mobile Payments Industry Workgroup.

MAG membership is made up of merchants only!

MAG Members represent all key merchant verticals, including big box retail, warehouse retail, petroleum, grocery, small ticket/kiosk, airlines, hotels, and eCommerce. Typical MAG Members are:

Individuals who want to help drive positive change in the payments industry.
Payments operations or payments technology subject matter experts willing to share knowledge.
New payments professionals looking to gain a foundational knowledge of payments and the ecosystem.

MEMBERSHIP VALUE

NETWORK

MAG brings together merchants from all different verticals to collaborate and share knowledge on hot topics in the payments industry. Meet your merchant counterparts and service providers to move your business forward and solve real-world problems you’re facing in payments acceptance.

DEEP DIVE

Learn about current industry topics that your business peers across the retail community are grappling with in their companies. Discuss strategies and business practices in today’s rapidly changing payments environment.

LEARN

Industry experts will provide the latest insights and innovative uses of new payments technologies through panel and keynote sessions, as well as offer networking opportunities with exhibitors at this in-person event.

The Merchant Advisory Group (MAG) plays a vital role in helping merchants and the industry shape innovative approaches to payments. Providing unparalleled collaboration and networking opportunities for merchants and sponsors, the MAG collaborates with industry stakeholders and advocates for merchants’ interests. The MAG represents over 150 U.S. merchants which account for over $4.8 Trillion in annual sales at over 580,000 locations across the U.S. and online. Roughly $3.5 Trillion of those sales and over 100 billion card payments are electronic which represents approximately 62%* of total U.S. card volume. MAG members employ over 14 million associates.

*Source of Total U.S. card volumes: Federal Reserve Payments Study 2019