Cliff, this is MONTHS old. Keep up the "lazy" attacks, please. (Anywhere but the briar patch!) They're the new "Bush is stupid." And look how far that got you in 2000...
Good thing you point out they *are* being taken to the cleaners. As I noted over at Ars Technica, Microsoft does have a good "in" because of what's called interchange fees -- that's the flat fee plus percentage they charge merchants, and it's a huge cash cow for the card issuing banks -- more than late fees, overdrafts and all those combined.
Click my name to follow the link to the coalition that's been working to get interchange fee schedules brought to light. Visa/MC has kept them secret until now, which is suspect all by itself.