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How a 10% Credit Card Rate Cap Would Touch Every Corner of the Pool Industry
A proposed 10% credit card rate cap would tighten credit and touch virtually all levels of the swimming pool industry.
When President Donald Trump proposed a credit card rate cap of 10 percent, the national debate quickly centered on consumers and Wall Street. Supporters argued it would ease the burden of sky-high APRs, while critics warned of unintended market consequences.
“Please be informed that we will no longer let the American Public be ‘ripped off’ by Credit Card Companies that are charging Interest Rates of 20 to 30%, and even more,” Trump posted on social media Friday. He later told reporters that companies that ignore the proposed cap would be considered to be breaking the law.
A 10% Credit Card Rate Cap: How It Could Impact the Pool Industry If Markets Begin Adapting
For the pool industry, the issue is less about politics and more about how changes to credit flow affect homeowners and contractors alike.
Pools live at the intersection of discretionary spending and credit availability. New builds rely on loans and home-equity products. Repairs, renovations, and service calls are often paid with credit cards. On the contractor side, business credit cards function as working capital. When the rules of consumer credit change, every part of the pool ecosystem feels it.
The Risk of a Credit Freeze
William Stern, Founder of Cardiff, believes the biggest danger of a rate cap is not expensive money — it is disappearing money.
“It’s basic economics: Price controls create shortages. If you cap credit card rates at 10%, banks aren’t going to just smile and take the hit. They’re going to stop issuing cards to anyone who looks even remotely risky. The intention might be to help the working class, but the reality is it’s going to cut off their access to credit entirely. We’re going to see a massive credit freeze where you’re trading ‘expensive’ money for no money.”
Credit cards are not just payment tools. They are the backbone of consumer credit scoring. Banks use revolving credit history to determine who qualifies for personal loans, HELOCs, and contractor-financing programs. When issuers tighten card approvals or cut limits, the ripple effect reaches far beyond the card itself.
For pool buyers, that shows up as:
• Fewer financing approvals
• Smaller loan amounts
• Larger required down payments
• More deals falling apart late in the sales process
To understand why a 10 percent cap would represent such a dramatic shift, it helps to look at how today’s credit-card market actually works. Current rates vary widely depending on risk, but across the board they are far higher than the level being proposed.
How a 10% Credit-Card Cap Compares to Today’s Market
| Type of Credit | Typical Interest Rate | What It Means |
|---|---|---|
| Average U.S. credit-card APR | ~23% | Current market average, more than double the proposed 10% cap |
| Lower-credit-score borrowers | Up to ~36% | Risk-based pricing means higher-risk consumers pay far more |
| Store credit cards | Over 30% | Retail cards often carry the highest APRs in the market |
| Federal credit unions (legal cap) | 18% | Existing law already limits credit-union rates — but far above 10% |
When you put those numbers side by side, it becomes clear just how radical a 10 percent cap would be. It is not a small adjustment — it would require lenders to slash rates by more than half for the average cardholder and by even more for anyone with less-than-perfect credit. That kind of compression doesn’t come without consequences. Instead of simply making credit cheaper, it changes who gets access to it at all — which is where the pool industry begins to feel the impact.
New Builds Feel It Through Financing
Most new pool projects are funded with home-equity loans, personal loans, or third-party financing — not credit cards. But those products rely on the same credit data that credit cards generate.
When revolving credit disappears or shrinks:
• Borrowers’ utilization spikes
• Credit scores drop
• Loan approvals become harder
• Risk pricing increases
That means fewer homeowners qualify for large projects, and those who do may qualify for less. A customer who could once finance a full backyard with a spa, automation, and water features might now only qualify for a basic pool — or nothing at all.
Pool Service, Repairs, and Renovations Take the First Hit
Where credit cards matter most in the pool industry is not construction — it is ownership.
Service contracts, emergency repairs, equipment replacements, automation upgrades, resurfacing jobs, and renovations are routinely paid with credit cards. When a pump dies or a heater fails, homeowners often rely on short-term credit to approve the work immediately.
If access to cards tightens or limits are reduced:
• Repairs get delayed
• Homeowners choose cheaper fixes
• Renovation projects shrink
• Preventive maintenance is postponed
That hits service companies, repair technicians, and remodelers long before it shows up in new-build statistics.
The Contractor Liquidity Problem
The other side of this story is what happens to pool businesses themselves.
“People forget that for Main Street, the business credit card is the working capital loan,” Stern says. “A plumber or a contractor lives on that float to buy materials. If this cap goes through, issuers are going to slash credit limits overnight to protect their downside. A business owner relying on a $20,000 limit might wake up to find it cut to $5,000. It’s going to pull the rug out from under millions of small businesses that rely on that liquidity to keep the doors open.”
Pool companies depend on credit cards to:
• Buy equipment and parts
• Pay subcontractors while waiting on draws
• Cover payroll
• Handle emergency jobs
• Manage seasonal cash-flow swings
When that float disappears, companies do not collapse overnight — they slow down. Fewer jobs run at once. Inventory gets tighter. Growth plans get shelved. That quiet contraction is how credit stress shows up in the trades.
Why Consumers Might Not Actually Save
Supporters of a credit card rate cap assume lower APRs equal cheaper credit. But Stern says that misunderstands how banks operate.
“You can’t legislate the price of risk. If the government caps the interest rate, the banks are just going to move the cost somewhere else. We’ll see the end of cash-back rewards, the end of airline points, and the return of massive annual fees. The consumer isn’t actually saving money; the bank is just changing how they bill for it. It’s a political shell game, not an economic solution.”
For pool customers, those hidden costs matter. Rewards programs, promo rates, and deferred-interest offers reduce the psychological barrier to approving a project. When those disappear, homeowners hesitate — even if the headline interest rate is lower.
Industry Insiders Say It Will Never Happen
Greg Powell, a longtime pool-industry lender and principal at Viking Capital (PoolLoan.net), reacted with incredulity to news of Trump’s 10% credit card rate cap, stating that it is fundamentally unworkable.
“My take is that there is a zero percent chance credit card rates get capped at all, let alone at 10%,” Powell says. “Every credit card issuer would stop extending credit, or 80% of the cards out there would be shut down. You can’t lend 10% money to 550-credit-score borrowers. They’d revoke every card that’s over 10%—which is the majority of them. It would shut down the entire economy. It’s just another distraction.”
Powell compares it to other headline-grabbing financial ideas that generate buzz but never make it through the realities of capital markets.
“It’s like the 50-year mortgage Trump floated a few months ago. Everybody speculates on it, but it’s obviously never happening.”
What Pool Pros Should Watch
Stern warns about what a cap would do. Powell says it won’t ever get that far. But both agree on one thing: the mere threat of price controls changes lender behavior. Whether or not a cap becomes law, builders and service companies should continue to monitor the following in the coming months:
• Financing approval rates
• Credit-limit reductions
• Changes in lender behavior
• Consumer hesitation on upgrades
• Cash-flow pressure inside their own businesses
The Bottom Line
A 10 percent credit card rate cap might sound like consumer relief, but it risks triggering tighter underwriting, shrinking credit access, and creating liquidity stress for small businesses.
For the pool industry — from weekly service routes to six-figure backyard builds — that matters. Credit is not just how people pay. It is how projects begin, how repairs get approved, and how contractors stay afloat.
That’s why this debate deserves close attention from everyone in the industry.
Landmark Aquatic is pleased to announce that three of its aquatic facility projects received 2026 PHTA Awards of Excellence from the Pool & Hot Tub Alliance (PHTA), one of the pool and spa industry’s premier design competitions.
- Doris Roznovak Aquatic Center, Taylor, TX — Merit Award, Commercial Aquatic Facilities
- Danville High School Natatorium Danville, IN — Merit Award, Commercial Aquatic Facilities
- Astra Tower Apartments, Salt Lake City, UT — Silver Award, Elevated Pool and Spa Structures
PHTA is the trade association representing the swimming pool, hot tub, and spa industry. Its annual International Awards of Excellence is one of the industry’s largest and most respected design competitions, recognizing the most creative and innovative pools, spas, hot tubs, and water features built each year. Hundreds of entries are submitted annually by professionals across the U.S. and around the world.
“PHTA is proud to recognize our members for their craftsmanship, inspired design, and dedication to elevating the industry,” said Sabeena Hickman, CAE, President and CEO of PHTA.
“These awards reflect what it takes to design, build, operate, and maintain a truly successful aquatic facility,” said J. Ryan Casserly, Chief Executive Officer of Landmark Aquatic. “That level of commitment shows up in the work of everyone on our team, and we’re proud to keep investing in serving our customers and the communities who enjoy these facilities.”
About Landmark
Landmark Aquatic is a nationwide provider of commercial aquatic facility design, construction, and maintenance services, with more than six decades of industry experience. Landmark supports clients across most of the U.S. through construction-led solutions and its AquatiCare maintenance program — delivering excellence “for the life of your pool” and building long-term partnerships through exceptional service and forward-thinking solutions. Learn more at www.landmarkaquatic.com
NORRISTOWN, Pennsylvania – Women in the Industry (WITI), an initiative of the Northeast Spa & Pool Association (NESPA), is proud to host its 3rd Annual WITI Walk on Sunday, October 11, 2026, beginning at 10:00 a.m. at scenic Norristown Farm Park in Norristown, Pennsylvania.
Participants may also join virtually from anywhere in the country, allowing supporters nationwide to walk, run, or donate in support of a shared mission: ensuring every child has the opportunity to learn the life-saving skill of swimming.
The walk benefits Every Child a Swimmer (ECAS), a national nonprofit dedicated to preventing childhood drowning by providing swim lesson scholarships to children from low-income families, promoting water safety education, and advancing legislation that expands access to drowning prevention resources. Drowning remains the leading cause of death for children ages one to four, making access to swimming lessons and water safety education more important than ever.
The partnership between NESPA, WITI, and Every Child a Swimmer reflects the pool industry’s unwavering commitment to safety. While WITI exists to empower, mentor, and elevate women throughout the industry, its members also recognize the important role they play in protecting families and promoting the safe enjoyment of water. Together, these organizations help educate communities, expand access to swim lessons, and work toward a future where every child has the opportunity to learn to swim.
“We are incredibly proud to partner with Every Child a Swimmer,” said WITI leadership. “As women in the pool industry, we understand that our work extends beyond building and maintaining pools, it includes educating communities, promoting water safety, and helping save lives. Together, we can make a meaningful difference.”
Leading Every Child a Swimmer is Executive Director Casey McGovern, whose commitment to drowning prevention is deeply personal.
After losing her 19-month-old daughter, Edna Mae (“Em”), to drowning in 2009, McGovern dedicated her life to ensuring other families never experience the same tragedy. Today, her leadership has helped grow Every Child a Swimmer into a national network of more than 430 participating swim school locations across 46 states, providing nearly $1 million annually in swim lesson scholarships for children in need.
“Our mission is simple,” said McGovern. “Every child deserves the opportunity to learn this life-saving skill, regardless of their family’s financial circumstances. Through partnerships like WITI, we’re expanding access to swim lessons, measuring outcomes, and helping ensure more children gain the skills they need to stay safe around water.”
Participants of all ages and abilities are encouraged to register, walk, run, sponsor the event, or donate. Those unable to attend in Pennsylvania can participate virtually from anywhere in the country by walking in their own communities while supporting the cause online.
Register Today
https://nespa.users.membersuite.com/events/683a8c52-0078-ce39-202f-0b49bfa98b74/details
Event Information:
2026 WITI Walk
Sunday, October 11, 2026
10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Norristown Farm Park
2500 Upper Farm Road
Norristown, PA 19403
Virtual participation is available nationwide.
Every registration, sponsorship, and donation helps provide life-saving swim lessons to children who otherwise could not afford them. Thanks to generous matching support, every dollar donated will be quadrupled, significantly increasing the impact for children and families.
About Women in the Industry (WITI)
Women in the Industry (WITI), an initiative of the Northeast Spa & Pool Association (NESPA), is dedicated to empowering, connecting, mentoring, and supporting women throughout the pool, spa, and outdoor living industry. Through education, networking, philanthropy, and leadership opportunities, WITI fosters professional growth while giving back to communities through charitable initiatives such as the annual WITI Walk.
About the Northeast Spa & Pool Association (NESPA)
The Northeast Spa & Pool Association (NESPA) is a regional trade association serving the pool, spa, and outdoor living industry throughout the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic. For more than 65 years, NESPA has supported its members through education, advocacy, professional development, networking, and consumer outreach while promoting the highest standards of safety, professionalism, and industry excellence.
About Every Child a Swimmer
Every Child a Swimmer is a national nonprofit dedicated to reducing childhood drowning by providing swim lesson scholarships to children from low-income families, promoting water safety education, and advocating for legislation that expands access to drowning prevention initiatives. The organization believes every child deserves the opportunity to learn the life-saving skill of swimming.
Media Contact
Phone: 609.689.9111
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.nespapool.org
Drone delivery may be the future of getting everyday purchases to your doorstep, but apparently Amazon still has a few kinks to work out — particularly when swimming pools are involved.
A video making the rounds on social media this week shows what should have been a routine Amazon drone delivery going very wrong. Instead of safely depositing the customer’s order on dry ground, the package winds up in the backyard swimming pool.
The incident is funny enough when viewed through the lens of an unexpected pool delivery. But it also highlights a very real challenge Amazon faces as it prepares to dramatically expand its Prime Air drone delivery program across the United States.
And remarkably, this isn’t the first time an Amazon drone has put a customer’s package in the pool.
Amazon Has Already Made This Mistake Before
In July 2025, Arizona resident Daniel Muniz decided to try Prime Air after seeing drone delivery available for his order in Avondale.
The delivery was captured on video.
Amazon’s drone successfully reached the property and released the shoebox-sized package over the designated area. There was just one problem: the downward force generated by the drone’s propellers pushed the package several feet across the yard and directly into Muniz’s swimming pool.
Fortunately, the contents weren’t particularly vulnerable to water. Muniz had ordered vitamins.
The incident was especially notable because Amazon’s delivery system is designed to identify suitable drop locations around a customer’s property. Amazon explains that its mapping technology identifies “delivery zones” free of obstacles and establishes appropriate delivery points within those areas.
The company even specifically acknowledges swimming pools as something the technology needs to recognize.
According to Amazon, a swimming pool can appear to be a flat surface in satellite imagery despite obviously being an unsuitable location for a package delivery. Once the drone reaches the designated location, the aircraft descends to approximately 13 feet above the ground, checks that the area is clear and releases the package.
In the Avondale incident, the package wasn’t intentionally dropped into the water. It initially landed on dry ground before the drone’s prop wash sent it into the pool.
Amazon apologized to the customer at the time, characterizing incidents like it as rare.
A year later, however, another swimming pool has clearly managed to intercept an Amazon delivery.
Pools Aren’t the Only Problem
Swimming pools haven’t been the only unexpected destinations for Amazon’s drones.
In another widely reported incident, an Amazon delivery drone came down in a residential garden after experiencing problems during operation. Other incidents have been considerably more serious than a wet package.
In February 2026, an Amazon Prime Air drone struck the exterior of an apartment complex in Richardson, Texas, before the damaged aircraft fell to the ground.
Amazon’s drone program has also faced scrutiny following collisions involving infrastructure. These episodes underscore the complexity of operating autonomous aircraft at scale in residential environments where drones must contend with buildings, trees, utility infrastructure, changing weather conditions and other obstacles.
Amazon says its latest MK30 drones use a sophisticated perception and “Detect-and-Avoid” system designed to identify obstacles and make navigation decisions autonomously.
That technology is going to become increasingly important because Amazon isn’t backing away from drone delivery.
It’s doing the opposite.
Amazon Plans a Massive Drone Delivery Expansion
Amazon announced this week that it intends to expand Prime Air to nearly 500 U.S. cities and towns by the end of 2026, a dramatic increase from the 11 locations where the service currently operates. New markets are expected to include areas around Chicago, Atlanta, Cleveland, Syracuse and Boise.
The company says each Prime Air location can serve communities within roughly a 7.5-mile radius. Its MK30 drones can transport eligible packages weighing up to five pounds, with Amazon targeting delivery times of roughly an hour or less.
Amazon has already completed hundreds of thousands of drone deliveries this year, according to Prime Air Vice President David Carbon.
The long-term ambitions are considerably larger.
Amazon CEO Andy Jassy has said the company believes drone delivery could eventually reach 30 million customers and handle as many as half a billion packages annually by 2030.
The appeal isn’t difficult to understand.
For small, lightweight purchases, a drone potentially eliminates much of the traditional last-mile delivery process. Instead of waiting for a delivery van to work its way through dozens or hundreds of stops, an individual aircraft can carry an order directly from a nearby fulfillment facility to a customer’s home.
Need sunscreen before heading outside? Batteries for a poolside speaker? A replacement part or bottle of test strips?
Amazon envisions those types of purchases arriving from the sky in less time than it might take someone to drive to a store and back.
The company says more than 60,000 products are already eligible for drone delivery in supported markets, ranging from household necessities to electronics.
That’s a compelling vision of where residential delivery could be headed.
The technology just needs to become consistently boring.
Right now, the occasional drone crash, unexpected landing or package taking a swim makes for an entertaining viral video. As Amazon expands Prime Air from a relatively limited program into hundreds of communities, however, the margin for these mistakes becomes increasingly important.
Delivering a bottle of vitamins into someone’s swimming pool is inconvenient and a little funny.
Doing the same thing with a smartphone probably isn’t.
Judging by the occasional package ending up at the bottom of a swimming pool, there are still a few bugs left to work out first.
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