Credit card companies near deal over charging stores - and it could have a big impact on how you shop

Source: The Independent

Sunday 09 November 2025 14:14 EST


Visa and Mastercard are negotiating a settlement with merchants that will reduce fees - but could also see vendors refusing certain credit cards, according to a new report. The terms of the deal would lower fees that stores have to pay on credit card transactions but also give them the power to reject certain ones, according to a Wall Street Journal report.

Under the proposed settlement, Visa and Mastercard would lower credit card interchange fees — which are paid by merchants and are typically between 2 and 2.5 percent — to an average of around 0.1 percentage point over several years, the Journal reported.

The most notable change for consumers would be merchants’ ability to reject certain credit cards. The current agreement between merchants and credit card companies is that if they accept Visa or Mastercard, they have to accept them all.

Under the new deal, credit cards would be split into several categories including rewards cards, non-rewards cards, and commercial cards. Some vendors may choose not to accept rewards cards, which charge them a higher transaction fee. The Independent has asked Visa and Mastercard for comment.

Read more: https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/credit-card-companies-stores-shop-b2861774.html