Visa–Mastercard Swipe Fee Settlement: How New Rules Could Reshape Credit Card Checkout and Rewards – November 14, 2025
Visa and Mastercard agreed to a revised settlement in a two-decade antitrust case, lowering average credit card swipe fees by 0.1 percentage point for five years and capping standard-card fees at 1.25% for eight years. Merchants will gain new powers to reject high-fee cards and steer customers to cheaper payment methods. Industry groups remain divided over the deal’s impact. Some analysts warn credit card rewards may decline.