Big news in the world of credit cards! Visa and Mastercard have reached a settlement with merchants over a long-standing lawsuit about those pesky interchange fees (the fees merchants pay when you use your card). The deal aims to lower those fees a bit and gives merchants more flexibility in which cards they accept.

Here's the lowdown: merchants could start choosing to only accept certain types of Visa and Mastercard. Instead of accepting all cards, they can pick and choose between commercial cards, standard consumer cards, and premium consumer cards. Importantly, the "premium" category is broad and likely includes most, if not all, rewards-earning cards. They will also have the ability to charge up to a 3% surcharge for using a card. While interchange fees are set to decrease slightly (0.1%), some merchants aren't happy, saying they can't simply refuse most cards.

So, what does this mean for you, the savvy traveler? While it sounds scary, it's unlikely you'll be stranded unable to use your rewards card. Most merchants will probably still accept "premium" cards, as that's where the bulk of their customers are! The bigger change could be the rise of surcharges for using credit cards, but merchants may avoid this for fear of losing business. Keep an eye out when you're paying, though. The deal still needs a judge's approval, so stay tuned!