Which Category Is My Card In?

Pick your card’s network, type, and tier. You’ll find the tier printed on the card, in the title of your Guide to Benefits, or by asking your issuer. The result uses the settlement’s own category names: Standard, Premium, Commercial, or Not in this deal.

What’s Happening Right Now

On June 9, 2026, U.S. District Judge Brian Cogan of the Eastern District of New York granted preliminary approval to a revised settlement between Visa, Mastercard, and a class of U.S. merchants. The underlying lawsuit dates to 2005, and this version of the agreement was signed on November 10, 2025.

Preliminary approval is a middle step, not the finish line. The court-authorized settlement website says the court has not yet given final approval, lists September 14, 2026 as the deadline to object, and lists the fairness hearing for November 16, 2026 at 11:00 a.m. The site also warns that the hearing date and time can change without further notice.

You may have seen a “$38 billion” figure. That’s an estimate from economists hired by the merchant plaintiffs, who said the changes could save merchants $38 billion by 2031. It is not a fund, and it isn’t paid to anyone. The settlement website states plainly that there is no monetary payment to class members, and the class is made up of merchants, not cardholders.

What the “Honor All Cards” Rule Was — and What Would Change

For decades, Visa and Mastercard have required merchants that accept their credit cards to accept all of them, whatever the bank that issued the card or the product tier. A store couldn’t take a basic card and turn away a high-end travel card, even though the high-end card usually costs the store more to process. (Stores have been able to accept credit but not debit, or the reverse, since an earlier settlement; the new agreement keeps that.)

If the settlement is approved, the agreement requires Visa (¶22) and Mastercard (¶71) to change their rules within 90 days so a U.S. merchant can accept or decline each of these groups, in any combination:

• all debit cards,
• all commercial (business) credit cards,
• all standard consumer credit cards, and
• all premium consumer credit cards.

A merchant could also make a different choice for Visa than for Mastercard.

A few other details matter at checkout. A merchant that stops taking a category has to give its payment processor at least 30 days’ notice and post a clear notice for customers at the point of sale. That notice can’t suggest the network made the decision (¶25). Merchants could also run limited trials, for example declining premium cards at up to 20% of a chain’s stores for up to 180 days, so two locations of the same chain could briefly differ. And merchants could accept some digital wallets but not others (¶¶32, 34).

One asymmetry is easy to miss: the agreement allows discounts that vary by the bank that issued your card (¶19), but it lets the networks keep banning surcharges that vary by issuing bank (¶43).

The Key Detail: Rewards Cards Aren’t All “Premium” Cards

Many headlines use “rewards card” and “premium card” as if they meant the same thing. In the settlement, they don’t. The agreement defines each category by the card’s product type — the tier the issuer sets up with Visa or Mastercard — not by whether the card earns points or charges an annual fee.

Here is what the agreement’s definitions say (¶1(z) and ¶1(nn)):

• Premium consumer credit: Visa Signature, Visa Signature Preferred, and Visa Infinite; Mastercard World, World High Value, World Legend, and World Elite — plus any similar card issued during the settlement’s term.
• Standard consumer credit: Visa Traditional and Traditional Rewards; Mastercard Core and Enhanced Value — plus any similar card issued during the term.

Neither definition mentions annual fees. Issuers can put a no-fee card at the Visa Signature or World Mastercard tier, and some issue the same card name at different tiers depending on the account. So two people carrying what looks like the same card could fall in different categories. Check your own card rather than relying on its name.

If the settlement is approved, the agreement also requires newly issued premium cards to say so. Issuers would have to print “Signature” or “Infinite” on premium Visa cards and “World,” “World Elite,” or “World Legend” on premium Mastercard cards, for cards issued 90 or more days after approval (¶¶26, 75). Merchants would also get a free electronic way to see a card’s category before the transaction is authorized (¶¶28, 77). Cards already in your wallet may not carry the new marking, which is another reason to check now.

Which Visa Cards Count as Premium?

We aren’t listing specific branded cards here. The same card name can be issued at more than one tier, so a list of “safe” or “premium” cards would be wrong for some readers. To confirm yours, look for the tier word on the front or back of the card, check the title of your Guide to Benefits (it’s often named for the tier), or call the number on the card and ask which Visa product type your account is.

Which Mastercard Cards Count as Premium?

The surprise for many Mastercard holders: plain World Mastercard is in the premium group, not just World Elite. If “World” appears in the product name of a personal card, it’s worth confirming the tier with your issuer. (Business versions, such as World Mastercard for Business, are in the separate commercial category.)

Refuse the Card or Charge You More?

Credit card surcharges aren’t new. Visa and Mastercard have allowed them, with limits, since an earlier settlement took effect in January 2013, where state law permits. What the new deal adds is the right to decline whole categories and more room to surcharge: for example, a merchant could surcharge Visa or Mastercard without having to treat American Express or Discover the same way.

If the settlement is approved, a merchant would have several options, and declining your card is only one of them. It can also choose to change nothing.

For each network, a merchant has to pick one approach — brand level or product level — not both (¶39). If it surcharges, it has to post which cards carry a fee, how much, and that the store (not the network) is imposing it, and the dollar amount has to appear on your receipt (¶42).

State law still controls. The agreement says nothing in it overrides state surcharging laws (¶64), and some states restrict or cap credit card surcharges. We cover those limits in Is a Credit Card Surcharge Legal? 2026 State Rules.

When Would It Actually Start?

Only the first four steps below have dates. Everything after the hearing depends on whether and when the court approves.

1. November 10, 2025: Visa, Mastercard, and merchant class counsel sign the revised agreement.
2. June 9, 2026: Preliminary approval.
3. September 14, 2026: Deadline for merchants to object.
4. November 16, 2026 (scheduled): Fairness hearing. The settlement website says it doesn’t know how long the court will take to decide after the hearing.
5. If approved — within 60 days: Visa and Mastercard must publish notices describing the rule changes (¶¶17, 66).
6. If approved — within 90 days: The Honor All Cards, surcharge, and card-marking rule changes take effect at the network level. The clock runs from the “Settlement Approval Date,” which the agreement ties to the district court’s final judgment.
7. If approved — no earlier than four months: The interchange rate reductions start, timed to the networks’ regular rate-update cycle (¶48).
8. After that — no fixed date: Individual stores decide whether to change anything. These are permissions, not requirements, and a store would need to give its processor 30 days’ notice before declining a category or adding a surcharge.

Appeals could stretch this out. The National Association of Convenience Stores has said it would appeal if final approval is granted, and American Banker reported that appeals could push final implementation of the settlement’s terms to 2029. Any rollout estimate you see from the industry is an estimate, not a deadline.

What About Debit Cards (and Amex/Discover)?

Separate rules Debit and prepaid. The agreement counts prepaid and gift cards as debit cards. Merchants have been able to decline Visa or Mastercard debit separately from credit for years, and the settlement keeps that. The settlement’s new surcharge permissions cover credit cards only. Visa and Mastercard rules don’t allow surcharges on debit or prepaid cards, and some states have their own rules. Merchants can still offer a discount for paying with debit.

Not in this deal American Express and Discover. Neither is a party to this settlement, so it doesn’t change how merchants accept those cards; each network’s own merchant rules and state law apply. The agreement does let a merchant surcharge Visa or Mastercard credit cards whether or not it surcharges Amex or Discover (¶43).

What the Settlement Does NOT Mean

• It isn’t in effect. Nothing changes unless the court grants final approval, and then the network rules have up to 90 days.
• It doesn’t cover every rewards card. Standard-tier rewards cards, including Visa Traditional Rewards, sit in the standard category.
• It doesn’t require any store to do anything. Declining and surcharging are options. Consumer coverage has noted that major retailers have said these cards are too popular with customers to reject.
• It doesn’t let a store single you out. Only whole categories, and never by issuing bank.
• It doesn’t cancel your rewards or change your annual fee. The settlement sets rules between the networks and merchants. It doesn’t rewrite your cardholder agreement; your issuer sets rewards and fees, as it always has. Some coverage has speculated about possible industry effects — U.S. News, for example, raised the possibility of a ripple effect if major merchants stop accepting rewards cards — but that’s analysis, not a term of the deal.
• It doesn’t pay cardholders. There’s no claim to file and no payout to you from this settlement.
• It doesn’t change Amex or Discover.

Should You Change Your Card Now?

There’s nothing to react to yet, and closing a card can raise your credit utilization and, over time, lower the average age of your accounts. A few low-effort steps make more sense than switching.

First, know your card’s tier (the checker above will point you there). Second, keep a backup way to pay that sits in a different category — a debit card, or a credit card on a different tier or network — so a declined category wouldn’t leave you stuck. That’s the same logic behind keeping a flexible wallet in The 2026 Credit Card Strategy, and it applies whichever cards you’re weighing in Best Travel and Rewards Credit Cards.

If you’re reconsidering a card anyway, weigh its fee against what you actually use; Are Credit Card Annual Fees Worth It? walks through that math. Premium-tier cards often carry benefits people forget about, like purchase and travel protections, and those belong in the calculation too — see The Hidden Credit Card Benefits Nobody Uses.

Why Walmart and Retail Groups Oppose It

Supporters and objectors describe the same deal very differently.

The objectors. The Retail Industry Leaders Association, which filed jointly with the National Retail Federation, argues the settlement would do little to reduce most merchants’ card costs and would limit their ability to challenge network practices for years. The National Association of Convenience Stores has said the 10-basis-point cut applies only to interchange and wouldn’t stop network fees from rising, according to CU Today. Objectors have also argued that merchants would still pay too much to accept rewards cards and would still have to honor all issuers within a network. Walmart has asked the court to reject the deal or, failing that, to decertify the merchant class or let objectors opt out.

How many objected. Counts vary by source. RILA says more than 1,000 other objectors filed by the September 14 deadline. Some payments-industry summaries put the coalition filing at roughly 900 to 978 merchants and trade groups. Each figure comes from a different count, so treat them as a range.

The supporters. Visa has said the settlement gives merchants meaningful relief and more flexibility. In granting preliminary approval, Judge Cogan wrote that the agreement provides more extensive relief than the version the court rejected in June 2024, and that objectors hadn’t shown they could get more through trial. Class counsel and two trade groups that represent the networks also back the deal.

After any final ruling, appeals are possible. NACS has said it would take the case to the Second Circuit if final approval is granted.

What Happens at the November 16 Hearing

The fairness hearing is where the court decides whether the settlement is “fair, reasonable, and adequate” and should receive final approval. According to the settlement website, the court will consider the objections, hear from class members who filed a timely notice to appear, and rule on class counsel’s request for attorneys’ fees and expenses (up to $206 million, paid by Visa and Mastercard separately from the other settlement terms).

The court could approve the settlement, reject it, or take time before ruling, and the website says there’s no set timeline for a decision. We won’t predict the outcome. The hearing date itself can move without further notice, so check the official settlement site for updates.

Sources

• Official court-authorized settlement website and FAQ (checked September 28, 2026)
• Superseding and Amended Rule 23(b)(2) Class Settlement Agreement, November 10, 2025
• Payments Dive: Court approves Visa-Mastercard settlement, June 9, 2026
• RILA statement on preliminary approval, June 10, 2026
• U.S. News / Reuters: judge approves revised settlement, June 9, 2026
• American Banker: judge approves card network fee settlement, June 2026