[Insider: Visa and Mastercard to End 20-Year Fee Dispute with U.S. Merchants] According to Foresight News, citing insiders via *The Wall Street Journal*, Visa and Mastercard are set to reach a settlement with U.S. merchants, ending a legal dispute that has lasted for two decades. The settlement aims to reduce credit card payment fees charged to merchants and grant them greater autonomy in choosing which credit cards to accept. The proposed agreement indicates that Visa and Mastercard will reduce fees by an average of 0.1% over several years and allow merchants to independently decide which credit cards to accept. Previously, both companies required merchants to accept all credit cards within their networks if they accepted any card from the network. The legal dispute began in 2005 when U.S. merchants accused Visa, Mastercard, and major banks of monopolistic practices regarding fees and credit card acceptance rules. In March 2024, the two sides reached a settlement agreement proposing a 0.07% fee reduction over five years and granting merchants greater flexibility, including the ability to impose surcharges on credit card payments. However, the agreement was rejected by the presiding judge.