New credit card rules could mean a tough time getting a new Visa or MasterCard.

The tighter credit card rules imposed by Congress — mixed with a nation swimming in debt — mean credit card companies and banks will become more picky in selecting their card holders, says Valley credit counselor Dean Wegner.

“Right now, they’re looking for quality vs. quantity, going into 2010,” Wegner said.

People getting cards should not expect as many perks as in the past, he said.

“You’re probably going to see more annual fees, a reduction in points and miles and cash rebates, things like that, a lot of the incentives.”

Those unsolicited credit card applications in the mail might disappear as well.

Credit limits will be reduced — even for those with great credit scores, Wegner said.

“Usually, a great indicator of that is high FICO scores. But, a change from this time last year — a 760 FICO score, typically a new credit limit would be $8,000. Now, that’s reduced to $4,500, on average.”

“Credit card debt is a virus in our culture right now,” he said. “We are the most in debt country of any country in the world with credit card debt.”

Wegner said tougher credit rules should be a wake-up call for people to start using their ATM cards.

“Right now, we’re carrying huge amounts of credit card debt. I think our country needs to get out of it. The abuse of practices, the nuisance fees, all that really needs to go away, and we need to operate more like Europe where everyone operates on debit cards.”