Waukesha Times

Marli Collier, managing director at Airlines for America (A4A), said the proposed Durbin-Marshall Credit Card Competition Act would negatively impact Wisconsin's travel industry and economic health.

“Airline credit card rewards play an invaluable role in helping to grow Wisconsin's travel and tourism industry," Collier told The Sconi. "Consumers love their rewards cards because they get great value with them, but the Durbin-Marshall Credit Card Competition Act would threaten credit card rewards programs, undermine jobs and negatively impact economic growth across Wisconsin. Lawmakers in Congress must consider the negative impact that this legislation will have on the consumers and communities across the country that benefit from airline credit cards.”

More than 85,000 travelers used credit card reward points to visit Wisconsin in 2022, according to a report released by airline trade group Airlines for America (A4A).

85,045 visitors used credit card reward points to visit the state in 2022, which supported 1,233 Wisconsin jobs and had a total economic impact of $126.8 million, according to the report. 

These numbers were compiled via a survey of A4A’s member companies. The group said almost one in four U.S. households has an airline credit card, and 63% of total frequent flier points earned in 2022 by consumers were generated by their use of an airline credit card.

Nationally, airline credit card rewards were used for 15 million domestic visitor trips that had an impact of more than $23 billion in 2022, according to the A4A report. 

S. 1838, the "Credit Card Competition Act of 2023," originally sponsored by U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) would require banks to offer merchants at least two network options, one of which cannot be Visa or Mastercard, for processing credit card transactions. 

The bill applies to credit cards what a similar measure in 2010, often referred to as the “Durbin Amendment,” applied to debit cards. The 2010 measure was a requirement of the “Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.” 

Based in Washington, D.C., A4A is a trade association representing major U.S. airlines. It was founded in 1936 as the Air Transport Association of America (ATA) and rebranded as A4A in 2011.