Future Impact of Credit Card Interchange Regulation on Rewards?
#16


Join Date: May 2012
Posts: 630
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...t?srnd=premium
Sanders and AOC propose 15% cap on credit card interest
Sanders and AOC propose 15% cap on credit card interest
If they were to remove the rewards from the credit cards, I'd probably go back to cash and checks. I am not using a service that provides no benefit to me. Since I pay my balances of every two weeks or so (I hate debt), it doesn't matter to me.
Last edited by EmailKid; May 15, 2019 at 2:05 pm Reason: Masked profanity is not allowed on FT
#17
FlyerTalk Evangelist


Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: San Diego, CA
Programs: GE, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 15,742
Of course, this all assumes that interchange is actually capped on credit cards. I highly doubt that'll happen any time soon (if ever), but I can see merchants gaining the right to reject higher-tier cards while keeping the ability to accept debit and lower-tier credit cards. Who knows how that would affect things.
#18


Join Date: May 2012
Posts: 630
I think there'd still be a use for credit cards in that scenario given that the US payments infrastructure still isn't as good as it could be (especially around security). I probably would just stick to one credit card from one issuer though.
Of course, this all assumes that interchange is actually capped on credit cards. I highly doubt that'll happen any time soon (if ever), but I can see merchants gaining the right to reject higher-tier cards while keeping the ability to accept debit and lower-tier credit cards. Who knows how that would affect things.
Of course, this all assumes that interchange is actually capped on credit cards. I highly doubt that'll happen any time soon (if ever), but I can see merchants gaining the right to reject higher-tier cards while keeping the ability to accept debit and lower-tier credit cards. Who knows how that would affect things.
#19
FlyerTalk Evangelist


Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: San Diego, CA
Programs: GE, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 15,742
I just think they'd restrict it to only excellent credit risks and prob. cap the credit rates. This is what they used to do in the 80's and 90's when it was pretty hard to get a credit card from American Express or unsecured. Having a credit card back then seemed like a privilege, now the gov't wants to make it a right. Go figure. Anytime the gov't gets involved in anything, they make it more complicated and it hurts more people than help. One could say they will actually hurt the economy as people would then not have the ability to spend more to buy necessities. I never thought a credit or charge card was a right, but I guess Comrade Sanders and Comrade Cortez see it differently.
#20


Join Date: May 2012
Posts: 630
#21




Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: SFO
Programs: AS Titanium (OW), HA Platinum, SK Silver (ST), UA (*A), UR, MR, IHG Platinum Elite
Posts: 4,829
Endless is okay with me. I would like the chance to be given an endless life.
Ask farmers right now how work is getting by on current trade tariffs and fewer undocumented workers. They shot themselves in the foot. I suppose the case can be made that they of their own will chose to be financially irresponsible.
Of course, we are all more or less imperfect, and Im willing to cut people some slack. But free will doesnt do well without some regulation and oversight, and if we dont admit to our lack of putting enough money aside or dont expect so-called unexpected everyday expenses such as a wornout part on the car or a home appliance, there you have it.
Until you cant. People dont choose to carry balances and pay interest as their favorite option, but when they insist on postponing the monthly payment until the last hour of the due date, there isnt much room for errors.
I dont know the distribution of interchange fees vs interest fees vs maybe something else to pay for award points and signup bonuses, but where there is gain, some lose. Theres no such thing as a free lunch, and growth isnt much of a silver lining with plastic at the bottom of the sea.
Time for lunch!
Of course, we are all more or less imperfect, and Im willing to cut people some slack. But free will doesnt do well without some regulation and oversight, and if we dont admit to our lack of putting enough money aside or dont expect so-called unexpected everyday expenses such as a wornout part on the car or a home appliance, there you have it.
I dont know the distribution of interchange fees vs interest fees vs maybe something else to pay for award points and signup bonuses, but where there is gain, some lose. Theres no such thing as a free lunch, and growth isnt much of a silver lining with plastic at the bottom of the sea.
Time for lunch!

#23




Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Miami, FL
Programs: UA 1MM, AA Plat, Marriott LT Titanium, Hyatt Glob, IHG ♢ Amb, Hilton ♢, Hertz Pres
Posts: 6,170
haha, 10 years old now and my credit card rewards still coming. The sky is falling as slowly here as it does in the stock market. People are so easily afraid of everything they read
#24
FlyerTalk Evangelist


Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: San Diego, CA
Programs: GE, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 15,742
More and more (admittedly smaller) merchants are surcharging for cards now, though. I'm not sure that's all that much better than just flat out capping interchange, especially since many of these places aren't even following the rules properly (i.e. by surcharging debit cads as well as credit cards).
#25

Join Date: Feb 2023
Posts: 131
US Senate chair wants airline, credit card CEOs to testify on fees
"The chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday asked the CEOs of American Airlines, United Airlines, Visa and Mastercard to testify at an April 9 hearing on credit card competition, according to letters seen by Reuters."
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-...es-2024-02-12/
"The chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday asked the CEOs of American Airlines, United Airlines, Visa and Mastercard to testify at an April 9 hearing on credit card competition, according to letters seen by Reuters."
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-...es-2024-02-12/

