Airlines must stop hiding point values and devaluing loyalty without warning

What it does

This bill requires airlines to disclose the real dollar value of frequent flyer points, ban expiration dates on points, allow consumers to transfer points without fees, prohibit charges for redeeming points, and require one year's notice before devaluing points or changing program terms. It also mandates airlines display airfare costs in both dollars and points, show what percentage of points are actually redeemed, allow mixed dollar-and-points purchases, and implement account security measures.

Why we flagged it

The bill's core mechanism is mandatory disclosure and consumer-protection rules for airline loyalty programs and co-branded credit cards. It restricts airline and issuer practices (expiration, fees, unilateral devaluation) and mandates transparency, making it fundamentally a consumer-protection measure, not a subsidy or deregulation.

What the text implies

• Airlines may respond by reducing point-earning rates or increasing base fares to offset lost pricing flexibility, shifting costs to consumers who do not use loyalty programs.
• The one-year notice requirement for devaluation may lock airlines into less-flexible loyalty economics, potentially reducing innovation in program design.
• Mandatory display of redemption rates may expose low redemption percentages, pressuring airlines to improve program value or face consumer backlash.
• The requirement to allow mixed dollar-and-points purchases may cannibalize higher-margin point redemptions, reducing airline revenue from loyalty programs.

Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.

Who it affects

Ordinary consumers gain concrete protections: transparency about point values, elimination of expiration dates, free transfers, no redemption fees, and mandatory advance notice before devaluation. These reduce hidden costs and restore consumer control over accrued loyalty value. Airlines and credit card issuers lose pricing opacity and the ability to devalue points without warning.

Who stands to gain

• Frequent flyer program members (consumers)
• Consumer advocacy groups

Named in the bill

Department of Transportation (DOT), Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Covered air carriers (all major U.S. airlines), Credit card issuers (co-branded card partners), AIG, FBK, FMAO, PFG, PRU

Where it stands

• Mar 26, 2026 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in Senate”
• Mar 26, 2026 — Referred to Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation · Congress.gov: “Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. (text: CR S1672)”

Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.

Money around this bill

2 lobbying clients named this bill on 2 disclosure filings across 1 quarter, Jun 2026 to Jun 2026. Those filings disclosed $1,300,000 in lobbying spend. A filing names 20 bills on average, so that figure is what each filing reported, not a share belonging to this bill.

More lobbying clients named this bill than 41% of bills with at least one filing.

Richard Durbin, the sponsor, reported $-29,800 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle.

• Jpmorgan Chase Holdings LLC — $1,190,000 on 1 filing
• Occidental Petroleum Corporation — $110,000 on 1 filing

Lobbying Disclosure Act filings through Jul 20, 2026. A filing shows who paid to lobby on a bill it names, not what changed.