Durbin’s Airline Points Bill May Spur Shift to Flexible Rewards

Legislation aimed at airline loyalty programs may reshape how rewards work across the broader payments ecosystem.

Thursday (March 26), U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (Democrat, Illinois) announced he had reintroduced the Protect Your Points Act, which initially debuted in the last Congress. And per the bill, the legislation centers on frequent flyer programs and co-branded cards, but its provisions reach far beyond travel.

It would require airlines to disclose the financial value of points, update that value in real time, and present redemption options alongside dollar pricing. It would also prohibit expiration, require free transfers and restrict the ability to impose fees on redemption.

Loyalty programs have long operated with variable redemption rates and shifting availability. Points have been presented as a form of stored value. Requiring real-time valuation and advance notice of devaluation introduces a degree of consistency.

Consumer Behavior Has Already Moved Ahead

The legislation’s ultimate fate against the backdrop of Durbin’s retirement is, of course, uncertain. But the legislation comes at a time when consumer behavior has been moving away from the deferred rewards model. PYMNTS Intelligence data shows that loyalty is closely tied to transaction-level decision making. More than 25% of consumers with multiple cards rotate usage deliberately to maximize rewards, while only 23% rely primarily on a single card. Rewards influence how payments are routed in real time.

At the same time, preferences are shifting toward flexibility. Consumers are increasingly drawn to cash equivalents and other forms of value that can be applied immediately, rather than travel-based rewards that require accumulation and delayed redemption . Real-time redemption at checkout is gaining traction because it aligns rewards with the moment of purchase.

Additional PYMNTS Intelligence data reinforces this direction. Nearly 60% of consumers say they want rewards and payment structures that adapt to their spending patterns, with that figure rising to 70% among millennial cohorts. The data show a broader expectation that rewards should behave less like a distant benefit and more like an integrated part of spending.

Flexibility Becomes the Default Direction

Issuers and networks have begun to respond accordingly. Real-time redemption at checkout, merchant-funded offers embedded within transactions and the pairing of rewards with installment options are becoming more common. These approaches reduce the reliance on large, accumulated point balances and instead deliver value in smaller increments tied to everyday spending.

The economic logic behind that shift is straightforward. Deferred rewards create liabilities that must be managed over time, often through adjustments to redemption rates or availability. Immediate rewards, by contrast, are recognized and consumed at the point of transaction, aligning costs more directly with behavior and reducing uncertainty on both sides of the equation.

Loyalty Moves Into The Transaction Itself

In this model, rewards are not something consumers collect and later convert. They are applied in context, informed by data and delivered at the moment of interaction.

That transition carries operational implications for the providers. It places greater emphasis on data, timing and integration, as issuers and networks seek to match incentives to behavior with greater precision. It also shifts competitive dynamics. Durbin’s proposed legislation does not create these dynamics, nor does it determine their outcome. It does, however, make visible the gap between the legacy points economy and the direction in which both consumers and product design are moving.