American, US Airways Merger Could Launch Credit Card Battle

While American Airlines and US Airways struck records of adore and peace on Thursday, their partnership could set adult a conflict between dual vital banks over who can offer credit cards to business of a world’s largest airline.

In announcing a deal, a airlines endorsed that consumers should see no changes for months: Customers can continue to book transport on a airlines, and visit flyers can continue to acquire and spend miles as usual. The airlines would not be integrated until after a understanding closes, that is approaching in a tumble of 2013, theme to capitulation by regulators, shareholders and American’s failure judge.

The partnership between American, a fourth-largest U.S. carrier, and US Airways, a fifth-largest, would emanate a world’s largest airline, with some-more than 100,000 employees, 1,500 planes and 6,700 daily flights to 336 destinations in 56 countries.

US Airways’ visit fliers would be changed from a Dividend Miles module into American’s AAdvantage scheme. A display to investors betrothed a module would yield “improved opportunities to acquire and redeem miles.” There are few sum nonetheless on what that means, yet a total module — a largest in a universe — would continue in a oneworld fondness (dropping US Airways’ appearance in Star Alliance).

One open question, though, is what will turn of a credit cards dependent with any of a airlines: Citi offers several variations of American Airlines cards, while Barclays offers a menu of US Airways cards. Both banks have exclusivity agreements with their sold airlines that end in 2017, according to regulatory documents. At interest is a right to marketplace remunerative credit cards to tens of millions of fascinating customers: American alone has roughly 69 million members in a frequent-flier program, according to bonds documents.

“It is a tasty tidbit for a bank to grab,” says Jay Sorensen, boss of IdeaWorks Co., a Wisconsin-based airline consulting firm. “The ability to have a attribute with a world’s largest airline is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

In past airline mergers, banks have tussled over a right to offer cards:

• When Delta Air Lines and Northwest Airlines joined in 2009, American Express (which charity a Delta card) and US Bank (which charity a Northwest card) traded barbs touting their supremacy around billboards, full-page journal ads and letters — and charity enticements for business to pointer up. Ultimately, a joined airline stayed with American Express in a five-year, $1 billion deal, and US Bank charity a business a deputy label not related to any sold airline. Northwest sued US Bank given a deputy card, called FlexPerks, sounded like a aged Northwest-affiliated WorldPerks card, in a box eventually staid out of court.

• When US Airways and America West Airlines joined in 2005, Bank of America (which charity a US Airways card) and Barclays (which charity America West’s) battled for a right to marketplace a label to a joined airline’s customers. The new airline chose Barclays — and was soon sued by Bank of America. The box was staid a few years later, yet for a few years, both banks charity US Airways cards, augmenting options for consumers.

The 2010 partnership between United Airlines and Continental Airlines was smoother, given Chase charity both cards.

Asked about a destiny of a cards, Barclaycard US orator Kevin Sullivan declined to speculate, observant “it’s business as usual” for a program. A Citi mouthpiece pronounced there would be no evident changes for cardholders, and that a association “looks brazen to a extended possibilities a new American Airlines will bring.”

It is also probable that both banks — and maybe even others — could offer cards if a new airline doesn’t wish to guarantee exclusivity to any one bank. In Australia, for example, 15 banks offer credit cards related to a country’s heading airline, Qantas. In a United States, a conflict for airline business is heating up, as bank cards with transport rewards independent with any one airline are gaining traction, experts say.

Frequent fliers are already looking for ways to money in on a merger. Some travel bloggers have been recommending that consumers meddlesome in transport rewards request for US Airways and American cards, on a speculation that miles warranted from sign-up bonuses will eventually be total — as has been a box in prior mergers. The sign-up reward for a US Airways Premier World MasterCard is 30,000 miles after a initial purchase, and 10,000 points if we send a change within a initial 90 days; for a Citi Platinum Select AAdvantage Visa Signature card, it’s 30,000 after spending $1,000 in a initial 3 months.

For holders of US Airways- or American-affiliated cards, one thing is certain: you’ll be receiving many some-more letters and offers in a months ahead, as a conflict for your credit-card devotion heats up.

“They’re going to try to squeeze all a business they can before they remove that really important, attention-grabbing code name,” Sorensen says. “The some-more cards they are means to pointer up, a some-more precedence they have in terms of negotiating.”

See related: American Airlines clarifies chosen boarding perk, Taxes, fee can shelve adult rewards, for a fee, Which cards can we shake for mixed rewards bonuses?