Visa Unveils Plan To Breakdown Airline Fees Separately On Statements

With all the extra fees tacked on by airlines – bag fees, WiFi fees, seat upgrade fees – it can be hard to remember exactly what you paid for each of these add-on charges. Visa customers won’t have to worry about keeping things straight anymore, as the credit card company now plans to breakdown airline charges on monthly statement.

The new “global payment standard” – as Ramon Martin, Visa’s head of merchant sales, refers to the change as in a blog post – aims to more accurately classify ancillary airline transactions by unbundling the purchases.

From now on transactions completed with an airline will be distinctly identified and categorized outside of ticket purchases. For example, what may have once shown up on a credit card statement as “Airline Air 0014567891014” would read “Airline Air WiFi” under the new system.

The credit card company claims that in addition to making purchases easier to decipher for everyday consumers, the new standard will also simplify corporate travel reporting, as well as improve airline customer service.

While Visa contends to be the first airline with the capability to breakdown airline fees, the Chicago Tribune reports that American Express has had a similar program since 2013. MasterCard is also reportedly on the cusp of rolling out the service.

Visa statements to detail airline fees separately [The Chicago Tribune]

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