“The credit-card industry wants its customers to know about a threat to “our favorite cash back and travel rewards programs.” They could disappear forever, the industry says, if Congress approves a piece of legislation called the Credit Card Competition Act. It remains to be seen if that prospect will inspire masses of cardholders to reach out to their senators and representatives with the message—“Hands off my rewards!”—that industry lobbyists have crafted for the occasion. Even if the response falls short of their hopes, though, the lobbyists will have performed a public service: by raising the spectre of a rewardless credit-card future, they have called attention to a very peculiar feature of the credit-card present.”