Visa pulls plug on aggressive Web scheme

Faced with a barrage of negative publicity and consumer complaints about unexpected charges, Visa today is becoming the first of the major credit companies to pull the plug on a credit card practice that prompted Congressional charges of "aggressive" abuse.

Visa said that it will stop allowing "data pass" transactions in which consumers buying movie or plane tickets or other goods on a website are offered a "reward" of a temporary membership in a discount club. Priceline, Staples and Classmates.com at one point all made the offers as did a number of other online retailers.