She got her second card the following year. She also has several retailers' cards. But she wasn't earning enough from her part-time job to make more than the minimum payments. Finally, she reached a point when interest charges had mounted, and she couldn't afford even the minimums. Gunter went to the Consumer Credit Counseling Service in Bryan, Texas, for help.
Credit cards are a fact of life for college students.
They are necessary for making hotel and airline reservations. And most parents want their college-age children to have one in case of emergency. But consumer advocates say credit card marketers make credit too easily available to young people who have little or no experience handling their own finances. There is nothing to prevent them from issuing cards to students 18 and older. Credit card issuers say most students handle credit responsibly.