Getting a credit card can be a great thing if you know what to look for. Major credit issuer Sallie Mae indicates that 84 percent of undergraduates have at least one credit card, but the amount of debt per student is on the rise. Thus, whether you need a card to establish credit, use in emergencies or for day to day purchasing, it is important to become an informed consumer before starting your first credit line.

By following the steps outlined below, you can be on your way to establishing credit while avoiding the potential pitfalls that plague most uninformed students. 

Students planning on getting credit cards in the next few months: make sure that you’re paying close attention to the fine print on credit card offers these days. It will be in your best interest.

With the Credit CARD Act going into place in February of next year, the vast majority of credit providers are fitting a wide variety of unexpected conditions and hidden fees into their fine prints and operating procedures. Here are three changes you should expect to see in the coming months as companies prepare for their pending restrictions.

It would be unfair to assume that credit card companies should take full responsibility for the recession we’re currently enduring, but they do deserve to take at least part of the blame. Long infamous for being an industry way too light on regulation, credit card culture is about to undergo its first dramatic makeover since plastic became the new greenback.