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Stay on top of your monthly payments and avoid costly fees and interest charges with these smart credit card strategies.

Credit card perks are being subsidized by people who have less, argues Chenzi Xu, a finance professor at the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Americans paid an estimated $1 billion in interest on medical debt in just three years, a federal agency finds. This includes use of credit cards often pitched in doctors' and dentists' offices.

Harvard Law Professor Elizabeth Warren is an expert on bankruptcy and is an outspoken critic of consumer lenders. Warren is also the author of The Two-Income Trap: Why Middle Class Mothers and Fathers Are Going Broke.

China used to require western banks to co-brand with Chinese operators. But now Citi can sell its own plastic, just as credit cards become more popular. Rising incomes are boosting consumer spending.

Stay-at-home mom Holly McCall says she manages her family's finances and has perfect credit. But due to a federal law, she was denied a credit card because she doesn't make an income. McCall wants the law changed, but Aracely Panameno with the Center for Responsible Lending says the law is necessary. Host Michel Martin speaks with both women.

NPR's Ayesha Rascoe talks to Brian Kelly, founder of credit card and travel website "The Points Guy", about the rising fees in the premium credit card space.

Host Jennifer Ludden looks at how the credit card industry markets to teenagers. Legally, banks may not issue credit cards to minors, but solicitations for cards often go out to kids under 18. It seems the card issuers are counting on parents to bail their kids out when they overcharge.

Credit card companies are targeting children as young as 13 with products that allow them to pay with plastic instead of cash. Parents can monitor their children's spending habits, but there are potential pitfalls if users aren't careful.

NPR's Jennifer Ludden talks with Frontline reporter Lowell Bergman about The Secret History of the Credit Card, a new documentary by PBS and The New York Times. The film traces the rise of America's credit card industry and raises concerns about some if its business practices.