Come October 1, the way we pay with credit and debit cards will start to change. Rather than swiping our plastic like we've been doing for years, we'll start "dipping" our cards into a terminal slot.

Carmen Ionscu pays off her two credit card bills every month by working 25 hours a week at OfficeMax. Juggling work with college isn’t easy, but Ionscu is determined not to get into credit card debt. ...