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Despite some new fees, cardholders are much better off then they were before protections ushered in by the card act, said Ed Mierzwinski, consumer program director for the U.S. Public Interest Research Group in Washington, D.C.

"The card act has cleaned up the credit card marketplace," eliminating "gotcha" fees and other abuses, he said, adding that U.S. PIRG and federal regulators are getting a lot fewer consumer complaints about credit cards these days.

Mr. Mierzwinski and other experts say card companies should be careful about rolling out new fees that could trigger an outcry from consumers and another crackdown by regulators.