It's now common for shoppers to slap down their credit or debit card for something as small as a cup of coffee or a pack of gum. But some are returning to the old way: They're paying cash.

When Jill Kelley pulls out her plastic to buy clothes, movie tickets or gas, mom and dad are watching. Jill, 16, uses an Allow Card, a prepaid debit card featuring technology that lets her parents monitor and restrict how and where she spends her monthly allowance.

U.S. Bank. J.P. Morgan Chase. Wells Fargo. Big banks are axing their debit card rewards, blaming regulatory changes that make the programs too expensive to offer.

Surveys show 90 percent of American parents don’t keep track of how much spending money they give to their children each month. And a typical college student will emerge after graduation with thousands of dollars in credit card debt.

Now that the holiday shopping season is over, it’s a good time for consumers to scrutinize their bank accounts and statements for any evidence of debit card fraud.

When Jill Kelley pulls out her plastic to buy clothes, movie tickets or gas, mom and dad are watching. Jill, 16, uses an Allow Card, a prepaid debit card featuring technology that lets her parents monitor and restrict how and where she spends her monthly allowance.

Consumers charging their way through the holidays could find themselves in a painful predicament when the merriment ends and it's time for repayment.

Police are investigating how a device used to steal credit and debit card information was installed at a Tempe gas station pump on Thursday.

When Bank of America announced last month that it would charge $5 each month that a debit card was used, and the Associated Press reports that Wells Fargo and Chase are testing $3 fees, I again became grateful I belong to a credit union.

7-Eleven collected 16,582 customer signatures this summer across Arizona to help it fight what it calls unfair credit card transaction fees.

NEW YORK - You may not be able to keep hackers or dishonest employees out of your credit card processors' office, but you can keep thieves from filching your credit card information from the garbage.

Dear Debt Adviser: I have bad credit with my bank, and I’m making payments on what I owe, but I still have no credit. What credit I have is bad because I am so young, and I have hardly anything in my name. What’s the best way for me to establish credit? —Blair

In some Mesa schools, the fun break during recess is being spoiled by a thief targeting teachers' purses.

WASHINGTON — Federal prosecutors on Monday charged a Miami man with the largest case of credit and debit card data theft ever in the United States, accusing the one-time government informant of trying to gain access to 130 million accounts.

Museums on Us: This weekend anyone with a Bank of America or Merrill Lynch credit or debit card can tour the Musical Instrument Museum, Phoenix Art Museum, and Children’s Museum of Phoenix for free.

The convenience store chain 7-Eleven has launched a million-signature petition campaign to ask Congress to restrict interchange fees charged whenever a customer uses either a credit or debit card for a purchase.

According to a survey of student loan applicants by loan provider Nellie Mae, 83 percent of college undergrads use credit cards and the average card debt was $2,327 in 2001. Furthermore, the college students surveyed steadily increased usage rates and balances. From freshman to senior year, the average debt load more than doubled and number of cards held nearly tripled.

According to a survey of student loan applicants by loan provider Nellie Mae, 83 percent of college undergrads use credit cards and the average card debt was $2,327 in 2001. Furthermore, the college students surveyed steadily increased usage rates and balances. From freshman to senior year, the average debt load more than doubled and number of cards held nearly tripled.

Dear Debt Adviser: I have bad credit with my bank, and I’m making payments on what I owe, but I still have no credit. What credit I have is bad because I am so young, and I have hardly anything in my name. What’s the best way for me to establish credit? -- Blair

Salt River Project customers are being warned of a scam in which someone is impersonating an SRP employee and asking for credit card information. The impostors try to convince customers that their power is in danger of being cut off and that only an immediate credit card payment can avoid disconnection.