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In the 1950s, Diners Club introduced credit cards. They were first promoted to traveling salesmen for convenience on the road. In the early 1960s, other companies got into the business, advertising credit cards as a time-saving device rather than a way to spend money you don't have. The idea was to charge everything, then have just one bill to pay at the end of the month. American Express and MasterCard became huge moneymakers, and the credit card revolution was on, with customers urged in advertising to just say "charge it." In the mid-'70s, Congress had to step in to regulate the credit card boom by banning the mass mailing of cards to college students and others who had not requested (and could not afford) them. Now that credit cards can be used everywhere from grocery stores to gas stations, "charge it" may be the two most expensive words in the English language.
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