BILOXI, Miss. – Credit card companies are sending text messages that they say help customers avoid the added charges of hefty late fees and higher rates, reports the Biloxi Sun Herald. Cardholders are receiving warning texts, such as “Itz time 4 U 2 stop spending,” and “UR 2 close 2 credit limit.”

Chase customers can even receive a $10 credit when they sign up for three such tools – free alerts, automatic payments and online statements. The gimmicks are in response to increased heat from members of Congress who are calling for tougher restrictions on credit card practices.

Discover Financial Services launched the Discover Motiva Card this year, which gives consumers rewards for good credit management. Cardholders who make their payments on time for six consecutive months will receive back the following month’s interest on any unpaid balance as a bonus.

“It can be very easy to forget a due date,” said Paul Hartwick, a spokesman for Chase Card Services, to the Biloxi Sun Herald. Hartwick said about 1.7 million of its 100 million customers have signed up for alerts, which have been available for about a year.

Credit cards won’t stop every charge, however. Cardholders might still surpass their limit when holds are placed on their accounts by the card issuer if the card is used for an amount that is not known at the time of authorization, such as a fuel fill up.

Hartwick told the newspaper that if a Chase customer signs up to prevent over-the-limit charges, the company will not charge an over-the-limit fee – even if a motor fuels purchase puts them over the limit.