Credit cards?

[ZTAngel]

I like my American Express. I have the blue card so there's no annual fees although AMEX constantly sends me letters to get me to enroll in their gold card program (hell no....I'm not paying money for a credit card!). Their customer service has been great and efficient. When a gas station double charged my card, AMEX removed the charge without any questions. Plus, they have a good membership awards program.
They have a blue card for students which I was enrolled in until I graduated. It has a lower credit limit so you don't overspend.

American Express isn't accepted everywhere so you might want to have a back up Visa or Mastercard just in case.

ETA:
Credit cards are a necessary evil in many cases. I'm pretty sure you can't rent a car without them (well, I've never tried to rent without so you never know!). It also helps to build up good credit so that you can one day get a mortgage. You just need to be really careful. I have many friends who have spent frivously on a credit card figuring that they can pay it off eventually. Credit cards are great if you have the mindset that you will pay off your balance in full every month. Interest rates are really high on most cards and I would never want to give my hard-earned money to a credit card company so I make sure to pay off my balance every month! One of my friends owes over $7,000 on her Visa and about $500 of it is finance charges/late fees. Ridiculous. Make sure to budget yourself when it comes to a credit card. Don't go into a store and make an extravagant purchase thinking you can pay it off later. If you can't afford it while you're at the store, you won't be able to afford it later! Credit card companies target college students because they're infamous for racking up all kinds of unpayable charges which creates more money for the credit card company. It's big business for them. The average college student is usually in credit card debt when they graduate. Don't be one of them!