Recent statistics from Mail Monitor, a direct mail tracking service, comfirm those trends. Issuers are sending out far fewer solicitations and they’re increasingly for cards that carry an annual fee. For example:

• In the first quarter of 2009, U.S. households received 372.4 million offers, a dramatic 67 percent drop from the 1,131.6 million offers received during the first quarter of 2008.

• Twenty-seven percent of offers carried an annual fee during the first quarter of 2009, up from 18 percent  from one year ago, Mail Monitor said.

Why the decline in overall offers but the jump in cards with annual fees? Issuers are reacting to the new law that gives consumers more rights and protections against credit-card companies. These rules kick in next year. (CLICK HERE to learn more about the new law.)

“The new credit card regulations will substantially reduce the revenue for issuers. Increasing the number of cards with annual fees is certainly one way to make up for this shortfall,” says Bill Hardekopf, CEO of LowCards.com and author of The Credit Card Guidebook.

His advice:

• Pay attention to the offers received to see if the card has an annual fee
• Check your current credit cards to see if your issuer has added an annual fee
• If you already are paying an annual fee, check to see if that has increased (Mail Monitor says the mean bankcard annual fee is $74)
• Keep an eye on your interest rates. Hardekopf expects those rates to rise between now and next February, when the new credit-card law goes into effect

Remember — you don’t have to carry a card that charges an annual fee. Shop around and look for the best deals. Need some fodder for your search? Check out my take on the best and worst cards and what you need to look for when you sign for a new card:

• The world’s worst credit cards

• Credit cards with the happiest users

• 9 big credit card myths

I don’t want to lose this financial resource or have my credit score affected. I talked to an account manager about reopening the account and offered to make a balance transfer with a guaranteed monthly charge for my health club fees, but he said he could do nothing — the bank had made the decision to eliminate inactive accounts.

What can I do to reverse this decision? Whom should I contact at the bank and what should I say?

Answer: Credit card issuers don’t seem to be interested in reopening closed accounts, even for formerly loyal customers.

In the past, issuers were willing to keep these accounts open, hoping you would return. These days, however, credit card companies are trying to reel in lines of credit wherever possible, and inactive accounts are an easy place to do so.

If you have several other credit card accounts, the damage to your credit score is likely to be minimal. If you’re concerned about not having enough access to credit, though, consider opening another account. This, too, can put a ding on your score, but the damage is likely to fade quickly.

If you have any other cards you’re not using, consider keeping them active by using them to pay those health club fees and other monthly costs. Pay the balance in full every month: You don’t need to pay interest to have access to credit and healthy scores.