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With stricter rules set to hit the credit card industry early next year, banks are starting to hit back—and their targets may surprise you.

In an unusual move, credit card providers are going after good customers, those who pay every bill in full and on time. Customers who use their cards rarely or not at all are also being hit with new fees.

Credit card issuers are reacting to the Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility and Disclosure Act—or Credit Card Act—that is scheduled to put sweeping consumer protections in place by February, pinching the industry’s profits. Among other changes, the law will limit interest rate hikes, force card issuers to send bills earlier and require companies to allocate payments to existing balances more fairly.

Some members of Congress, irked by what they see as attempts to gouge consumers ahead of the rule changes, are trying to push up the effective date of the law to Dec. 1. The House voted to do so Nov. 4, but the Senate is not expected to follow suit.

Among the host of new fees for credit card customers:

• In February, some Bank of America customers will be charged an experimental annual fee ranging from $29 to $99. Typically, annual fees are assessed for credit cards with perks like airline miles or cash back, but the Bank of America fees will affect customers with a variety of cards, irrespective of rewards. Customers who do not carry balances on their cards will not be immune, according to Betty Riess, a spokeswoman for the bank.
• Other card issuers are going after customers who keep card accounts open but don’t use them. In June, Fifth Third Bank instituted a $19 inactivity fee for accounts that are stagnant for 12 months, even if there’s no balance.
• Taking this concept to the next level, Citigroup is slapping some customers with fees of $30 to $90 annually if they don’t charge enough—typically $2,400—over the course of a year.

“Credit card companies are definitely getting creative” ahead of the new law, says Lauren Bowne, staff attorney for Consumers Union, a nonprofit advocacy group that lobbies for consumer protections. She notes that even before the new fees were implemented, the companies were raising interest rates and minimum payments while scaling back reward programs.

When the law goes into effect, “there will be great protections for consumers, but in the meantime we’re hoping things don’t get too much worse,” Bowne says.

The new fees could backfire, says Curtis Arnold, founder of CardRatings.com. The credit card industry is already struggling with a poor image and is increasingly reliant on good customers as more consumers default on their payments.

“If people pay late, I think they can somewhat understand a fee, but if you’re using your account responsibly, I think consumers are really going to have a problem with that,” Arnold says.

What are your options if you’re hit with new or increased fees? Arnold recommends that you ask to talk with a manager about having the fees eliminated. If that doesn’t work, and you don’t think the card’s features are worth the price, take your business elsewhere.

Arnold recommends looking at smaller banks and credit unions, which often have more favorable terms. As for the old card, canceling it can adversely affect your credit score. Instead, Arnold says, you may want to just stop using it.

Michelle Diament is a freelance writer based in Memphis, Tenn.