With the holidays nearly upon us, no documentary is more timely than tonight’s “Frontline” presentation, “The Card Game.”



Better yet, it should have run on Halloween week because it exposes many of the “tricks and traps” disguised as treats to credit card holders.



It is must-see TV for anyone who plans to finance the holidays on credit.



A follow-up to the “Secret History of the Credit Card” and a joint project with the New York Times, the show airs at 9 tonight on WNED-TV.



Lowell Bergman, a “Frontline” correspondent, enlists politicians, reporters, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and unapologetic bankers to illustrate how easy it is for a person to become destroyed by credit card debt.



But the interview subject who contributes the best perspective is a former banking executive, Shailesh Mehta, who made millions when he ran Providian Bank by using deceptive credit card practices that targeted financially stressed customers. Mehta tells how the game is played to entice lower-and middle-income people with low rates that can quickly rise to loan-shark levels if a payment is missed or if a bank just decides it wants to raise rates.



He made a fortune on the practices. Bergman explains that Mehta resigned from Providian after the company had to pay $300 million following an investigation by federal regulators.



Mehta tosses around terms like “stealth pricing” and “the unbanked” to illustrate how easy it is to destroy vulnerable Americans who are a job loss or a medical issue away from financial ruin. The stories of several credit card victims are told, serving as cautionary tales for viewers.



Of course, Congress has been trying to clean up the industry. But it isn’t easy because, as Bergman explains, the banking industry has one of the strongest lobbies in Washington. Both parties are



blamed for the mess, but the Republicans get more of the blame because they fear more regulations will damage a free market system designed to help the rich.



With Mehta’s help, Bergman’s report illustrates that practically every positive move to protect the vulnerable can be overcome by banks looking for easy marks.



“Because none of you are smart enough,” concludes Mehta. “You make the stupid laws and I’ll comply and I’ll make money. . . . There are always some desperate people who will take the product. Lending money to people is never a difficult exercise. OK? People will take money if you’re willing to give it to them.”



The games banks play with customers include being able to raise the interest rate on all cards by 25 percent to 30 percent if a payment on one is missed; allowing consumers to pay off their cards with home equity loans with the expectation they won’t be able to control themselves and will get in credit card trouble again; and paying off the highest bill to debit cards so several lower bills will exceed the limit and lead to high, over-the-limit fees.



Of course, consumers could avoid most excessive fees if they paid their bills on time and didn’t go over the limit. But the banks know most people can’t control themselves any more than Congress can control its urge to protect the banks.



The really sad thing is an hour isn’t long enough to reveal all the tricks and traps that the banks use to snare consumers.



Take many of the “zero percent” loan offers that consumers get for six months to a year after paying 3 percent of the loan amount. If you actually make purchases on the card, the interest rate on the purchases can be anywhere from 18 percent to 29 percent.



The money you pay monthly goes toward the zero percent loan, meaning you’ll be charged the high percentage on the purchases even if you fully pay whatever you spend in a month.



The zero percent transfer offer can entice you to buy things that will cost you huge amounts of finance charges. The only way the zero percent loans make any sense is if you don’t plan on using that card for purchases.



In other words, the only way a consumer can win is to understand the rules and out-smart the banks. Watching “The Card Game” should help.



• Remember Dave Thomas of the children’s show “Rocketship 7”? He became Dave Roberts when he left Channel 7 for WPVI-TV in Philadelphia 31 years ago. Now 73, the father of “Bones” star David Boreanaz is retiring next month.



• ABC isn’t going to make it easy for the final season of “Lost.” It has a two-hour premiere at 9 p. m. Feb. 2 after an hourlong recap show. Its regular time slot at 9 p. m. Tuesday means it will face the season’s top new program: “NCIS: Los Angeles.”



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TV Review



The Card Game



(Out of four)



9 tonight WNED-TV