theres a lot of us that pay off balances immediately and use the credit card for convenience, security and perks.

credit cards have way better user protections for fraud than debit cards. if there’s a bogus charge, i can dispute it without that money going missing from my cash account. the onus is on the card company to figure it out, because i don’t have to pay for it. so they invariably reverse the charges while conducting their investigation. debit fraud can be brutal, because the longer the bank dawdles, the more fees and payment rejections you can incur while your balance is artificially low.

i only need to carry a little bit of cash, and my particular card gets cash back between 2-4% on all kinds of shit like groceries, fuel, retail household items etc.

the only time i pay with some other method is when there is a card convenience fee / cash discount… which is becoming more frequent and often exists with independent contractors and muncipalities.

using a CC for everyday purchases is not any more precarious than using other forms of payment unless you can’t trust yourself to stay in a budget… in which case, you shouldn’t use checks or a debit card because you can totally go crazy with those too and get buried in fees, not to mention the punitive banking moves like reporting to chexsystems, after which you’re gonna be punitively de-banked and forced into the realm of short term loans and those strip mall check cashing services with exorbitant fees.