[FireBeyond]

Precisely. In many ways it is better to steadily use a card (while being mindful of utilization ratios) and pay it than it is to carry a zero balance.

The credit system might have been initially about debt repayment, but there are several measures in store regarding "how valuable / revenue-generating is a customer".

And at times, these two principles may be in harmony, and at others, not so much.