[kasey_junk]

Uhh. Credit cards are pretty simple. For virtually no cost you get consolidated billing, easy access to credit, fraud protection & ~2% rebates.

That the consumer bureaus get to decide who gets access to these benefits is something we all should be concerned with.

[tptacek]

I don't get "easy access to credit" with debit cards. Which is the part I don't understand! There have been many periods in my adult life where cash flow has been a significant problem for me and my family, but it has never even occurred to me to use revolving credit as part of a solution to those problems.

I'm not litigating whether unequal access to financial products is a bad thing. Inequity is a bad thing. We're on the same page there.

But when discussions like this come up and people imply that a bad credit score is somehow life-changing --- that just doesn't connect with my life experience? Like I definitely didn't come up rough or anything, but I feel like to the extent that there's value in access to these particular financial products, I'm well within the cohort of people who would perceive that value. And... I just don't get it? Like: a debit card from a good bank has actually pretty solid fraud protection? And lack of access to 2% rewards doesn't seem life changing?

I have never understood credit cards.

[ValentineC]

> There have been many periods in my adult life where cash flow has been a significant problem for me and my family, but it has never even occurred to me to use revolving credit as part of a solution to those problems.

I don't support paying interest on credit card bills either, but some cards come with a "0% on balances for ~12 months" welcome offer [1], which might help a little if cash flow is tight, but the borrower knows that some income will be guaranteed in the coming months.

[1] https://www.cnbc.com/select/best-zero-interest-credit-cards/