[Red_Leaves_Flyy]

My employer keeps track of my credit worthiness. People have been fired by my employer for having bad credit because they present a risk to the company. I cannot keep my employment without maintaining good credit. Maintaining good credit cannot be done without taking on debt.

[nostrademons]

You don't actually need the debt balance, you just need the payment history. I had zero debt in the decade between paying off my student loans and taking on a mortgage. Credit score ~820 at that point. I had credit cards but auto-paid them in full every month and never carried a balance. It's the payment history that your score cares about, not the balance. You actually end up with a lower score if you have a higher balance.

[bombcar]

You can maintain good credit with empty credit lines. Not amazing credit, but good.