The reason why US consumers have multiple cards (at least intelligent consumers) is because of the various cashback programs. For example, Costco's Visa card g

The reason why US consumers have multiple cards (at least intelligent consumers) is because of the various cashback programs. For example, Costco's Visa card gives me 4% cash back on all gas purchases. Costco's Visa also gives me 3% back on all travel related purchases like hotels, airlines, and restaurants. Citi Double Cash Mastercard gives me 2% back on all other purchases. Discover card runs 5% cash back each quarter on up to $1500 of one category, like online shopping, or home improvement retailers. It's a bit of a chore to determine which card to use for every transaction, however, if you don't have credit cards, or just use debit cards, you're effectively leaving money on the table.