Technically paper money is not free either, people support the paper money machine with their taxes and in the cost of goods. Money must be printed & reclaimed

Technically paper money is not free either, people support the paper money machine with their taxes and in the cost of goods. Money must be printed & reclaimed & replaced, bills must be counted & sorted & transported, etc. Any currency system has overhead, the paper money overhead is just very hidden. So if the fees are appropriately low, a system of private banks and CC's could be ultimately similar in cost to normal people.