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The UK has more consumer protection laws in general, so the need for the card issuer to provide protection is not as necessary. Credit cards have some perks, b

The UK has more consumer protection laws in general, so the need for the card issuer to provide protection is not as necessary. Credit cards have some perks, but they also have interest rates which debit cards do not. Many people would rather avoid getting into debt at all, because it can be very easy to go just over budget and end up paying more than you wanted, or getting locked in a debt spiral where you can't afford to pay off the growing interest.

mackey 8y ago
I can understand not wanting a CC if you don't trust yourself to be responsible, but if you are responsible its effectively the same as debit card + better perks. I have never paid any interest in the 14 years of using CCs and use them for everything. Now I understand that being responsible is easier said than done, given various circumstance. I grew up without a lot money and my parents were pretty religious about budgeting cash weekly into envelopes, but even they eventually switched to using CCs and only spending what they had cash for. Too hard to pass up cash back on gas, groceries, bills, etc. Every little bit helps.
- concerned_user 8y ago
  Do you live in Europe? Because to get all those benefits you mention credit card is quite a bit more expensive than the debit one. Also cashback is not a thing in Europe.
  - timthorn 8y ago
    I do. And while I pay a fee for one of my credit cards, another (that gets me cashback in a supermarket) is free.
    - concerned_user 8y ago
      Interesting, cashback doesn't exist in the country I live in. You can get loyalty points from grocery stores and gas stations etc, you can even get a debit/credit card that doubles as loyalty card but it will still be points and you will only be able to convert them into discount at specific vendors but not to cash.
timthorn 8y ago
> need for the card issuer to provide protection is not as necessary It is a legal responsibility upon the issuer, rather than a discretionary benefit. It is particularly beneficial when a retailer goes out of business; an undelivered or broken order will be refunded, whereas if the bill was paid by debit card you'd just be considered a creditor.

mackey 8y ago

I can understand not wanting a CC if you don't trust yourself to be responsible, but if you are responsible its effectively the same as debit card + better perks. I have never paid any interest in the 14 years of using CCs and use them for everything. Now I understand that being responsible is easier said than done, given various circumstance. I grew up without a lot money and my parents were pretty religious about budgeting cash weekly into envelopes, but even they eventually switched to using CCs and only spending what they had cash for. Too hard to pass up cash back on gas, groceries, bills, etc. Every little bit helps.

concerned_user 8y ago
Do you live in Europe? Because to get all those benefits you mention credit card is quite a bit more expensive than the debit one. Also cashback is not a thing in Europe.
- timthorn 8y ago
  I do. And while I pay a fee for one of my credit cards, another (that gets me cashback in a supermarket) is free.
  - concerned_user 8y ago
    Interesting, cashback doesn't exist in the country I live in. You can get loyalty points from grocery stores and gas stations etc, you can even get a debit/credit card that doubles as loyalty card but it will still be points and you will only be able to convert them into discount at specific vendors but not to cash.

timthorn 8y ago

> need for the card issuer to provide protection is not as necessary It is a legal responsibility upon the issuer, rather than a discretionary benefit. It is particularly beneficial when a retailer goes out of business; an undelivered or broken order will be refunded, whereas if the bill was paid by debit card you'd just be considered a creditor.