I understand how it works. I'm taking a bigger picture view and saying that if nobody had points, everything would be cheaper than if you had gotten the points

I understand how it works. I'm taking a bigger picture view and saying that if nobody had points, everything would be cheaper than if you had gotten the points in the first place. Obviously in the current climate, a card that offers points is going to be more competitive than a card that doesn't, but that doesn't mean that points aren't a mind-bogglingly stupid proposition to begin with.