That's funny, because food it my primary example for credit in everyday life and is probably the first place you've used it. Whenever you go to a restaurant and pay after eating, you're using credit. Credit is more effective and more ancient as a medium of exchange than money is.
Most people (statistically) are also broke. The points mean nothing if you’re paying 22% interest on the 3 other cards that you couldn’t even afford to do the balance transfer on. Banks only offer points because they make money on average. By using these products, you are directly benefitting from the financial illiteracy of the most vulnerable parts of our society. I refuse to be part of that system out of principal.
Also, the Visa logo on your debit card applies all of the same benefits as the credit card in regards to risk management. The one time I had my card skimmed, I called the bank, the charges were reversed and they overnighted me a new card.
Except for when say, your utility company withdraws the wrong amount from your checking account (using your debit card), causing you to be overdrawn, and then you have no money for two weeks while they sort it out. Of course, there's an argument against auto pay somewhere in there...
