I have a credit card, but not the american kind of credit card. I have the European kind that gets locked and blocked if it isn't paid off by the end of the billing period (1 month).
Why would you not want a 3,000 euro interest-free one-month loan? Sometimes you have to deal with bulk expenses that you have the money for, but not the liquidity[1]. In that case credit cards become really useful.
[1] In a recent example I had just moved into a new apartment and had to cover a move-in cost, $2000 worth of IKEA furniture, and $3000 worth of next month's rent in the span of two weeks. All in all some $6000 worth of expenses. It all worked out, but it wouldn't have had I not had access to the liquidity magic of a credit card.
> I have a credit card, but not the american kind of credit card. I have the European kind that gets locked and blocked if it isn't paid off by the end of the billing period (1 month).
That's sounds more like a charge card, kinda like an Amex. Your bog standard Visa/Mastercard credit card only locks and blocks if you don't pay the minimum repayment amount at the end of the month which is usually around 2.5% of the outstanding balance. There's nothing particularly "american" about this, it's pretty standard around the world.
I have several Swedish credit cards (MC&Visa) and none of them work like that - you can just pay a minimum and carry the balance for as long as you can bear the interest. Is there some specific country you're talking about? Banking is definitely not something you can generalize about "Europe" on, there are massive differences.
> Why would you not want a 3,000 euro interest-free one-month loan?
Just save for something and then pay it off immediately. A debit card gives you an accurate and up to date overview of your balance. A credit card is more involved in that.
Having a credit card is much more expensive than just a debit card. Unfortunately, credit card is needed for traveling (maybe more about the Maestro vs MasterCard/Visa difference).
The seller also has to pay significantly more in case of a credit card. Therefore, it is not cheaper (it is just a hidden cost that indirectly is charged to you anyway). In Netherlands they often make you pay if you want to use a credit card.
Why would you not want a 3,000 euro interest-free one-month loan? Sometimes you have to deal with bulk expenses that you have the money for, but not the liquidity[1]. In that case credit cards become really useful.
[1] In a recent example I had just moved into a new apartment and had to cover a move-in cost, $2000 worth of IKEA furniture, and $3000 worth of next month's rent in the span of two weeks. All in all some $6000 worth of expenses. It all worked out, but it wouldn't have had I not had access to the liquidity magic of a credit card.