Originally Posted by Sly

There are quite a few perks to using credit cards, in the United States at least (outside of spending more money than you have!)

Cashback and rewards programs are very attractive. I get 2% cashback on my primary credit card, which really adds up to some nice extra cash. Others prefer the travel programs, which I've been told can be great deals if you use them right.

Another great benefit is protection. If somebody steals your debit card or if a company overcharges your debit card, your cold hard cash is completely out of your hands until the bank straightens everything out, which could take weeks in some cases. With a credit card that's not a problem at all because you can almost instantly fight any charge and you are not out the cold hard cash.

I'm not sure what it's like in other countries but that's what it's like here. I refuse to use debit cards due to somebody cleaning out my checking account about 15 years ago when they stole my debit card.