Credit cards are useful if you pay the balance every month. Otherwise, they are a debt trap for unwise Americans.

I just helped my college-aged son get his first credit card. He's very good with his money and never spends more than he has, so he's always using his debit card. Having to explain the need for a credit card simply for building a credit history was confusing to him. I told him that many other countries don't have this type of set up, but you must play the rules if you want any type of loan in the USA. He'd rather just continue using his debit card for simplicity.

If only other Americans went by the adage of "don't spend what you don't have".