They re-coup this by overcharging businesses as well as having some VERY valuable data. I don't want to play the stupid credit card game either and try to guess which card I should get to get the most "deals".
All I want is a convenient way to pay that doesn't invade privacy. The only two payment methods that satisfy this that I know of are cash and cryptocurrency. I'm not a fan of cryptocurrency for many reasons so cash is my only option.
In the unlikely event I find the need for an illicit purchase, I'll use cash.
You seem to be alluding to the "I have nothing to hide argument". Just because you think you have nothing to hide, doesn't mean you do. Things you don't think you need to hide now may become things you wish to hide in the future. Just because you "have nothing to hide" doesn't mean that you're not entitled to privacy. Would you want me looking through your transaction history?
I would not want my detailed transaction history being public, but am okay with it being used for targeting in a pseudo-anonymized way.