Fair enough. But I don't pay 2€ per month for a credit card from my local bank to buy stuff from a vending machine. The overall point is, that I have not enough use cases to make resonable use of it in the real world over my current free debit card.

Are there really no free credit cards available in your country?

In many countries paying with a credit card gives you greater legal and fraud protection. Also helps build your credit rating.

I'm curious if there's anywhere else outside the US where "building your credit rating" by accumulating debt history from e.g. credit cards is a thing and makes a difference. I haven't heard it mentioned as a US-specific thing, but I've also only ever heard Americans talk about it.

It is true in the UK too, although I doubt it would make much difference when applying for a mortgage, but maybe for a small loan.

In the UK it is absolutely a thing. Why would it not be a thing?

The cost of rigorous consumer protections is sometimes monetary.

I have this discussion with European friends regularly: No, I don't automatically get a three-year warranty on everything I buy. I don't even want such a thing, sometimes. And in return I pay much less for everyday items.

The parent comment and the one it's relying to are about keeping a credit card to build credit history. I don't see what your comment has to do with that. Am I missing something?

Did you think they were still talking about paying a fee for credit cards? Typically in the UK there's no fees for credit cards, the cost is just in the interest if you don't pay it off in time. In fact there are usually less fees for financial services in European countries e.g. checking accounts and ATMs usually don't have fees. (I mean there isn't usually a fee just for having a checking account, but there are of course fees for doing certain things with it such as a CHAPS transfer.)

I have not heard this be a factor when people get mortgages or loans. So "because it doesn't matter".

But apparently in the UK it does! So if I understand right, not having a history of debt can be a problem when getting a mortgage or loan simply because lack of data for them to make any assessment?

If anything having a credit card works against your credit - you could decide to take on debt at any moment, so they assume you already have that debt, and have less capacity to take on more.

In the same vein, I have no reason to use my debit card which is directly connected to "my money" than to use a credit card which is "not my money".

In the US, many, if not most, credit cards don't charge a monthly fee. Is it different in the EU?

I have not many experiences as I am 19 and haven't switche banks, but my current bank requires a fee. See https://www.lzo.com/de/home/privatkunden/kreditkarte.html

INGDiba and Comdirect both offer free credit cards. Probably many more banks do as well.

Doesn't seem to be the case for ING:

https://www.ing.nl/particulier/betalen/creditcards/index.htm...

Comdirect does, but he is in the Netherlands.

In the Netherlands with my bank at least, yes there is a fee. There is also a fee for having a bank account with its included debit card, but you can't do without. Credit cards are of very limited use.