&gt; Why is the credit card the default in the US ?<p>The article states the reason: interests, over-due payback fees. Banks in the US don&#x27;t have any incentive to provide their customers with debit cards other than to generate a shitty small fee.<p>Banks make real money by borrowing the customer (e.g.) 1000$ and collecting it either in full or in partials, and they hope that the customer pays in partials because they can earn interest for long(er) time.<p>A debit card, on the other side, allows for maximum 3-4 days (due to interbank settlement weirdness) and thus the profit from interest falls away.