The predatory credit cards in the US should be not legal. They are exploiting people who don’t have so called “financial literacy” and encourage wasteful spending.

In Europe the US style credit cards don’t really exist and people just have debit cards. Also there is a social safety net, so people don’t have to rely on keeping money in the bank for when they become unemployed.

Issue is, salaries are not enough, some credit cards give great benefits and cashbacks, and sadly the credit system is being exported to other countries, it is no longer an US only problem.

First time I tried to get a mortgage, I got rejected by multiple banks due to my "inexistent credit footprint", which was just the local flavor of a credit score. The banks even offered to give me credit cards, encouraging me to use them and NOT pay them off to prove I had a good payer behavior. Got lucky and found a credit union who didn't ask for any of that but had higher interest rates, so lose-lose situation.