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we have zero say in what payment methods are available to us

companies and banks decide and we're just their little bitches

Because the US still does not have instant, or near instant bank transfers. ACH bank transfers cost money per transaction, on the order of 0.30-0.50 per transaction, and can much higher for larger transactions.

The US is just incredibly, and uniquely behind when it becomes to accessible payments. This is the reason why "FinTech" such as Cash app, PayPal, and Venmo, in addition to credit cards, are popular - they literally just don't have the infrastructure in place for you to pay back a friend after they pay for a meal.

Every other developed, and even some developing countries, have had fee free instant payments, for the better half of a decade. The UK/Hong Kong have Faster Payment System (FPS). Europe has SEPA, and most countries mandate that transfers cannot charge fees. Australia has Osko. India has Immediate Payments Service.

I read horror stories of USians paying rent by writing cheques or mailing cash to avoid bank transfer fees and subsequently stressing out about fraud. This is just insane to everyone else, who just pays via instant bank transfers.

Bank transfers here take 3 days typically. And that's business days, so add another one if it's after 4:30 pm, also Saturday, Sunday, and holidays don't count.

recently found out most banks in the US are not government owned and charge transfer fees for each transfer (up to $40ish for wells fargo)

Or, there could just be an instant payment thing that's run by the federal bank. Brazil created Pix, which is essentially an instant payment processor that makes transferring money piss easy, and it works 24/7 regardless of date and the money arrives in less than five seconds. It's managed by the Central Bank too, and every bank that operates in the country is connected to it.

Ive never paid for a bank transfer, and we have zelle which works. The reason is Interchange fees for credit cards are high (like 3%) and not capped, banks offer high rewards, sign on bonuses, travel perks etc. using a combination of interchange fees and interest paid. People are drawn to these even if they are losing money in the end due to paying so much interest (people are not financially literate). On the other hand high earners who are smart want to use credit cards for these perks, so alot of high earners will not shop at a place if a credit card is no available, essentially banks, VISA, and high earning yuppies have created a wealth redistribution system that preys on people who take on debt.

I avoid bank transfers whenever possible. If someone fraudulently charges something to your credit card it's trivial to dispute the charge and get it fixed before you ever suffer any financial impact. If they fraudulently transfer money out of your checking account and your mortgage payment and a bunch of other payments bounce before you catch it, it can be a real nightmare.

Lack of a publicly run & managed solution like in other countries. Pix in Brazil for example is created & managed by the Central Bank of Brazil to enable general purpose instant payments between anyone: individuals, businesses, the government, etc. In the US, the federal government won't take such initiative, leaving the private sector to coordinate on their own, which is pretty much like herding cats. Network technology adoption & upgrades are voluntary, heterogenous, & slow. For transfers between banks, we can only assume the lowest common denominator of technology networks with longer settlement times.

For instant digital payment, we end up with a patchwork of privately run services wrapping over these legacy payment systems (ACH, payment card networks) like Zelle, PayPal, Venmo. Zelle (like Pix, which was inspired by Zelle) enables fairly instant transfers between bank accounts, but only between participating banks. Since it's a money transfer & not a credit card payment, it lacks fraud payment protection much like EU counterparts. This surprises scam victims who've come to expect the same protections as credit cards.

We do...? All the time? That's the entire point of debt and now the growing popularity of zell.

Considering your using the term usians I expect you have a very poor understanding how we actually do things.

That's what a debit card is, and plenty of people use them.

Many people are idiots, though. They'll use a credit card and pay interest all the time, rather than have the money to buy that TV or whatever before buying the damn thing.

I use a credit card to take advantage of the warped system, though. It gives me several benefits and costs nothing extra because I pay it off in full every month. All my purchases come with a year of reimbursement if stolen, a year of warranty past the manufacturer warranty, and cash back points. I have gotten thousands of dollars over the years for using a CC. Free money.