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> you may even find hermits that don't have a card... but, in any practical sense, everybody does, and that's how they do their online purchases.

It never stops. :( A person's tiny subset of experience is rarely indicative of anything but that, a subset. I conduct every transaction I can via credit card for two reasons: cash back and protection via the ability to revert fraudulent transactions. But I also have known rational, "techy" (SWE) people who refuse to use them. And I know way better than to attempt to project my experience on "everybody".

https://www.theglobaleconomy.com/rankings/people_with_credit...




I mentioned "in every practical sense" - I'd bet that those that don't have credit cards don't do online purchases either, in the vast majority of cases (>95%). But indeed, that's true in the western world - I might be worng for Africa and Asia/China where mobile-only payments are more prevalent.


France is an example of a western country with < 50% prevalence according to that site. I think you might still be biasing your estimates (the 95%) due to your own experience.

Amazon.com, for example, accepts checking accounts and retail purchased gift cards for US residents.


That just credit cards ([edit] From your own source, roughly 85% French had debit cards[3]). According to statista[1], France has ~50% credit card penetration, but roughly ~100% have debit cards.

Also, digital buyer penetration was <63% in 2017 and is 78% now[2].

[1]https://www.statista.com/statistics/1098129/credit-cards-and...

[2]https://www.statista.com/forecasts/891312/digital-buyer-pene...

[3]https://www.theglobaleconomy.com/rankings/people_with_debit_...




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