I sometimes use tar when I need to transfer a bunch of files using a USB stick. Most USB sticks I encounter are FAT (or rarely, NTFS) and the permissions get trashed if bare files are copied. Tar saves me from having to repair the perms on the other end.
(Admittedly this isn't something you're going to need to do unless you find yourself working with air-gapped systems, but .. I do)
(Admittedly this isn't something you're going to need to do unless you find yourself working with air-gapped systems, but .. I do)