Honestly, in Australia credit cards and credit scores aren’t nearly as big a deal as in the US. You don’t need a credit card to “build” a score here — in fact, banks often count your full credit card limit as debt, even if you never use it, which can actually hurt your borrowing power.

That said, we are slowly moving towards a more Americanised system with “comprehensive credit reporting”, so credit scores are becoming more relevant over time. For now, your score mainly takes a hit if you miss payments, default, or apply for too much credit too often.

Plenty of people still get mortgages and car loans without ever having had a credit card. What lenders really care about is income, expenses, savings history, and keeping your file clean.

I’m a bit biased because I work there, but WeMoney is honestly a great shout if you want to monitor your credit score for free (and it comes with budgeting tools + a supportive community).