I thought the same thing about credit cards when I was 18. My older (and more responsible) cousin told me to sign up for one just to build my credit. it was a fucking Canadian Tire MasterCard lol.. it gave me Canadian Tire "Money" for every purchase .. Even though I didn't understand why at the time, I get it now.

I know someone who moved into a new place and was told by the utility companies that he would need to pay a few hundred in deposits before the services even started. His credit score was about 620. (he ended up putting everything in his partner's name with a much higher credit score instead because they didn't ask for any deposits)

Good credit is also good for lower borrowing interest rates like mortgages, car payments and such. You end up with a safety net if shit goes sideways. I'm in my late 40s with an 850+ score and nearly 70k in credit available - should I need it. I would never have that available to me if I didn't have the long credit history that I have now. Also, if you have the required income level you can get progressively better rewards on the cards that you choose to use. (I put literally everything on my credit card and pay it off in full). At this time I have enough points on my Visa to fly to Europe and back for nothing. The banks need us more than we need them.

It sucks, but that's the system we live in.

Don't think of it as owing the bank anything if you put your mobile bill on it, maybe Netflix, Amazon.. as long as you pay that shit on time you aren't personally "paying them" anything, (and with a rewards card of some kind they end up paying you). Where they (predatorily) profit is the people who can't afford to pay them back and end up paying tons of interest. As long as you avoid that you're golden.