OP was talking about real world use case. Why does crypto have to be more beneficial than credit cards to count as a real world use case? There are people in the US who cannot get a credit card easily.
It's totally reasonable to ask how useful something is for you. However, other people might have other answers to that question. For instance, if existing solutions suited everyone - why are zelle and venmo so popular? Hell, I zelle money between MY OWN accounts at different banks just cause its faster, cheaper and easier then the alternative ACH/Wire transfers.
Edit: Hmm - if I could zelle to my brokerage account I probably wouldn't have missed out on that AMAT I'm salty about. :-P
But let me ask: why use zelle to move money between accounts? Why not crypto? Or let's say you're sending money to a friend to split a check or something; would you use crypto vs any of the other "cash" transfer mechanisms?
I don't think that existing financial systems can't and shouldn't be replaced with something better, but so far cryptocurrency ain't it. I should also say that I'm not particularly susceptible to the ideological arguments on its behalf, which seem to be a big bonus for many. Maybe it's just not for me.
My bank/brokerage doesn't take crypto. So Zelle is the next best thing given how slow and expensive wiretransfer/ACH is. (Wasn't wire transfer supposed to be 'fast', it generally seems slower then ACH?). And yes, I do use crypto to send 'cash' to friends.
I do agree wholeheartedly with your statement crypto isn't ready 'for the masses' yet. For one thing, no coin can handle anywhere near the transactions Visa can. But I don't see that as a reason to vilify it, shut it down, or pretend that only criminals use it.
In HN vernacular, I see crypto's as 'startups' - some will pan out, the vast majority won't. Hopefully, each generation of coin will improve on the ones before it.
as for "just not for me" - I'm only putting beer money in. I think most of us that have been in it for a while are in that position. Certainly none of us are out mortgaging our houses. Being skeptical of the hype is a good thing. Maybe in a few years/generations crypto will be in a place that's more useful to you :-)
edit: formating s/any/and/
Because if you want people to switch from credit/debit/paypal to crypto, the idea is that it needs to offer some tangible benefit.
There are people in the US who cannot get a credit card easily.
Yes. Debit or Paypal can be used then. The only clear benefit I see from crypto are people who are completely unable to get ANY bank account. But still with crypto, you need a way to purchase it. Not easy without a bank account, but possible if you can find a way to buy it with cash.
This seems to be the crux of our conversation. I _don't_ want people to switch unless they're ready to take the risks. Crypto is still in its infancy, is definitely not ready for mass market. But I don't think that means we should totally give up on it either.
I see it sorta like the stock market. Picking stocks is (more)risky, so I stick to index funds. Sometimes I'll throw some beer money at a 'pick' I like, but that's the extent of it. (still salty I missed AMAT at $110 because 'wire transfer')
Crypto is the same way - sometimes I throw some beer money at it. I'm not claiming it's right for everyone, or the be-all-end-all. Just that its worth exploring.
P.S. - I was a Paypal 'early adopter', worst experience of my life. They still have $200 of my money, because at the time they had no way of dealing if your email account went away. I guess its gotten better since then.