Why does crypto have to be more beneficial than credit cards to count as a real world use case?
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.