> These cards are accepted by society because they benefit those who know how to use them, but it's hard to look past the fact that so many people, if not most, are financially illiterate (because of failings of education due to lack of funding) and so many people screw themselves financially for decades if not their whole lives because of them.

I went through the U.S. education system in 8 different states in schools in poorer areas, and even then, the education was sufficient to understand the concept of not spending money you do not have.

Set the thing to auto pay the balance every month, and do not spend more than you earn. I expect that much from the 95% of the population that has had the opportunity to learn how to read and write.