As a Canadian , I thought that was the expected de facto way of using credit cards: you pay everything with it so you get rewards (ie money) at the end of the year as a function of how much you used the card during the year. At the end of the month, you pay whatever the outstanding balance is, otherwise you pay high interests.

Many of us use it exactly that way, though the rewards (in my personal experience) are immediate as soon as a transaction clears and not yearly. Carrying a revolving balance is a quick way to spiral into bankruptcy because the rates are so high (and the minimum payment is typically 1% of the balance).

I thought this was how credit cards were used the world over. It's certainly how I use them. How do Americans use them that differs from this? Color me confused.

(Also: installments. They are often the norm in my country, but I understand they are less common for Americans).

There are fees thou and i cant imagine they are losing out as a business