Comment by kranner

It's much the same in India. Credit cards are not easy to qualify for, and in most cases you can only expect to get one if you're employed somewhere full-time. As a self-employed person for a large part of my career, I would always have to ask other people to use their credit card for occasional use where no other payment option existed (and pay them directly). I finally got one after having put a significant amount of savings in the bank.