His Excellency Aethien wrote:
So basically a guilty until proven innocent kind of thing, people/companies assume you can't pay off debts unless you've done so before.
While "true", we're not talking a court of law, we're talking places who make their business lending money. They don't make any money if the other guy fails to pay them back. Wanting some form of evidence that you'll do so isn't all that unseemly. Creditors pull a lot of crap I wouldn't defend but I don't think credit checks are something that's innately bad.
Some people use their credit cards because they offer rewards for usage: airline miles, cash back, reward points usable for gifts, etc. The banks do this to promote usage in the hopes that you'll keep a balance and pay interest but you can just as easily game the system and collect free airline miles by using your card and paying it off promptly. Last wedding anniversary, my wife and I enjoyed a $750 one-night stay at the Chicago Trump Hotel and paid nothing since we used points accumulated on the card.