If I match into a medical residency in the US, can I survive using only a debit card? As a Muslim, I want to avoid interest and interest-based contracts, so I do not want a credit card. I don't plan on buying any property, but I want to know if living with only a debit card is plausible and how it will affect my daily life.
You can live in the US using only a debit card and avoid interest entirely, but having no credit history will make finding an apartment and setting up your daily life much harder. You do not need a traditional credit card to build that history.
You can cross the banking worry off your list right now. US banks offer fully Shariah-compliant, interest-free checking accounts that carry the exact same federal protection as any standard bank account.
Living on a debit card affects your daily life because landlords, employers, and insurance companies commonly look at your credit history to decide if you are reliable. Finding housing is much harder when you have no credit file.
You cannot force a landlord to accept your rental application by claiming discrimination over your lack of a credit score. The Fair Housing Act is the federal law that prohibits housing discrimination. It makes it illegal to deny housing based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, familial status, or disability. Credit history is not a protected class under this law. Landlords are legally permitted to use credit scores as a screening tool to check your financial responsibility, and they can deny your application if you do not meet their requirements.
