@Galarad - The needs you have would be better met with a checking account, not a credit card. If you want recurring payments, there's no need for a card, only an account. I don't think this is the reason people don't use credit cards, nor is the 40 leva fee.

It's the lack of any convenience and the lack of education. Bulgarians are (as a whole) extremely uneducated about how finances work. Age is also a big factor, as Karolinka guessed. My grandma gets her pension (around 200 leva) in the post office. I would assure you that you'd need a lot of time to teach her how an ATM and a card works. I have friends in small towns getting around 400 leva salaries. Why would they need any card when they can get their whole salary in a single withdrawal? It's inconvenient.

Sad, but true.