Yeah the whole "paying for sex is for losers" mentality is a dated one held by people who either have no idea what they're talking about, wish they had the balls/freedom to do the same, or are trying to throw you off their own scent.
After some romantic disappointments in civvy land, I began punting purely because I want sex with no strings and can afford it at the moment, so why not? My dad used to punt and so did his friends. I wish he was still around so I could apologise that I got mad at him for "cheating" on my mum. But then I was too naive to realise he was just taking care of his sexual needs which my mum wasn't giving him