Using people for clout works right up until everyone compares notes.

Treating people as steps works for a while because nobody has the full picture yet. Then the group chat happens. Someone mentions the favor you never returned, somebody else recognizes the shape of it, and the story assembles itself in an afternoon without you. Reputation is not built from what you say about yourself, it is built from what people discover they have in common.

Ask whether you would still be talking to a certain person if they could do nothing for you. If the answer is no, be honest about the arrangement instead of calling it friendship. And return what you owe before anyone has to notice.