Debit Cards

A debit card may also be referred to as a check card or bank card. Similar in appearance to a credit card, a debit card is connected to a bank account and allows the cardholder electronic access to the account. Some debit cards draw against a stored value and others send a message to the financial institution to withdraw funds from a specific account.

Debit cards have become so widespread they have almost replaced checks and are even increasingly used in place of cash.

Debit cards are used quite often to make purchases over the internet or via telephone, similar to a credit card. However, debit cards are different from credit cards in that the funds are immediately transferred rather than paid back at a future date.

Another feature of debit cards is that they are used at an automated teller machine or ATM to withdraw money from a bank account. Also, some merchants will allow customers making purchases with a debit card to get “cash back” or withdraw money from their account as well.

One significant difference between using a debit card at a point of purchase is the necessity of a PIN or personal identification number. This is required for security purposes when withdrawing money from an ATM or making a purchase at a merchant. A benefit of using a debit card over a credit card is the lack of extra charges. While a credit card may charge high fees and have interest rates, a debit card allows a user to make transactions at virtually no charge.