Introduction:

If you shop at grocery stores and other retail
spots, chances are you have used a debit or credit card at some point in time.
You’ve probably also used both types of cards to pay for things online and
sometimes over the phone. But what are the differences between credit and debit
cards? Here are 6 major differences between the two that every cardholder
should be aware of.

It’s no secret that credit cards are the most
popular form of payment. But what many people don’t realize is there’s more
than just choosing a card to accept. There are also differences between debit
and credit cards, as well as several other factors that should be considered
when making your decision about which form of payment to use. You may have
heard about the differences between debit and credit cards before. But you may
be surprised to learn that they may not be as different as you think.

Debit Cards Let You Spend
What You Have.

With a debit card, you can spend what you have.
The money is actually taken from your bank account and put into the merchant’s
account. When you pay with a debit card, the transaction appears on your
monthly statement as an “authorized” purchase. With credit cards,
however, the transaction appears on your monthly statement as an
“unauthorized” purchase.

What’s more, with a credit card you are liable
for the full amount of the purchase until it is paid off. With a debit card, if
you don’t have enough money in your checking account to cover the purchase, it
will be declined and the charge will be reversed.

Credit cards offer a convenience that debit
cards can’t. With credit cards, you don’t have to worry about your cash balance
drops below zero because you always have enough money in your account to cover
the current transaction.

With debit cards, if you spend more than you
have available in your checking account, the only way to get money is by
writing a check to cover the difference.

That’s a big difference. Credit allows you to
make purchases without having to carry cash or go into debt. It also allows you
to make purchases without worrying about overdraft fees or insufficient funds
fees that come with using a debit card for purchases.

Credit cards are an excellent way to build your
credit history. They can help you get approved for loans and other credit,
which is important if you want to buy a house or other big-ticket items.

Credit cards also allow you to carry a balance
and pay it off over time. That’s a great way to build credit if you only need
the card for emergencies or travel, but not the best option if you want to save
money over time by paying your balance in full each month.

Debit cards are great ways to use credit cards
without adding any debt. You can use them just like cash, with no interest or
fees, and they don’t have an expiry date as a credit card would have. But
they’re not as useful as credit cards because they don’t give you access to new
lines of credit, which means that if an emergency arises — illness or
unemployment — you’ll be limited in what you can do with these funds.*

Credit Cards Offer Powerful
Security and Fraud Protection.

Credit cards offer more powerful security and
fraud protection than debit cards. Credit cards are a safer and more secure way
to pay for your purchases. They offer many benefits including the ability to
make purchases without sharing your personal information with merchants, faster
processing of payments, and a higher limit on your credit line.

Credit card users can also use their cards for
convenience, shopping online as well as in physical stores. Credit card users
can also shop from major retailers, such as Amazon and Walmart, using only
their credit cards and not their debit cards.

Credit cards offer more powerful security and
fraud protection than debit cards. Credit cards are safer to use in case of
loss or steal, as they have an insurance system to protect against fraud.

You can also dispute any fraudulent charges on
your credit card within 60 days of the date of purchase. It’s also easy to get
a refund for any unauthorized transactions made on your account.

Credit Card Fees

Credit cards usually carry a fee for their use.
These fees are usually around 2 percent of the transaction amount, but there
are some cards that may charge up to 5 percent of the transaction value. Some
banks charge additional fees for foreign transactions, ATM withdrawals, and
cash advances.

You can avoid these fees by using a debit card
whenever possible, but note that there may be limitations on how much money you
can withdraw from an ATM each day depending on your bank’s policies regarding
overdrafts and other types of transactions involving more than what your
account balance is set at.

Credit cards are a powerful tool when it comes
to protecting your money from fraud. They have several security features that
make them safer than debit cards, even if you don’t carry much cash with you.

Credit card companies offer more protection
against fraud than debit cards because they use higher levels of security and
monitoring. They make sure the person who is using your credit card has the
right billing information and isn’t using the card for fraudulent purchases or
transactions. The most common type of credit card fraud is when someone steals
your identity and uses it to open a new account or make unauthorized purchases
or payments.

However, not all credit cards are created equal.
Not all issuers offer the same level of protection, and some offer less than
others. For example, some banks only offer online authentication when making
online purchases; others offer two-factor authentication (where you must
provide additional information in order to complete an online purchase) which
makes it harder for someone to make an unauthorized purchase on your account if
they have access to your email address or password for other accounts at that
bank.

Credit Cards Can Earn
Rewards.

Credit cards are often a good choice when you
want to earn rewards. That’s because they’re typically backed by an established
brand, which means you’ll get less risk than with other types of credit cards.

However, debit cards are a great way to keep
your spending in check. Because they don’t allow for spending outside of your
budget, debit cards can help you save money and build a savings account.

With a prepaid card, you can earn rewards
without spending. You might get 1% cash back on your purchases, or even more.
You can also earn points that can be redeemed for gift cards or travel.

You don’t have to spend a lot of money in order
to earn rewards with a credit card. Some cards offer 1% cash back on all
purchases, while others offer bonuses for using the card in specific ways. For
example, some cards will give you 1% cash back when you use your card at
certain retailers like grocery stores and drugstores, while others will give
you bonus rewards when you use the card at certain restaurants or gas stations.

With a debit card, there’s no limit on how much
you can earn from earning cash back or other types of rewards from what you buy. Credit cards can earn rewards but debit
cards are not. Credit and debit cards are both prepaid debit cards that allow
you to make purchases using your checking account or credit card. This can be
useful if you want to shop online, but it’s not always the best way to pay for
your purchases.

Credit Cards vs. Debit Cards

Credit cardholders earn rewards points that they
can use toward future purchases, while debit card holders don’t receive any
kind of rewards point system. However, both types of payment methods have their
advantages and disadvantages when it comes to shopping online.

Credit Card Rewards

Credit cardholders earn rewards on their credit
card accounts every time they make a purchase with their debit cards or by
using a different type of payment method such as PayPal or cashier’s check.
Depending on the type of credit card you have, you may be able to earn a fixed
amount of points or miles per purchase or transaction that can be redeemed for
travel or merchandise at a later date (some companies like American Express
offer frequent traveler programs where you can accumulate miles over time).

Debit Transactions are
Instant, While Credit Transactions Take Time to Process.

Credit transactions are instant, while debit
transactions are not. That’s because the credit card network takes a few
seconds to process each transaction, while debit cards don’t need any
processing at all.

Debit cards are always secure and safe because
they don’t require any personal information to be processed.

Credit transactions are processed immediately,
while debit transactions are processed after the bank receives a customer’s
authorization to debit their account. The process for either type of transaction
is similar and involves steps such as:

The customer swipes their debit card at a
point-of-sale terminal.

The customer enters their PIN or signature on
the screen and confirms it with a button click.

The transaction is authorized and sent
electronically to the bank for approval.

The bank verifies that all required information
has been entered correctly and approves the transaction if it does not contain
any errors.

If approved, the bank sends an approval notice
to the customer’s email address or mobile phone number.

When you pay for something online with a credit
card, the transaction is instant. When you use a debit card, the transaction
may take longer to process.

Debit transactions are typically faster than
credit transactions because they don’t require you to wait for the bank to
approve the transaction before it goes through. Instead, debit transactions
require only that your bank authorizes the transaction before it’s sent out.

Credit cards are more popular than debit cards
because they provide more security in case of fraud or theft. However, debit
cards are becoming increasingly popular throughout Europe and Asia as a way to
circumvent the high fees that banks charge on credit cards.

Debit vs Credit Card Fees.

When you’re deciding whether to use a debit or
credit card, look at the fees. If you’re paying with a debit card, the fee will
generally be a percentage of the transaction amount. Credit cards charge a
service fee for using their card in place of cash.

While there are exceptions, most credit cards
have an annual percentage rate (APR) that’s higher than what you’ll pay on a
debit card. The APR is the interest rate that your bank charges you for using
your credit card.

The APR depends on several factors, including
how long you’ve had your account open, how much money is in it and whether you
carry a balance from month to month or pay it off each month. Here’s how they
compare:

Credit cards offer many benefits, including
convenience and ease of use. But there are also costs associated with credit
cards that you should know about.

Credit card companies charge interest on unpaid
balances, called “interest charges” or “fees.”

If you carry a balance from month to month,
these fees can add up quickly. Interest charges are typically calculated as a
percentage of your balance, but some cards charge fixed rates.

The more money you owe on your card balance each
month, the higher the interest charges become. This is particularly true if you
carry a balance from month to month or pay late payments.

Credit card fees can be high. But, if you carry
a balance on your credit card, it’s still worth considering whether it makes
sense to pay off the balance every month or just pay the minimum amount on
time.

Credit cards are designed to reward you for
using them — at least according to credit card companies. The more you charge,
the more you earn back in rewards and perks, like cash back, airline miles, and
travel vouchers.

But when it comes to paying off your balance
every month, there’s usually a cheaper option than carrying a balance: paying
the minimum amount due each month.

Here’s how much you’ll save if you don’t charge
much and pay only what’s due by the end of each billing cycle:

The average U.S. household has $15,500 in credit
card debt (the average household is worth $65,000), according to Bankrate’s
2017 State of a Credit report. That means the average household would save $367
each year if they paid only what was due on their credit cards every month
instead of making minimum payments.

Debit Cards Access Personal
Funds, While Credit Cards Access Borrowed Funds With Interest.

When you use a debit card, your bank deducts
money directly from your checking account. Your bank cannot do this with a
credit card because the credit card company is borrowing money from the bank.
The credit card company will also charge interest for that transaction.

On the other hand, when you use a debit card to
make purchases or withdraw cash from an ATM, your bank does not charge you
interest on that transaction. If you have a credit card and use it for
purchases or withdrawals, then the credit card company will charge interest on
those transactions.

Credit cards are great. They help you build
credit and earn rewards, they make it easier to pay back your debts and they’re
good for impulse buys. But there’s a downside: Credit cards access your
personal funds, while debit cards access borrowed funds with interest.

The idea behind a credit card is that its holder
uses it to make purchases on which they will later be able to repay the
principal. If you don’t pay off the balance by the due date, the company will
charge you interest (usually about 18 percent).

If you make a purchase that uses your debit
card, however, there are no fees involved when you spend money from your bank
account. Instead, a fee is added every time you move money around. Those fees
can add up quickly if you use multiple debit cards at once or if you frequently
transfer funds between accounts for different purposes — say, paying rent
versus groceries versus entertainment versus utility bills.

Conclusion:

For regular people, the difference between a
credit card and a debit card can be confusing. Many don’t know how to tell them
apart or don’t understand the advantages and disadvantages of each. Debit and
credit are two very different beasts. The former acts like cash, while the
latter can operate on an interest-free loan for up to two weeks. Both have
their advantages and disadvantages, and it is important to understand the
differences—and above all else, be aware of what works best for you!

While the differences may seem small, they can
have a big effect, especially if you are prone to forgetfulness or just don’t
like keeping track of your balances. If you’re looking for ways to better
manage your finances and keep your spending in check, things like monthly fees
and security features can be what separates one card from another and might
make a big difference in how well it suits your needs.