Choosing Debit vs. Credit With a Debit Card

The Cost and Fees for Choosing Debit vs. Credit at Checkout

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When you make a purchase with a debit card, you will often have the choice to choose a "debit" or "credit" transaction. This determines how much payment processors charge, how long it takes for money to move, and other things that impact both retailers and customers.

Learn what it means to choose both debit and credit and the fees associated with each, along with the benefits and risks of each option.

Paying Debit vs. Credit with a Debit Card

When you pay with a debit card at an in-person retailer, you may be given the option to select either "debit" or "credit" to complete your purchase. There are several differences between the two types of transactions.

Choosing "Debit" Choosing "Credit"
Online transaction Offline transaction
Enter a personal identification number (PIN) to verify your identity Sign a charge slip or on-screen for the transaction (no PIN)
May be able to request cash back No cash back
Purchases processed electronically Purchase runs through credit card networks (like Visa and MasterCard)
Lower merchant processing fees Higher merchant processing fees
Processed immediately or within the same business day May take several days for the charge to process
Usually no customer fees for debit transaction Authorization hold could tie up money in your checking account

In both cases, the payment for the purchase comes from your checking account. Unlike paying with a credit card, you are not borrowing money that must later be paid back, even if you choose a "credit" transaction.

Impact on Retailers

Since the money comes from the same account no matter whether you choose debit or credit for your transaction, its impact on consumers is generally lower. However, the difference is more significant for banks and retailers.

Merchants pay a percentage of the total purchase price for payment processing. The details depend on several factors, including transaction size and whether the card was present or not.

It’s often less expensive for retailers to process online, PIN-based transactions than offline payments. For small purchases, even online fees can add up to a meaningful percentage of a purchase, eating into retailers’ margins.

The Durbin Amendment to the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 limits debit card interchange fees to 21 cents plus 0.05% of the payment. In some cases, merchants might pay an additional one-cent fraud-prevention charge.

Those rules only apply to “covered transactions,” which include cards issued by some of the largest card issuers nationwide. However, other card issuers can charge more. For example, those rules only apply to banks and credit unions with $10 billion or more in assets. 

Note

The Federal Reserve reported that in 2019, debit card transaction fees were typically around $0.24 per payment. On average, exempt (non-covered) transactions cost $0.54.

To pass on these costs to customers, some merchants may add credit card surcharges, which aren’t allowed with debit card purchases under federal law. Debit card minimums are another tactic, but payment networks prohibit those minimums.

Impact on Consumers

For customers, even though the money comes from the same place no matter which type of transaction you choose, the choice still affects your bank account.

For example, if you pay for gas at the pump, you know that you swipe your card before pumping gas. The machine doesn’t know how much gas you are going to buy, so the gas station payment system is set up to make some assumptions.

If you use a debit card, the system will check to see if you have at least $50 or $100 available in your account—effectively pre-authorizing a purchase for that amount. If authorization comes back, the retailer “blocks off” that $50 or $100 so you can’t spend it elsewhere.

You might only buy $10 worth of gas, but $100 is frozen in your account for several days. In a worst-case scenario, you could end up bouncing a check or incurring an overdraft fee.

Using your debit card for credit transactions can also come with financial incentives. Banks prefer when customers choose a credit transaction since they receive income from merchant fees.

To increase their revenue, banks and other financial institutions may offer rewards for credit transactions, such as:

Risks from Using Debit Cards

While using your PIN makes the transaction clear your account more quickly, it also creates a security issue. By entering your PIN, you run the risk that:

  • Someone else will see your PIN
  • A hidden camera or another fraud device could record your PIN
  • The retailer’s device could give up your PIN in a data breach

If your PIN is compromised, scammers have direct access to your checking account. They can create fake cards and spend your money, or they may even create a fake ATM card to attempt cash withdrawals.

Debit cards and credit cards both provide consumer protection, but credit cards are more generous. Stolen debit cards expose you to more risk.

With credit cards, you’re limited to $50 of liability for fraudulent use. Plus, a thief who uses a stolen credit card isn't spending your money and cannot empty your checking account.

With a debit card, your losses are limited to $50 if you notify your bank or credit union within two business days of learning about the loss of your card or the theft of your PIN. However, you could be liable for as much as $500 if you don't tell the card issuer on time.

If you don't report an unauthorized transaction that appears on your statement within 60 days of the statement being mailed, you risk unlimited loss on unauthorized transfers made after that period. This means you could lose all the money in your account.

Given the added risk of loss, plus the potential for direct access to your checking account, it may be safer to use a credit card rather than a debit card when making purchases. However, you may want to stick with a debit card if:

  • You can't qualify for a credit card
  • You want to help a child or young adult develop good spending habits
  • You want to avoid any debt, even temporary debt without interest charges
  • You struggle to pay off your credit card every month

To address some of those problems, work on improving your credit history to qualify for less expensive credit cards or try a prepaid debit card, which does not have a direct link to your checking account.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Do I use credit or debit if I need to get cash back during a transaction?

If you are at the store and wish to get some cash back during your transaction, you must use a debit card. You will be prompted to input how much cash you'd like during the checkout transaction. The amount selected will be added to the total, and that new amount will be the amount taken from your account.

Can you get cash back using a credit card?

Getting cash back by using a credit card is a little different than using a debit card. While a debit card lets you get cash back with a transaction, credit cards allow you to earn cash back rewards for using them. You can also get some money back with a credit card by going to an ATM and making a cash withdrawal there.

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Sources
The Balance uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
  1. Congressional Research Service. "Regulation of Debit Interchange Fees."

  2. Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. "Average Debit Card Interchange Fee by Payment Card Network."

  3. Visa. "Surcharging Credit Cards–Q&A for Merchants," Pages 1-2.

  4. Visa. "Minimum Transaction Amount on a Visa Credit Card," Page 1.

  5. Federal Trade Commission. "Lost or Stolen Credit, ATM, and Debit Cards."

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