Debit Card

If for any reason you don't want have a credit card, you want to make sure that you have a debit card. If you have a checking account, in most cases, you will be allowed to get one of these cards. They can be used almost anywhere credit cards are excepted, but they do work in a different way. These cards will only allow you to buy something if you have enough money in your account. If you have problems with credit cards, this might even be a great alternative to stop you from overspending.

A good debit card is one that offers you buyer protection. Though not all of these cards will do this for you, you will want to ask a your bank to see if yours will. The good debit card will offer you the same protection a good credit card will, and you should be able to use it anywhere you buy or spend money. They are especially useful if you want to buy things online, or if you are going out of town were you know no one will accept a check from you.

If your debit card comes with credit protection as an optional feature, make sure you sign up for it. Also remember that your debit card is vulnerable if someone else were to get their hands on it, so if you find that your debit card is missing make sure you contact your bank at once. They will be able to cancel your card and possibly issue you a new one immediately. In some cases, you will not be liable for fraudulent charges made against your account while your card was out of your hands. However you must act fast if you find it missing or there may be nothing the bank can do.

As with a credit card, make sure you have a secure server when you are using your debit card online. Also remember that there are scam e-mails that will ask you to enter your debit card information under false pretenses. If you receive an e-mail from your bank asking you to go to a web site to enter your information, you should delete the e-mail once and contact your bank. Your bank will never asked you for this information online. If you enter your information on one of these fraudulent sites, you have just given criminals the keys to your bank account. If you are ever in doubt call your bank over the phone. If there is a problem, they will address it with you then.

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