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Credit Card v Debit Card

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  • 02-02-2014 11:32am
    #1
    munster87
    Registered Users Posts: 4,280 ✭✭✭


    Quick question, travelling to New York, is a Credit Card essential or is a Visa Debit Card sufficient for everything?
    Thanks


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    #2
    Michael D Not Higgins
    Registered Users Posts: 7,223 ✭✭✭Michael D Not Higgins


    Everywhere they take visa credit card will take visa debit also.


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    #3
    Black Swan
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 47,251 CMod ✭✭✭✭Black Swan


    Just a word of caution. Credit cards are safer than debit cards in the States (lower exposure to liability). Credit cards generally have a limit on how much a cyberthief can take. My credit cards have a $50 limit of such thefts, provided I notify the banks within specified time limits. If they somehow access my debit card linked to checking account, they could clean me out in minutes. America has recently had several major department stores hacked, with credit and debit card data stolen, and monies taken from customers. Not sure they have solved this data security problem yet.


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    #4
    ProudDUB
    Registered Users Posts: 11,569 ✭✭✭✭ProudDUB


    munster87 wrote: »
    Quick question, travelling to New York, is a Credit Card essential or is a Visa Debit Card sufficient for everything?
    Thanks

    It depends on what you will be using it for. If you just need some plastic to pay for meals, shopping etc etc a debit card will work just as well as a credit card. If you need it to book a hotel room or hire a car, you will have a lot of problems with a debit card.

    I agree with Black Swan that a credit card is generally safer. Here, we use chip and pin technology. If you present your card to pay for something, the transaction can't go through until you have put your pin number into their machine. If you don't know it, the person trying to use the card is out of luck. In the US, they just swipe the card in the machine and if the funds are there to make the payment, the transaction will go through. The card holder is not asked to put a pin number in. So if someone gets their hands on your card, or even the number, they can do some serious damage to your bank balance. You may or may not get the funds back when you notify your bank of the fraud, but you won't have access to them for quite a while, which could really ruin your hollier.


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