Charlie and the Credit Factory

Visa Debit Cards

What are some of the benefits of Visa debit cards? Speed and convenience are the two biggest.

Speed

Remember back in the day when you'd write a check at a store to make purchases? First of all, it takes a minute or two to write the check and enter it in your check register. Then on some occasions the store clerk will ask for ID. A long time ago that meant you had to show your driver's license and a credit card. Now they usually just ask for your driver's license. But not all stores do that. So you don't always have your license readily available. So you have to take time to dig it out when they do ask to see it.

And when you use your credit card instead, you really have to watch your spending. Most of the time, our credit card limits are far more than we can afford to pay off in full each month, and we tend to spend 30% more when we're using credit cards.

But Visa debit cards have revolutionized the way we pay for things. Most of the time, cashiers don't even concern themselves with asking for ID when people use Visa debit cards. Why should they? The little machine asks for your PIN number for extra security, or if you use your Visa debit card as a credit card, you sign your name and the credit card company helps in the event of fraud. They have less risk when people use Visa debit cards or credit cards, so things go a lot faster in line. Sure you still swipe it and wait for approval, but to really speed things up, put in your PIN number instead of signing your name. Visa debit cards just make things easier.

Convenience

It used to be that the only way you could pay at the pump at a gas station was if you used a credit card. But now most gas stations accept debit cards. Not only that, but if you check you might find that your cable company, your cell phone company, even utility companies now allow their customers to put their Visa debit cards on file so they can pay by phone or online instead of sending their payments by mail. Not only does this save you time (fewer checks to write) but it saves you money on postage. This is especially nice since postage just went up again!

When debit cards were first introduced, many people thought they had to hold on to their ATM cards for ATM transactions. The reality of it is that Visa debit cards can do anything ATM cards can do. (The same fees apply though.)

Other benefits of Visa debit cards include:

Worldwide acceptance
Ability to purchase airfare when you don't have a credit card (or simply don't want to use your card for that)
Ability to reserve a hotel room

The bank debit cards you need may only be a click or two away.