Originally Posted by
JEFFJAGUAR
For years, when you used a debit card in a swipe terminal at grocery stores or department stores like Walmart, the first thing you were asked was credit or debit. Well you weren't really using the debit card as a credit card, it was just a matter of which network it went through namely the credit network (signature) or the debit network (pin). To most, it didn't make the slightest bit of difference. Many of the population preferred signature (credit). No pin to remember.
I don't think that was the reason. When Visa/MC check cards became popular 15 or so years ago, my bank at the time would charge $0.50 for debit transactions but nothing for credit transactions. Furthermore, there were not the zero-dollar liability protections in place at the time, especially not for debit transactions. People got into the habit because the financial gurus were all telling them that the liability protections were better if the transaction went over the Visa or MC networks. However, I still see people say debit and enter their PIN. I'm not sure if I buy your argument that people don't remember their PIN because these same would would need to know their PIN to use an ATM.