<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by duplojohn:
I can think of a number of reasons:
1) Single card to access cash purchases.
2) Greater control (you can't spend hat you don't have).
3) You can give multiple cards to people and limit thier purchase (ie. college kid).
4) Here's a good one: NO INTEREST
5) And per the VISA agreement, anyone who accepts VISA must accept Debit cards as well, (even rental car companies, who only can require a hold funds).
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So, as thought, the BofA VISA debit/check card offers no advantages over the BofA VISA CC to someone who pays their balance in full each month and is fiscally responsible ... with the possible exception that you could carry one less card (ie no ATM card).
And in exchange for carrying one less card you subject yourself to the serious disadvantage that the debit card doesn't have legal protections that credit cards have.
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Lastly, on my last two or three trips to Europe and off continent, I have used a simple Debit card/ATM card for greater flexibility. Others have noted this too. As travelers cheches are a pain.
Travelers cheques have long been silly.
However the use of ATMs does not require the use of a VISA debit card. Some of us have been using ATMs across the world to access our checking accounts for over a decade.
[This message has been edited by Quokka (edited 04-24-2002).]