There are plenty of reasons you should use a credit card instead of a debit card (if both are available) but here’s one that is especially compelling. A debit card is directly linked to your checking account, whereas a credit card is linked to an ephemeral credit limit. When Burger King accidentally bills you $2,243 instead of $22.43 or when they bill you $8,648 instead of $86.48, you aren’t suddenly emptied of all your funds.

Debit cards used to suffer from weaker fraud protection, that’s no longer the case. Debit cards used to be less widely accepted because they used a network that differed from credit cards, that’s less and less the case. However, debit cards will always be linked to your bank account (that’s by definition) so when someone accidentally enters in $2000 instead of $20, you’ll be out that money until someone is around to resolve it.

In the meanwhile, any checks you’ve written or any future debit transactions will result in NSF (not sufficient funds) and overdraft fees - which will likely put a smile on your bank’s face and a huge frown on yours.

So, if you want yet another reason not to use debit cards, this is a big one. Don’t underestimate the power of carelessness and stupidity.

They lack the same protections as credit cards, they allow access directly to your checking account, and many of them don’t have cashback or any other benefits to speak of. So, why do so many people use debit cards!? I was shocked to find this stat, “Debit cards have overtaken credit cards as Americans’ plastic of choice for in-store transactions—33 percent debit, compared with 19 percent credit,” in a scary article about debit card fraud. I can understand it if you use debit cards because you can’t get a credit card or you don’t trust yourself with a credit card, but outside of those two reasons why would anyone use debit?

Educate me!

Upon signing out of my account tonight, I was notified of an ongoing promotion Bank of America was running where they would send you a $10 Home Depot gift card if you used your Bank of America debit card at least ten times before September 30th.

Make 10 purchases with your Check Card between September 1 and 30. You can use it at places that don’t have a PIN pad—simply present your card.

Virtually everything you buy counts, no matter where you use your card

As a “thank you” from us, we’ll automatically send you a $10 Gift Card to The Home Depot®

Some caveats:

Offer not valid on a) ATM transactions; b) credits or other adjustments related to POS purchases, such as those for purchases that are cancelled or returned; c) purchases for cash-like items such as money orders, traveler’s cheques, foreign currency, cashier’s cheques, gaming chips, and other similar instruments and things of value; d) account funding transactions including transfers to open or fund deposit, escrow, or brokerage accounts and purchases of stored-value cards

Sounds like an easy way to make $10 from Bank of America for a card you probably carry in your wallet or purse anyway.