Debit Cards

Debit and prepaid debit cards provide convenient and secure payment options for consumers, allowing easy access to funds without the risk of accruing debt.

Best Debit And Prepaid Cards

Best Checking Accounts

How To Get A Debit Card

Debit Vs. Credit Cards

Explore debit card basics

Smiling businessman making payment with credit card

Debit cards can offer additional perks to help you save more of your money.

Man paying with credit card while shopping with woman at supermarket

Debit cards and prepaid cards can be used similarly, but debit cards tend to have fewer fees.

woman sitting on her couch and looking at her phone and credit card

Knowing your limit before making a purchase can help you make smarter decisions.

Use your debit card wisely

DEBIT

Where to avoid using your debit card

Just because you can use your debit card almost anywhere doesn’t mean you always should. Bankrate's experts keep you informed on the risky places to avoid swiping your debit card.

Checking

Daily ATM withdrawal limits

It's important to know how much you can withdraw from your bank's ATMs in a given day to help you better handle financial emergencies that require cash.

Checking

Available account balance vs. current balance

Understand the differences between the two balances you may see when looking at your bank account.

Image for Checking account and ATM fee study

BANKING

Checking account and ATM fee study

Maintaining a checking account with a debit card can come at a high cost. Learn how rising ATM fees and other banking fees are impacting consumers.

Experts in all things banking

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About Bankrate's team

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Chief Financial Analyst

Principal U.S. Economy Reporter

Senior Economic Analyst

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Latest articles

Man in coffee shop using laptop with a card in his hand.

The rule provides a framework for settling unauthorized debit-card transactions.

Woman paying at the gas pump

Debit cards are inherently less secure than credit cards, especially at these spots.

Young woman holding a stack of cards and thinking

Credit and debit cards are both popular payment methods, but with different purposes.

A person takes a picture of a check.

Depositing a check using a smartphone is easy and can save you a trip to the bank.

man buying concessions at the movie theatre

Prepaid cards can be used to make purchases, but you only have access to preloaded money.

Man talking on cellphone

Ever heard of a neobank? If not, here’s what you need to know.

A young woman is in the living room, she is using a laptop and credit card

Stop wasting time writing checks. Learn the faster, safer way to pay.

Man renting a car at Hertz

Most rental car companies make you take extra steps to rent with a debit card.

senior woman looking at paperwork in front of a computer

Age and region are also factors in how much consumers pay in checking fees.

female soldier and her husband use a banking app to check the state of their finances

Bank account budgeting tools make it easy to track your personal finances.

Illustration of woman holding a briefcase in front of two bar graphs representing the deteriorating labor market

It’s a tale of two job markets: secure for job holders, recession-like for job seekers.

Mother and daughter

A savings account is a good tool for teaching children financial basics and responsibility.

A father multi-tasks with his young son.

Savers, here are strategies to invest in CDs.

close up of hands writing a check

Consumers without a bank account face hurdles when trying to cash a check.

An image of a pink piggy bank standing on top of a green and white striped rocket with smoke coming out of the end of the rocket.

Here’s everything you need to know about high-yield savings accounts.

stacks of coin with dollar bill

A CD ladder lets savers benefit from higher rates without locking up all your money in long-term CDs.

Women checking amount in bank account passbook with bank statement

Here are a few different ways to see how much money you have in your bank account.

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