>Debit cards can be used in non-point of sale transactions (e.g. phone or internet) and point of sale non-PIN "signature" transactions where you use your debit

>Debit cards can be used in non-point of sale transactions (e.g. phone or internet) and point of sale non-PIN "signature" transactions where you use your debit card like a credit card. That's true of most debit cards, namely the ones that sport a Visa or MasterCard logo. They are called "check cards" and can be used in either debit mode (enter PIN on PINpad, no signature) or credit mode (sign if over the merchant-defined limit). Either way, the charge goes against your bank account as soon as the bank receives it. The difference between credit and debit mode is in who processes the charge. For PIN-less signature mode, the credit card network handles the transaction. For PIN debit mode, the debit network (e.g. NYCE) handles it. The debit networks are immediate: the money comes right out of your account. The credit card networks are slower. It may take a day or two for a transaction to hit your account. I remember fifteen or twenty years ago when my bank introduced check cards. I called them and asked if the new MC logo meant the card could be used without entering a PIN. They said yes, and I said I didn't want it. A replacement minus the logo (and with a different PAN) arrived a day or two later.