Wetlook World Forum

In Canada at least, debit cards (and direct-debit payments in general) do not have the same degree of controls (the system, government legislation) around them that credit cards and cheques do. If there is ever a dispute between you and your bank over a debit, the money is already gone from your account and the onus is on you to prove you didn't authorize it in order to get your bank's co-operation to get the money back. I believe that fraud activity committed in connection with debit cards now exceeds that of credit cards! Besides, there are always transaction fees; many credit cards are completely no-fee. The last time a bank gave me a debit card to use with an account there, the first thing I did was DESTROY IT!

I don't know what it's like in the UK or anywhere else in the world, but the banks in Canada are only too happy to give you a credit card. Provided you always pay off the amount owing before it attracts any interest, it can be as cheap to use as a debit card (or cheaper), and it's a whole lot safer.

If you are having difficulty getting a credit card, I suppose you have no choice... otherwise, I think it's a far better option.