Are debit cards the same as credit cards?

[CharlieH]

Just now, billd766 said:

However, at least at Kasikorn Bank you can pay extra and get your name put on the card for a fee.

Understand, but kind of pointless if no one ever looks at it or bothers to check it though.????

[sirineou]

4 hours ago, lust said:

Reading through the comments I’m even more confused than before. 
 

in Canada, we have 2 different cards. One is your debit card, which you can access your savings. To use this card for transactions, you must first enter your PIN number which proves you are you.

 

The credit card (visa, master card, etc) are linked to your credit. For example, my savings account is empty, I can use credit card to buy fuel, food, clothes, whatever, which I’m essentially promising to pay this money back within 30 days before I’m charged interest. To use the card, you must show your identification to prove you are you. We are given a Limit to what we can spend which is pretty much determined by your income. 

 

So my confusion is that I opened a Kasikorn savings account, issued a card that says Credit Card, and I can use this card without entering a PIN number or even showing an ID. 
 

My account has 400,000baht in it which is concerning for me if I ever lose my card and someone finds it and decides to go shopping.

 

i was under the impression that my account was better protected than this. Thanks for all the reply’s btw.

 

 

I am not sure about Canada (I am American) But in the US you can use the debit card at a point of sale (POS terminal) both with the pin or by signing like a credit card.  It is probably the same in Canada,

   I never use my pin at a POS terminal because I don't want it to be hijacked (some pos terminals have skimmers), I always sign, especially at gas stations.

"You may want to choose credit if you’re traveling or shopping online and want better fraud protection or if you have a rewards program through your checking account that requires the credit option.  "

https://www.creditcards.com/credit-card-news/video-debit-pin-signature-checkout-1457.php

Merchants will never tell you, ask your bank  Merchants  want you to use your pin because it cost them less, 

[saengd]

4 hours ago, billd766 said:

A debit card can only be used to the amount you have in your bank account.

 

A credit card can be used up to the limit of the card regardless of the amount you have in the bank.

 

For example if you have 10,000 baht in your bank account and the bill you want to pay is 20,000 baht your debit card will reject the bill and you will have to find another way to pay the bill.

 

For example if you have 10,000 baht in your bank account and the bill you want to pay is 20,000 baht and your credit limit is 100,000 baht it will be accepted, UNLESS you have spent more than 81,000 baht on your credit card and the bill will breach the 100,000 limit, in which case your credit card will reject the bill and you will have to find another way to pay the bill.

I'm sorry, I took it for granted that everyone understood that a debit card can only be used up to the value of the balance of the account and that didn't need to be said.

[gk10002000]

8 hours ago, allane said:

I have a credit card. It too can be used for purchases, with no requirement for either a signature or a PIN. (Up to a certain limit, which I can't remember). This is not progress. I am old enough to remember when one of the selling points for credit cards was that they were safer than cash.

Credit cards in general are much safer than debit/cash cards because in the USA anyway, there is much more consumer protection against fraudulent or unauthorized credit card charges.   Thailand seems to be a bit more of the wild wild west as far at protection and proper transaction processing is concerned.

[Lacessit]

52 minutes ago, gk10002000 said:

Credit cards in general are much safer than debit/cash cards because in the USA anyway, there is much more consumer protection against fraudulent or unauthorized credit card charges.   Thailand seems to be a bit more of the wild wild west as far at protection and proper transaction processing is concerned.

This is Thailand. Please explain how a credit card can be safer than a debit card HERE, because I fail to see how.

[dimitriv]

7 hours ago, Moonlover said:

Get down to your bank @lust and have your debit card (which it surely is) replaced. These old magnetic strip, 4 digit PIN cards are all being withdrawn and you need to have it replaced with a chip and pin 6 digit PIN card very soon. I think it's January, but check on your bank's website.

 

I'm surprised that your card was instantly improved by her swiping it! ????

 

 

Swiping or chip doesn't really make a difference. I have Mastercard and Visa debitcards, both with chip. I can pay with them at the Big-C and Tesco Lotus without entering a pin code. 

 

Sometimes I need a pincode. And sometimes a signature is enough. I never understood why it is different every time.

 

The biggest difference between a card with magnetic strips or chip is that magnetic cards can be cloned easily. The equipement to clone a card you can buy on aliexpress. A chip is impossible to clone (till now) so should be more safe. But this doesn't help if you lose your card.

 

 

[saengd]

MY credit card with UOB requires a one time password is used plus every transaction is notified to me via an SMS, I feel comfortable they have taken all the right steps.

[gk10002000]

2 hours ago, Lacessit said:

This is Thailand. Please explain how a credit card can be safer than a debit card HERE, because I fail to see how.

I don't know how.  I never said it would be.  I said in the USA it is relatively easy to correct fraudulent charges with a credit card and the USA laws allow for that.  It can be much more difficult and one has much less consumer protection with debit cards.

 

  Now as far as safer.  Define what you mean by safe.  Do you mean how easy or more difficult is it for somebody to actually use the card without your knowledge or permission?  Sadly, in the USA that is often a problem also.  When I use my credit card I have literally never been asked to show my ID.  If you mean safer as in how easy or convenient is it to correct mistakes, than credit card usage in the USA is much safer.

[Moonlover]

2 hours ago, dimitriv said:

Swiping or chip doesn't really make a difference. I have Mastercard and Visa debitcards, both with chip. I can pay with them at the Big-C and Tesco Lotus without entering a pin code. 

 

I think that it's a case of how much the transaction is. I've noted this in Big C which is where I use my card the most. Sometimes yes, sometimes no. I'm guessing there is a threshold over which the PIN code is required.

 

 

[Tayaout]

11 hours ago, Lacessit said:

As a former banker, you should know better than to post misinformation. Credit limits are usually much higher than the debit balance. My niece, with no income apart from a disability pension, has been offered credit cards with a $25,000 limit.

With my credit union in Australia I have three linked accounts, debit cards on two of them as backup in case one is lost or stolen. The debit cards each have a daily limit of $1250.

I can assure you my credit union goes after any transactions I report as fraudulent like the wrath of God.

The one debit card I have here is again for backup only. It has a six-digit PIN. Credit cards are for people who want to live beyond their means.

Check out the Royal Commission into banking in Australia to get the general idea of what people think of the banking "profession".

 

 

In the west or Australia they have good consumer protection. I suspect my Thai debit card with mastercard logo was cloned or leaked. I had several small transactions over the course of 5-6 months before I noticed them. Bangkok Bank could not even tell me if the transaction was online or at an ATM. The notion of refund was laughed at and I had to pay for a new card. 

[Tayaout]

11 hours ago, lust said:

Reading through the comments I’m even more confused than before. 
 

in Canada, we have 2 different cards. One is your debit card, which you can access your savings. To use this card for transactions, you must first enter your PIN number which proves you are you.

 

The credit card (visa, master card, etc) are linked to your credit. For example, my savings account is empty, I can use credit card to buy fuel, food, clothes, whatever, which I’m essentially promising to pay this money back within 30 days before I’m charged interest. To use the card, you must show your identification to prove you are you. We are given a Limit to what we can spend which is pretty much determined by your income. 

 

So my confusion is that I opened a Kasikorn savings account, issued a card that says Credit Card, and I can use this card without entering a PIN number or even showing an ID. 
 

My account has 400,000baht in it which is concerning for me if I ever lose my card and someone finds it and decides to go shopping.

 

i was under the impression that my account was better protected than this. Thanks for all the reply’s btw.

 

 

When I left Canada there wasn't any debit card that could be used like a credit card. You had either a debit card or a credit card. In Thailand you can get a debit card that is compatible with Mastercard or Visa payment terminal. They don't ask for your pin when paying with them and the cashier ask for your signature. They should compare the signature on the back of the card with the one you do on the receipt but none of them do. I have a limit of 200,000 per day so this can be quite dangerous. If this concern you then don't ask for the card without credit card logo or ask for the lowest limit (5000?).

[lopburi3]

10 hours ago, billd766 said:

A debit card can only be used to the amount you have in your bank account.

But there is a cash and merchant daily limit that may greatly reduce that amount.  Beware you may have the money in your account and still be unable to pay your hospital bill with a debit card.

[kralledr]

@lust are you sure on your card it say credit card?!

 

I have a real credit card from SCB and kasikorn and it not say credit or debit card^^ 

[YT3k72Em]

2 hours ago, kralledr said:

@lust are you sure on your card it say credit card?!

 

I have a real credit card from SCB and kasikorn and it not say credit or debit card^^ 

Yeah, @lust, please look at your card again and then compare it to.

 

https://www.kasikornbank.com/en/personal/Debit-Card

and 

https://www.kasikornbank.com/en/personal/Credit-Card/Pages/credit-card.aspx

 

and tell us which one you are really talking about. (my guess is debit card)

[YT3k72Em]

If you are talking about Debit Cards, all ATM cards issued in Thailand are now debit cards and can be used for paying at shops unless you set the "purchase limit" to zero.

 

Pure ATM cards are not available any more. Just go to the bank and ask to set the purchase limit to zero if you are worried about someone using it.  Note there are different limits for ATM withdrawals, transfers and purchases.

 

However, being able to use it as a debit card is very handy for people without local credit cards.

[Lacessit]

7 hours ago, lopburi3 said:

But there is a cash and merchant daily limit that may greatly reduce that amount.  Beware you may have the money in your account and still be unable to pay your hospital bill with a debit card.

With a smartphone, I can access my account balance on the internet to show the hospital authorities the money is there. Assuming I am conscious, of course.

[lopburi3]

20 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

With a smartphone, I can access my account balance on the internet to show the hospital authorities the money is there. Assuming I am conscious, of course.

And that is going to help you depart?  I ended up using a credit card for most of a payment to get home when I first encountered that (having been blissfully unaware that my money was not really my money as far as debits cards are concerned - my mistake but expect one made by more than me).  I was aware of the cash from ATM limits but not for payments.

[Lacessit]

1 hour ago, lopburi3 said:

And that is going to help you depart?  I ended up using a credit card for most of a payment to get home when I first encountered that (having been blissfully unaware that my money was not really my money as far as debits cards are concerned - my mistake but expect one made by more than me).  I was aware of the cash from ATM limits but not for payments.

I really don't know, because I haven't tried. Do you think they will handcuff me to a hospital bed until I pay up? More likely they would have an employee accompany me to the bank so I can withdraw the funds.

A month ago, I bought return flights to Malaysia at an agent with a debit card. I would be confident hospitals can handle payments that way.

[lopburi3]

1 hour ago, Lacessit said:

A month ago, I bought return flights to Malaysia at an agent with a debit card. I would be confident hospitals can handle payments that way.

Yes but hospital bill can be a bit higher - mine was a next day bill for 340,000 baht after expect to pay for a stress test.  And when payment time my debit card could only be used for 100k of that amount.  Embarrassing when you know there are sufficient funds in the account but did not know debit card had a daily limit.  Yes the days of being chained to bed seem to be over here (not as true other countries) so likely would have been a trip home to get passport and then to bank to get funds but not what you really want to do when getting out of ICU.   

Sorry off topic - we just need to remember cards have limits.