Debit or Credit Card for Store Purchases

Hi,

Just looking for a few opinions here. I have a Washington Mutual Bank debit card that I use as credit. That card has a 1% fee. Reading various posts, people use the debit card for ATM withdrawals and credit card for purchases. Should I still use my debit card as a credit card and pay the 1% instead of the usual 3% most credit card companies charge?

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1. a debit card is fine for small purchases ( less so for major appliances, expensive electronics, etc due to difference in the dispute process). I have used mine to pay the hotel a few times.

2. make sure your bank doesn%26#39;t assess a difference foreign transaction charge for %26#39;purchases%26#39; than they do for %26#39;ATM%26#39;.

3. bring a credit card as a %26#39;back up%26#39; in case your debit card won%26#39;t function for some reason.

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Hi,

I hate paying the 3% foreign charge transaction fee that most credit cards assess until I read an article stating that Capital One does not charge any foreign transaction fee. That%26#39;s 3% saved everytime you use it. Now, I only use Capital One when I am in Paris.

Make sure your ATM card is a direct link to your checking account only. I think there will be some problems getting money from the Parisian ATM machines if the card is linked with both checking and savings account. Check with WAMU before you depart and give them the dates you will be using your cards in Paris or elsewhere.

Enjoy your trip!

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You wiull probably find that your debit card does not work in France for purchases, as they usually need to be tied into the French Banking system to work as a debit card. None of my UK or Australian bank debit cards work to make purchases.

It will still work fine in ATMs

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%26lt;%26lt;%26lt;I read an article stating that Capital One does not charge any foreign transaction fee%26gt;%26gt;%26gt;

Capital One not only does not charge any transaction fees, they actually eat the 1% Visa/MC conversion fee. Your purchases are converted into dollars at the daily exchange rate and you pay nothing more.

There may be other reasons why a Capital One card is not a good match for someone but for foreign purchases, it cannot be beat.

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My debit card has always worked just fine for purchases in Paris. If your card is linked to more than one account, it should be your checking account. Problems have been reported where a savings account is the primary account. You will not be able to access your savings balance if it is the secondary account. And, if you have overdraft protection, it may or may not work on the international network (check with your bank).

Sometimes a card (debit or credit) transaction will not go through because the phone lines are busy or the bank is offline for their overnight processing (keep the time difference in mind). Should that happen, just use a different card or wait a while.

I agree that you should always have another card as a backup.

And, be vigilant with your debit card. Should it be lost or stolen, a thief could wipe out your balance without your PIN.

Be sure to have the phone numbers with you for the banks that issued your cards (the international %26quot;call collect%26quot; numbers, not the USA toll free numbers) in case you encounter any problems.

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We used a credit card that had a very small charge (I think it was 1%).

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A debit card will work (so long it has a Visa, etc. logo) but you need to make sure your bank is aware that you are traveling abroad - sometime purhases and even hotel bills can be declined for your protection - we had this happen to us and my husband works for our bank. Cash is preferred for small purchases and ATM cards wil work so long as they have Cirrus or other international switching networks.

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Thanks to all for the wonderful advice. I will try to get a Capital One card just in case. :)

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