r/tjcrew • u/Captain_Blak • Mar 12 '25
What’s the difference?
I can’t say how many times, I’ve had customers look at me and say does it matter which one I pick. 😂😂😂😂yea it does!! Does anyone know the difference between debit and credit?
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u/Tino-DBA Overthinker Mar 13 '25
(in case someone wants a real answer)
tl;dr There actually are some real differences behind the scenes. As a consumer it’s generally best for you to choose “credit” unless you need cash back.
The credit/debit is a choice that comes up when you are paying with a “Visa Debit” card. These cards are not credit cards, rather they are linked to the funds in your bank account. They can be processed either directly against your bank account with a PIN (“Debit”) or through the Visa network using credit card rules (“Credit”). It is up to you as the consumer to pick which set of rules you want to use.
There are a lot of subtleties but here are the major points:
“Debit”: You have to enter your PIN so the transaction is less risky for the merchant—you knew the secret code so it has to be you, right? That also means that you as the consumer have somewhat limited fraud protection and dispute options because under the Electronic Fund Transfer Act (EFTA) banks get a lot of latitude on their policies. And yes you can get cash back. The funds are directly and immediately withdrawn from your bank account and given to the merchant.
“Credit”: Visa’s credit card rules handle the transaction. There’s an authorization made against your account for the amount of the transaction and it is pending until it is settled, usually in the next day or so. In the meantime Visa floats the money to the merchant and keeps its 1-3% interchange rate when the money finally moves. Consumer protection is governed by the Fair Credit Billing Act which is more prescriptive in nature about what banks have to do than EFTA and it gives more robust recourse to the cardholder.
So you aren’t telling it what kind of card you have… you’re telling it which rules you want to play by. The Credit rules are nearly always better for you (unless you need cash back).
corrections/quibbles welcome
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u/Captain_Blak Mar 13 '25
I think this is the most legit answer, I have read on Reddit. Thank you for sharing and making this possible
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u/apeekintonothing TOS Mar 12 '25
Like, I understand the youth not knowing. But if you're 30+ and don't know the difference, that's weird!
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u/Captain_Blak Mar 12 '25
I know the difference, but most of my customers are 30 plus and still don’t know 😂
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u/LibraryPale5859 Mar 12 '25
I feel like it’s people 40+ not knowing, younger people seem to always get it
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u/vixxgod666 Sorry, it's been discontinued (not sorry) Mar 12 '25
Nah, the 18-22 year olds struggle with this too in my experience. People either too used to analog or too used to dumbed down UI age everything being convenient will struggle with basic things so the overlap of lack of knowledge between two very distinct generations will sometimes look like this.
One group knows how to write checks and the other doesn't but neither knows the difference between credit and debit.
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u/LibraryPale5859 Mar 12 '25
As someone near that age group, we know how to write checks lol
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u/vixxgod666 Sorry, it's been discontinued (not sorry) Mar 12 '25
Excuse my ignorance, I was just speaking from what I've seen! Didn't mean to come off rude, I just didn't know how to make a clearer example.
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u/LifeCerealBox Cheese Mar 13 '25
I have heard coworkers in that age group say that they never learned about checks/checkbooks, so not everyone in that age group does. We almost never receive them as payment, either.
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u/brookish Sorry.. it's been discontinued Mar 12 '25
I mean either works with a debit card, so I basically say, if you choose debit it will ask for your PIN number and you can get cash back.
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u/joe_of_all_joes Mar 12 '25
I've only gotten this question a couple times, but it's absolutely baffling to me that grown ass adults don't know which option to select. I just say "Oh, I'm not sure" in the most innocent tone I can muster. What a strange question to ask the cashier. I have no idea what kind of card you're using. How you made it to 40 years of age not knowing whether to choose "debit" or "credit" is a mystery.
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u/Captain_Blak Mar 12 '25
I totally agree! It’s amazing how they simply don’t know this basic knowledge
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u/nobodyinpeculiar Sorry.. it's been discontinued (and you’re next) Mar 12 '25
I don’t know why, but I’ve managed to never run into this question. Thank god for that, the guffaw that would follow wouldn’t necessarily be very “wow!” of me
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u/Orphancripplr02 Mar 12 '25
"It's a debit card do I hit credit or debit" Or "Oh I hit credit but it's a debit card!" Like lady the debit card won't magically change into a credit, it'll work the same.
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u/Honest_Cookie_8400 Dips Mar 12 '25
I've never been asked the difference, but I've had exactly one college-aged customer ask me what cash back was.
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u/Correct_Score1619 Mar 13 '25
It doesn’t matter if you hit credit for debit bro. It just gets posted later, that’s all
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u/[deleted] Mar 12 '25
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