<p>Kind of stupid question but I'm not sure which I should get..a credit card or a debit card..and should I get it under my bank account or my parents? thanks!</p>
<p>Um... get both. You'll have to get each someday, so you might as well get used to using them. If I were you, I'd get them under my account instead of my parents, if only so that you can keep your purchases confidential :).</p>
<p>^Can't think of a situation where you'll "have" to get a debit card.
In my economics class a few years ago the teacher said to stay away from debit cards as they don't have the same protections that credit cards do. This might have changed recently though.</p>
<p>I very much disagree with the posts above. As a student, you probably aren't terrific with managing your money yet. Get a debit card. The money is drawn straight from your checking account with no fees/interest charged. You can also use it as an ATM card to get cash, and (with many banks) as a mock credit card. That is, you can verify purchases with a signature like using a credit card if the store doesn't accept debit.</p>
<p>Also, many accounts will protect you from overdrawing. Look for student accounts. Plus, you can't spend money that you don't actually have like you can with a credit card, so you don't have to worry about destroying your credit before you're even legal. You can still order things online like with a credit card, so you really get all the perks and none of the negatives. Plus, you don't have to worry about paying your bills when the come in the mail or anything like that.</p>
<p>This advice is not just mine, it's what I've been told by my mom and by my economics teacher. I've been using debit since I was a freshman in high school with no problems.</p>
<p>what if it gets lost though? won't anyone be able to withdraw?</p>
<p>only if you write your PIN (secret code, password) number on the card or something like that. to get money out of an ATM you have to enter a PIN. if they took your card they could go to a store and when asked "credit or debit?" say 'credit' and not have to put in your pin. but if it's a debit-only option they'll have to know your PIN.</p>
<p>Student checking doesn't protect you from overdrawing. Bank of America charged me $90 before I noticed and I got them reversed by telling them there were $60 in false charges that I didn't authorize, and I got the money back ONLY after the end of a chargeback process.</p>
<p>If you use a debit card only throughout college good luck when you graduate and want to get a car or an apartment without a cosigner and have no credit history.</p>
<p>If you know you can hold yourself responsible to only charge on your credit card what you can easily pay off each month (and keep yourself under 30% or so of your credit limit), get a credit card, it'll help your credit history and some of them have great rewards - not much beats getting a $25 check for spending money you would've spent anyway.</p>
<p>If you don't trust yourself to not overspend on a credit card, get a debit card with overdraft protection. Then work on the whole growing up and responsobility thing, you'll need it sooner or later.</p>
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Can't think of a situation where you'll "have" to get a debit card
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<p>Granted, but as itla_uno pointed out, there are many advantages to having a debit card, getting cash from atm's being the most important in my mind.</p>
<p>I have to agree with Dima; college is great time to start building up a credit history so that you don't have to bug your parents to cosign for stuff when you're fresh out of school.</p>
<p>As I side note, I forgot to mention that my advice doesn't apply if you aren't good with managing your money or holding onto your wallet. If you are deficient in these areas, please work on them ASAP, as you are pretty much screwed in life if you can't perform these very simple tasks. I mean, seriously, you only have to (A) make sure a small pouch of money/plastic is on you or in a safe place at all times, and (B) don't spend money you don't have. I'm sure anyone who can get into college is capable of that much.</p>
<p>And by responsobility I meant responsibility of course...</p>
<p>Get a debit and wait to get a credit card until you can afford to pay the payments ;).</p>
<p>Don't get a credit card if you can't afford to use a debit card...simple as that.</p>
<p>Poor kids RUIN their credit in college with credit cards, no joke. I personally have both - a few debit cards for most purchases and a credit card for large purchases. The only reason I ever use the credit card is that it's very important to start building your credit ASAP, otherwise when you try to buy a house or something you'll get screwed.</p>
<p>Go for debit for your first year or two of college until you get used to knowing what you do and don't need to buy. First year, you buy so much stuff, it would be suicide to get a credit card. Second year you start to ease back, and by third year, you know how to do it.<br>
And if you get a credit card, get one for somewhere you shop often (think Target, Walmart, clothing store) that you can receive perks from but still have low interest rates. Just be smart about it, because the only thing worse than graduating with no credit history is graduating with a bad credit history.</p>
<p>This has been discussed to death, so please search past posts. </p>
<p>I highly recommend getting a credit card in your own name as well as either a debit card or ATM card. The credit card should be used for all purchases and the debit card should ONLY be used for ATM withdrawls.</p>
<p>"In my economics class a few years ago the teacher said to stay away from debit cards as they don't have the same protections that credit cards do. This might have changed recently though."</p>
<p>Your teacher is a smart man/woman. Even though many banks offer you additional protection similar to that of a credit card, you still lose your cash when fraud occurs and need to wait for the dispute process to finish before you get it back. If you don't notice the fraud right away or the dispute process takes too long, you could end up bouncing checks. Credit card fraud is much easier and less worrisome to deal with. I'd rather deal with explaining that I do not owe someone money rather than convincing someone that they need to give me my property back.</p>
<p>"As a student, you probably aren't terrific with managing your money yet. "
You're an adult now. It's time to learn.</p>
<p>"The money is drawn straight from your checking account with no fees/interest charged."
If you pay your credit card off every month, you won't pay any fees or interest charges, either.</p>
<p>"You can still order things online like with a credit card, so you really get all the perks and none of the negatives. "
BAD BAD BAD idea. It's too easy for someone to steal your account number and wipe out all of your cash. </p>
<p>"If you use a debit card only throughout college good luck when you graduate and want to get a car or an apartment without a cosigner and have no credit history."
Number one reason to have a credit card.</p>
<p>"Get a debit and wait to get a credit card until you can afford to pay the payments"
If you pay your balance off every month, there's no difference.</p>
<p>"And if you get a credit card, get one for somewhere you shop often (think Target, Walmart, clothing store) that you can receive perks from but still have low interest rates. "</p>
<p>Store cards are generally not a good idea. They are not looked upon positively by creditors (as compared to non-store branded cards) and the terms are rarely favorable compared to other offers.</p>
<p>"If you pay your balance off every month, there's no difference."</p>
<p>Yeah thats what I mean, if you dont have the money to pay off what you used your credit card for, then you should wait ;).</p>
<p>Credit cards are much safer, as far as "what if it gets stolen" or "identity theft" goes</p>