debit card

noun

1. a plastic card that resembles a credit card but functions like a check and through which payments for purchases or services are made electronically to the bank accounts of participating retailing establishments directly from those of card holders.

debit card

noun

1. an embossed plastic card issued by a bank or building society to enable its customers to pay for goods or services by inserting it into a computer-controlled device at the place of sale, which is connected through the telephone network to the bank or building society. It may also function as a cash card, a cheque card, or both

Word History and Origins

Origin of debit card¹

First recorded in 1975–80

Example Sentences

The downside of this feature, Sutter said, is a signal is constantly being emitted from the key fob, similar to a debit card.

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He bluffed, saying he had no debit card.

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The card acts both as both a debit card for instant payments and a credit card to split purchases into installments.

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New York’s legal cannabis stores are cash-only—or they take debit cards by running the purchase as a “cashless ATM” transaction instead of a cannabis sale to disguise the purchase.

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Capital One COF -2.40%decrease; red down pointing triangle is moving its debit cards over to the Discover network after acquiring the network earlier this year.

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