Speakeasy forum: Bank Cards, a complaint, unrelated to anything else here.

online for years now here in the US.......the checkout only asks for the credit card/debit card number, exp date and sometimes the CVA number on the back.... and sometimes if it's a Visa or MC....sometimes that's not needed because the number itself id's that info. I can't understand why Canada wouldn't have the same setup at their banks. I think I've only written four checks this entire year......I use my debit card everywhere I go now for gas, groceries, retail stores, etc. and make payments on my utilities online with it as well.

and I don't carry around nearly as much as I once did when I had to travel more. I use a credit card for larger purchases and I monitor the activity very closely on line. I've had two occasions of finding purchases made on my card that didn't come from myself or my wife. Whether these were accidental or deliberate, I don't know. One charge was for the purchase of 2 million valid email addresses....a spammer maybe? I was able to get bogus charges taken off my card very quickly. I just feel that credit is safer than debit for most things but there's no substitute for good self discipline when using plastic to make purchases.

Now in the US clearly faced with competition which does, Canadian banks do allow the use of Debit cards online.

Since I've been away so long, I was unaware of the situation in the US being different, and hadn't even thought to bring it up with any of the family when on the phone.

Ah well. One of the prices of living in Canada, and that shows how minimal they are.

Thanks to Toni H and Digger for their responses.

Rob