<prompt> Human: Im a college student, but do not have a credit card. Just for future reference, is it a good idea to use a debit card online or should I avoid doing it? If not what are some safe alternatives?  <response>: Credit cards have much better systematic fraud protection than debit cards. Neither is safe - but all told you want to be using a credit card when making online purchases. If or maybe when something goes wrong its much better to not have to pay anything until the dispute is resolved. With a debit card you can be out the money until the dispute is resolved. 