<prompt> Human: Hi all,My dad claims that I should not use a debit card online because the merchant has direct access to the checking account and could potentially drain my account if they were nefarious. Some results on Google do mention a similar idea but I am not sure if this is just fear mongering. I do plan on purchasing items from other countries such as France or the EU.Is this an accurate assessment or is using a debit card online fine?EDIT: Thanks guys. Sometimes your parents do know what they are taking about!  <response>: Yes, this is accurate. A malicious merchant could definitely commit fraudulent transactions against your account. Youre not likely to be responsible for the fraudulent transactions, but they will be a big pain in the ass.How is a credit card different? Well, instead of draining your account they would be draining your available credit. Since youre not responsible for these fraudulent transactions theyve essentially stolen the banks money, not yours.So, in summary, why a credit card: With a credit card, if a fraudulent transaction is processed, it will have no impact on your available checking balance. I would recommend having a backup credit card because if this happens you never want to have to default to your debit card. Since its the creditors funds being tied up, they have more skin in the game. Maybe this is wrong, but I have a preconceived notion that the banks are going to act more promptly in this case. This minimizes the pain on your end. Credit cards have better fraud policieslaws. I dont recall them specifically, but you have better consumer protection with a credit card. 