Debit Card
A debit card is a payment card that lets you make purchases using money available in a linked bank account.
When you use a debit card, the transaction generally draws money directly from the linked bank account rather than creating a separate debt to the card issuer.
How debit-card transactions work
When you make a €100 purchase with a debit card:
- €100 of spending is recorded.
- €100 leaves the linked bank account.
- The bank account balance decreases by €100.
- No credit-card balance is created for the purchase.
The exact timing can vary because a card transaction may initially appear as pending before it is fully posted.
Debit cards and spending
With a debit card, spending and money out usually occur close together.
For example, buying €50 of groceries with a debit card represents €50 of spending and generally results in €50 leaving the linked bank account.
This differs from a credit card, where the purchase can represent spending before money leaves a bank account.
Debit cards and account balances
Because debit-card purchases use money from a linked bank account, they normally reduce the available balance of that account.
For example, if your account contains €1,000 and you make a €200 debit-card purchase, €200 is generally deducted when the transaction is posted.
Pending transactions may affect the amount available to spend before they are fully posted.
Debit card vs credit card
A debit card generally uses money already available in a linked bank account.
A credit card uses credit and creates an amount owed that is paid later.
This difference matters when tracking spending, balances, and money moving in and out of accounts.