Mad *NOT* to use a credit card!
I was wondering, why on earth don't people use a credit card instead? And why does *anyone* use a debit card?
Obviously, you need to engage brain first. You want one with perks. You set it up to settle monthly, automatically, in full, by direct debit. You choose one that doesn't charge an annual fee, unless the perks are still attractive after the fee is deducted.
Mine is an Egg Money card. The perk is 1% cashback on everything I spend. Mine is historically fee-free, but it would still be a decent deal with a ten-quid annual fee. I also get the legal benefits of the Consumer Credit Act (principally, if a supplier goes bust after I order, It's the card company's loss not mine).
I guess you should avoid credit cards if you aren't enough in control of your finances to be sure of repaying in full every month. But then, shouldn't such a person use cash, checking their bank balance at the ATM before withdrawing, so as not to go into the red and be hit by the bank charges extortion racket? Compared to which, paying 20% APR on a loan for a few weeks is positively painless.