Online Debit Card

Online Debit Card

Online debit cards require electronic authorization of every transaction and the debits are reflected in the user’s account immediately. The transaction may be additionally secured with the personal identification number (PIN) authentication system and some online cards require such authentication for every transaction, essentially becoming enhanced automatic teller machine (ATM) cards. One difficulty in using online debit cards is the necessity of an electronic authorization device at the point of sale (POS) and sometimes also a separate PINpad to enter the PIN, although this is becoming commonplace for all card transactions in many countries. Overall, the online debit card is generally viewed as superior to the offline debit card because of its more secure authentication system and live status, which alleviates problems with processing lag on transactions that may have been forgotten or not authorized by the owner of the card. Banks in some countries, such as Canada and Brazil, only issue online debit cards.

In the United States, most online debit transactions are handled by regional ATM networks, though VISA and MasterCard each own online debit networks (Interlink and Maestro, respectively). Online debit is usually provided as a secondary feature on an offline debit card (Visa Check Card or Debit MasterCard); those customers that do not qualify for offline debit cards are often issued ATM cards with online debit capability through the regional ATM, Interlink and/or Maestro networks.

In the United Kingdom, Solo and Visa Electron are examples of online debit cards, which are typically issued by banks to customers whom the bank does not want to go overdrawn under any circumstances, for example under-18s.