If You Only Had One Debit Card, Which One Would It Be?

[Varsity_Lu]

I currently have a Capital One 360 checking account which comes with a debit card. This has been my main travel debit card since my primary hub bank is a very, very small local bank with only a dozen or so ATMs in about a 20 mile radius. I have appreciated Cap One 360 banking, but wanted to get others opinions of possible options. I have a Fidelity SPAXX account which comes with a debit card and I know AmEx is promoting their Rewards Checking which I think is currently at 1% apy. Not bad for a checking account. Charles Schwab is always mentioned on travel sites.  PayPal offers a debit, too. 

Anyone have any strong opinions or experiences either way on a travel (both within the US and abroad) debit cards?

[Gunnerboy]

The only debit card I have is BECU where I do my primary bankng. I carried it once overseas, but didn't use it. I prefer carrying cash, over a debit card. Sometimes I'll carry it for domestic. I only keep a small balance in checking, in case it gets hacked.

I'll probably request a Fidelity debit card for one of my brokerage accounts or open a Cash Management Account. Their refreshed card looks cool.

[FicoMike0]

I have the amex, get a few points on spend and 1% but I don't know about using it abroad. My fidelity cma debit card is fee free worldwide. I keep my debit cards mostly frozen, so I'm not much of a reference.

I did use my navy card recently, you can move money into robin hood instantly with a debit card. I sold some options on djt election week at a tidy profit.😊😊

[citymunky]

Discover has rewards checking account as well (1% CB IIRC). The only debit card I used overseas was NFCU (but that was years ago) . Now I credit for anywhere overseas. If I'm somewhere where its "sketchy" I use the physical Apple card.

[IsambardPrince]

---

@Varsity_Lu wrote:

I currently have a Capital One 360 checking account which comes with a debit card. This has been my main travel debit card since my primary hub bank is a very, very small local bank with only a dozen or so ATMs in about a 20 mile radius. I have appreciated Cap One 360 banking, but wanted to get others opinions of possible options. I have a Fidelity SPAXX account which comes with a debit card and I know AmEx is promoting their Rewards Checking which I think is currently at 1% apy. Not bad for a checking account. Charles Schwab is always mentioned on travel sites.  PayPal offers a debit, too. 

Anyone have any strong opinions or experiences either way on a travel (both within the US and abroad) debit cards?

---

If we're just talking debit, not open to credit cards, I'd probably go with Discover. We have AmEx credit cards so we can get Rewards Checking and we have one now, and I really like how AmEx don't jack you around like PNC or Wells Fargo or Chase or BofA where you get a tenth of a freaking point of interest, lots of fees, and someone pays you on Wednesday and they have it until Friday but they're not giving it to you.

Online banks just tend to have better service and fee schedules and interest. And a couple, like Discover and AmEx can put rewards on their debit cards, which nobody who uses Visa or MasterCard can do because of the Dodd-Frank Act. (Senator Durbin from Illinois introduced an amendment that lets proprietary debit card networks give rewards.)

[IsambardPrince]

---

@FicoMike0 wrote:

I have the amex, get a few points on spend and 1% but I don't know about using it abroad. My fidelity cma debit card is fee free worldwide. I keep my debit cards mostly frozen, so I'm not much of a reference.

I did use my navy card recently, you can move money into robin hood instantly with a debit card. I sold some options on djt election week at a tidy profit.😊😊

---

Can confirm that Discover debit works in Canada and Mexico, but if you try using it in some countries where they say you can, good luck.

They claim you can use it in the UK, but you'll rarely even find an ATM where you can get cash, much less a merchant.

[ptatohed]

How about the Primis cards?  One has (more like probably 'had') a 5.07% APY (I have this one but the site is refreshed and not showing the APY right now!  Arggghhh).  Unheard of high rate for checking.  The other gives you 50c per every transaction, no limit (I don't have this account / card yet).  That's 5% CB or more on up to a $10 purchase (2.5% CB on a $20 purchase, and so on).  You can have both checking accounts / debit cards.  I don't know any details about using these cards out of country.  

[Varsity_Lu]

My main use would be at ATMs to get cash. I use credit cards as much as possible, but there are times when cash is wanted and needed. For example, my wife and I stumbled upon a street fair one time where all the vendors only took cash.  We've found farmer's markets that were similar. We normally take cash with us when traveling, but sometimes you just gotta get that fresh baked pie if you know what I mean.

My 360 debit has been great, especially over seas. I usually keep the balance at zero until I need cash and then I just use the app to move money over from a 360 HYSA prior to using the ATM. 

The AmEx checking seems like an option worth looking into. I like the higher apy and would feel better about just leaving money in there. It would eliminate havning to transfer prior to using the ATM.

I don't like the idea of carrying my Fidelity card around. There's too much in that account for me to risk losing that card on the street. I realize I can lock the card, but still.

[Andy77]

USAA. I really like how in real time I can change all of my ATM limits from the default of 650.00 to a max of 5k. I can also change in real time how much money I can take out at the bank inside the branch. All is done through USAA app in 2 minutes. 

[MichaelMyer]

---

@Gunnerboy wrote:

The only debit card I have is BECU where I do my primary bankng. I carried it once overseas, but didn't use it. I prefer carrying cash, over a debit card. Sometimes I'll carry it for domestic. I only keep a small balance in checking, in case it gets hacked.

I'll probably request a Fidelity debit card for one of my brokerage accounts or open a Cash Management Account. Their refreshed card looks cool.

If you don't keep money in checking, where do you keep it, savings, money market?