Visa Debit Card – Compare Visa Debit Cards

A VISA Debit Card allows you to spend your own money, not the banks, giving you the convenience of a credit card, with out the risk of getting in to debt.

What is a VISA Debit Card?

The VISA Debit Card is a type of card that gives you an alternate payment method to cash, when spending your own money. When you make a purchase using debit cards, the funds are withdrawn directly from your savings bank account or from the remaining balance that is on the card.

Check out some of the leading Visa Debit Cards in the Australian market.

How the Visa Debit Card has evolved over the years

A Visa debit card is very similar to a Visa credit card because they both operate on the credit card system. This means that merchants accepting credit cards will also accept debit cards for payments. The debit card is directly linked to a transaction account that the cardholder has at a bank or financial institution. It looks just like a credit card, but it uses cash that the cardholder has in his bank account. There is no credit given on a debit card, which means that there is no credit history check. This makes the Visa debit card accessible to almost anybody.

The Visa history is very interesting. Visa has recently converted over from a co-operative of all the Visa card issuers to a profit-making company. It now has shares which are traded on the New York Stock Exchange.

VISA had its start in California. It was introduced by the Bank of America that had watched the ideas set forth by American Express and Diners Club become popular. They expanded on the Diners Club card and began to offer their own card to customers that wanted to shop using credit at shops, and have all this credit consolidated in one account.

The launch was held in Fresno California even though the Bank of America was based in San Francisco. The Bank of America had a large customer base in Fresno, and they decided to mass mail out their cards to this customer base. The mass mailing was based on a preset credit limit, so only the customers that met the standards were mailed a card. This was the first time that a mass mailing was done like this, and since then there have been many more.

The Bank of America also wanted to make sure that word would not spread if the launch was a failure. Fresno is more isolated from the rest of California than any other major city, so it was a good choice. Needless to say, this launch was far from being a failure.

The Visa debit card was introduced to the public in the 1980s. Since then it has become part of the Australian lifestyle. It is a good option if you don’t want, or can’t get, a Visa credit card.

This is a Visa history summary of the Visa debit card and its beginnings. This card has a strong history, and an even bigger future.

Where can you use a VISA Debit Card?

Visa does not operate its own transaction account, so any debit cards offered by Visa must be linked to a bank account or an account with another financial institution that offers a Visa debit card. Visa is a payment processor, and it works on behalf of these financial institutions on a worldwide basis. The Visa debit card is operated by the bank that is offering them.

A VISA Debit Card gives you the convenience of a credit card, allowing you to pay your bills over the phone, go shopping online when you’re on the internet, or make a purchase over the counter in an EFTPOS machine. The other major benefit of a VISA Debit Card is you are able to use your card overseas to make purchases, anywhere a VISA card is accepted (over 29 million locations worldwide!). You can also use your card in an ATM machine to make a cash withdrawal from one of over 1 million ATM machines world-wide that accept VISA cards.

Using your VISA Debit Card

You can use your VISA Debit Card everyday, like you would any credit card or EFTPOS card. When paying for a transaction, simply press the “credit” button on the EFTPOS machine, and the money comes straight from your own bank account. When you press “credit”, it doesn’t mean you’re paying by credit, but it does ensure you will be protect by VISA’s Zero Liability policy which protects you against unauthorised transactions. You have the choice of using either a PIN Number or signature when authorising the card purchase.

Benefits of VISA Debit Cards

• The primary benefit of a VISA Debit Card is being able to reduce the risk of getting in to credit card debt, by ensuring you’re spending your own money, and not over-extending yourself by getting a credit card balance you may not be able to repay.
• Any purchase that you make on your card is covered and protected by VISA’s Zero Liability policy
• It’s a lot more convenient, easier and safer than carrying cash or using your EFTPOS card.
• Access your transaction records for your card online instantly through internet banking.
• You don’t need a good credit history. When applying for a VISA Debit Card, the banks don’t do a credit check, making the application process fast (and painless!).

How to apply for a VISA Debit Card

To make it easier when choosing a VISA Debit Card, we have included a comparison of Australian VISA Debit Cards below. Compare each cards details, monthly account keeping fee, and annual fee. Once you’ve selected the card you would like to apply for, click the “Apply” button to begin the online application. It’s as easy as that!

VISA Debit Card Comparison

Credit Card	Card Details	Interest Rate (p.a.)	Cash Advance Rate (p.a.)	Monthly fee
ANZ Access Advantage with ANZ Everyday Visa Debit Card	Enjoy the freedom of being able to shop anywhere with access to the worldwide Visa network. ANZ Everyday Visa Debit allows you to shop anywhere Visa is accepted including overseas. Available for free when you apply for an ANZ Access Advantage everyday account. *$5 monthly account keeping fee for students.	Debit Card	Debit Card	$5
St.George Visa Debit Card	Access your own money conveniently for Internet, phone and mail order purchases with the St.George Visa Debit Card. Freedom to shop securely online, over the phone and even overseas where Visa is accepted.	Debit Card	Debit Card	$5