I prefer to use a credit card rather than a debit card because with a credit card, you can challenge unauthorized uses and not have to pay them. With a debit card, someone can drain your account very easily. I also know that card skimmers are still a problem, especially at places like pay at the pump gas stations. I'm hoping that as the chip technology becomes more ubiquitous, debit cards will get safer. In the mean time, my husband and I just make sure to pay off our credit card every month, so it's practically a debit card.