Debit Cards Vs. Keycards

The Battle of The Century

Your biggest question could be, “Why shouldn’t I just get a keycard?” Well, it all comes down to the ever-important mathematics of your situation. Basically, how complicated do you want your finances to be?

Let’s look at the exact differences. If you’re able to get both, the only difference will probably be how they’re loaded and used. A keycard goes on and on without a hitch. It just merrily pulls every cent out of your bank account until it is a dry and defeated husk of its former self. It will let you shop and pay bills without fail, until your lovely invoice arrives with 10 overdraft charges and a whole bunch of red ink.

A debit card will only have the money that you put on it. You just load your budget onto it and then keep a basic idea of how much is left. If it runs out, it runs out. You blush, mumble a few curses, and step away from the counter to reload it through your phone. There are no nasty overdrafts and you really couldn’t manage your funds better. If you put $1000 on it and you have $293 left, then guess how much you spent.

Well, let’s compare. A keycard lets you go over budget and charges you for it. A debit card doesn’t have any remote possibility of overdrafts and allows the exact same conveniences of the keycard, but forces you to go through the “terrible” inconvenience of making a phone call to reload it. If you really love watching your bank account in constant fear of overdraft fees, be my guest and get the keycard. If you like an easy budget, stick with the debit card.