I checked my CC bills against the statements for YEARS. Never really found a mistake, unless it was my sloppy writing being misunderstood. I can see with debit cards (that you really shouldn't be using by the way) checking online to try to detect unauthorized use, because your on the hook for that until you can clear up the mistake. But if you kinda know what you spent, just looking at the account on line should show ya what you need.

I can check exactly how much I spent by checking my receipts.

And I love Direct payment and Deposit.

statement for about 30 years without ever finding an error, and then one month I found 3! One was a restaurant that went out of business and tried to double and triple bill everyone who had eaten there in their last month. One was a computer parts vendor who didn’t fill an order for a part, but billed for it anyway. The third I believe was another restaurant that I think made a careless error.

especially at restaurants when you add the tip after they bring the check. Alot of times, you add the tip, sign the receipt and go.

We make assumptions sometimes that the wait staff reverses the original charge and then adds in the correct charge.

Better to check online after it hits to be sure.

I consider them dangerous because thieves can go in with draw your money. Better a credit card that you pay off every month. They give rebates, back what you buy and solve problems.

Either way you have to have the money.

...thats how we found we were dbl charged for a cpls message on a cruise. We always check.

I use my debit card all the time so I make it a habit to check. I don't do it every day though. My bank is pretty good at spotting any discrepancies and will contact me if there is an issue. Years ago, I had some issues and they resolved it. Over the last few years they have gotten pretty good at spotting any kind of fraud, to the point of being overly protective. 2 weeks ago I almost missed a flight when I tried to catch a Lyft for the first time and downloaded the app and entered the number incorrectly a few times. They shut the card down in a nano second. I had to call and get it turned back on and speak to customer service while time was catching up for me to get to the airport.

I've had a few other incidents like this where they shut my card down where they suspect fraud when I'm trying to make a transaction. I have to call them when I'm leaving the state. A pain in the butt, but its for my own protection I suppose.

I don't check it religiously - like every day, but I do check it once in a while to make sure there are no outrageous charges, or that I'm not being charged more than I paid for something.

I’ve caught fraud on my account twice doing it

Most banks provide a mechanism to send card holders alerts when the card is used. I have my credit cards set to send me an alert on any charge over $25.00. I also get one when there is a charge made without the card present, i.e. internet charges and fraud purchases. I get text messages and emails. I suspect you can get similar alerts on debit card transactions.

That being said, I never make debit card charges as they may not be subject to bank refunds like credit card charges. Banks love debit cards as they is so little risk to them.

He lives in Germany where rent and many bills are subtracted from a debit card. Wages go into the bank and bills are paid from it. One day a payment was refused. He learned that he had never changed billing for the internet from a charge for usage to a flat monthly rate. Over the years he had paid $25000 for internet service! So his bank balance was $25,000 less than he expected.

I really don’t compare receipts but I would catch anything really out of line. I suppose you could overcharge me a dollar every time I bought a dozen bagels and never get caught, but I’d notice if you tried to add $20.

I keep track of how much is in my checking account by that. Generally I know what to expect to come out but if the balance suddenly drops, I can go online to my account and see where it went

The debit cards really saved me a lot of hassle when I got them for my husband and me. My husband's handwriting is illegible so when he wrote checks it was a challenge to figure out the payee and the amount - plus he never filled out the memo line so I never knew what it was for. The debit card solves the first two problems and the memo is not longer as important since I am not running a business any longer.

Shit like that doesn't happen in civilized nations.

Mine is only used at an ATM.

You have very little protection from fraud with a debit card, you have so very much more with a credit card. And, you can get frequent flier miles, hotel points, or cash back with a lot of free or very cheap credit cards. It's a no-brainer for me.

with debit fraud. I’ve only been the victim once and my money was restored immediately with the proviso that if the investigation didn’t go my way then it would be removed again, but all was well. I know others who have been less fortunate.

hit up for money by fraudsters twice in the same year. Changing my username and making my password much stronger kept that from happening again.

If you pay your bill in full every month, and you can set it up with a credit card company to do just that, why not get the perks and the protection? My Hilton Amex is free, and I use the hotel points every few years to stay at a place near my family in Oregon when we go out there. If you redeem enough points for four nights, the fifth night is free, and Marriott does that, too. My Marriott card has an annual fee of about $90, but I get one free room (up to category 5) every year. That pays for itself.

I need to get my credit repaired (business failure resulting in job loss in 2016 did a number on my finances) and take your advice.

I had to file for bankruptcy in 1996, and I started with high-interest, high-fee cards, kept charging and paying in full, or over a couple of months, just to pay them some interest, and my credit was pretty much repaired by about 2000.

All the best to you on your efforts!

In this day and age where there's so many crooks, con artists, and scammers out there, you can never be too careful.