[poundwise]

Credit card = credit is extended to you for your use

Debit card = your money is debited from your account

They certainly are not the same. I don't think the poster above meant that they were, only that as a payment method, the process (pulling out plastic) is the same.

Fact is, a debit card can be a plain ATM card (that requires a PIN) or one that bears a VISA logo (and the transaction can be processed in the same way as a credit card) but either way it is still a debit card.

Now, back to the original question... Cash or debit card?

Of those two, I use cash more often.

Include credit cards into the mix and I would say that I probably use my credit card slightly more often than cash. But, I pay the balance twice a month and thus am using as a cash-flow tool, not as a means to borrow funds for purchases.