Peter is a writer and editor for the CNET How-To team. He has been covering technology, software, finance, sports and video games since working for @Home Network and Excite in the 1990s. Peter managed ...

It was decades ago when you could first pay for items online using a credit card; debit card payments followed. The security of such payments was often iffy in the commercial internet’s early years.

A debit card is a physical payment card that is used to electronically access the money you have in your bank account to make purchases or transfer money. Debit cards can be used at point-of-sale ...