That's certainly true. Banks seem to change the credit card issuer with which they cooperate from time to time. I also recall that American Express contacted me frequently in the 90s trying to sell one of their cards to me preferably their Gold Card with lots of bells and whistles attached. "You are worth it, Mr. Stearn. Just pay with your good name." And the same bank I used to bank with offered me different credit cards over time which reflected the competition among credit card organisations and the acceptance of their cards. Travellers had to learn it the hard way which credit cards was most widely accepted. That's why those who wanted to be on the safe side had more than one card.
I don't know is all debit cards are done this way, but with the last couple of debit cards that I've had, including PayPal, which I use now, I could simply ask them to run it as a credit cards and not have to use a PIN, which would reduce the security benefits of a debit card. I do that routinely because PayPal credits me with a portion of my purchase if I run it as a credit card rather than as a debit card. Some gas pumps will also ask for a zip code but most don't.
I use a debit card for virtually all local purchases; a credit card for online buys. I can designate either a debit or a credit, like Ken says. It's more convientent than using cash although I do keep a little cash in my (wallet, billfold, purse). My Credit Union tells me I am protected for any unauthorized purchase. Debit card, simple a matter of convenience.
@Don Alaska I would regard that as a severe intrusion into the arithmetic of the purchase as well as the arrogance shown to the customer. Never heard of such a thing. What if their "added" charge places the balance over the credit limit? Does the "addition and subtraction" show up on your statement? Frank
I don't think it is added to the statement unless the extra results in an overdraft. I don't know why it is done, but there are warnings on many pumps and on many places on the internet as well. I guess it may be that the pumps cannot access your account directly, but they can send through a charge.
Never used an ATM...as I said earlier, I don't need 'em! It's just another example of the "must have" foolishness that I can do without, such as Cellular Telephones and Debit Cards. Hal