Fraud protection is one of the strongest advantages of credit cards compared to debit cards. Under U.S. law, liability for unauthorized credit card charges is capped at $50, and most issuers offer zero-liability policies. This means you won’t be responsible for fraudulent charges, making credit cards safer for online and in-person transactions. Debit cards, by contrast, withdraw money directly from your account, and reimbursement can take time.

Beyond legal protections, credit cards incorporate advanced fraud prevention systems such as EMV chips, tokenization, and real-time fraud monitoring. These protections reduce risk and make credit cards an especially secure payment option. For this reason, many experts recommend using credit cards for most purchases and reserving debit cards for ATM withdrawals or situations where cash is necessary.