You’re Safer Shopping With a Credit Card This Holiday Season. Here’s Why.

I do almost all my shopping with a credit card these days, including regular spending, as well as holiday purchases throughout the year.
It’s convenient to use a card instead of lugging around cash or keeping track of debit transactions. Plus, I can earn rewards on my purchases.
But, there’s another reason I use credit cards for practically everything I pay for: their built-in consumer protections. All of my rewards and travel credit cards come with $0 fraud liability protection, and federal law adds another layer of protection that makes credit safer than debit cards or cash.
Why should I use a credit card rather than a debit card or cash?
One of the biggest perks of using credit cards is their increased protection against fraud.
While federal law limits liability to $50 if you report your credit card missing or stolen after someone uses it, credit cards tend to have $0 fraud liability coverage.
Comparatively, if your debit card was lost or stolen and used for fraudulent charges, you could be on the hook for up to $500 if you reported your card lost two or more days after you learned it was gone (but within 60 calendar days after your statement is sent to you).
I wish I could say that’s where the trouble with debit ends. But if you report loss or fraud on a debit card more than 60 calendar days after your statement is sent to you, you could lose any money that was stolen from your linked debit accounts, according to the Federal Trade Commission.
Using a debit card as your primary payment method could lead to more problems if it’s stolen, according to money-saving expert Andrea Woroch. If someone has your debit information, they could steal money from a connected checking account. The money in your account could be tied up while the issue is resolved.
But your losses are limited if your credit card is stolen.