[Glossary](https://pecuvo.eu/en/glossary/) · Banking and payments # Debit card **In short:** a debit card is a payment instrument linked to your account, with which you pay and withdraw using your own money that is already in the account. **Simply put:** Unlike a credit card, a debit card is not a loan — you spend what you have. It has an annual or monthly fee and some withdrawal fees. Limits and notifications help you spot someone else's payment in time. **Example:** You have €300 in the account and pay €45 in a shop. €255 is left. If the account has an overdraft, you can pay more — but that is already credit. **Watch out:** if the card is lost or stolen, block it at once — the sooner, the smaller the loss. In the EU, the interchange fee between banks on debit card payments is capped at 0.2% of the amount (Regulation (EU) 2015/751, Article 3), and the merchant may not charge you a surcharge for paying with such a card (Directive (EU) 2015/2366, Article 62(4)). > **Example: Bulgaria** — the same EU rules apply; the card's own fees are in your bank's price list. > > **Check in your country** — your bank's price list and whether surcharges are banned for other cards too. **Source:** Regulation (EU) 2015/751, Article 2: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2015/751/oj ## In depth in the modules - [Module 21](https://pecuvo.eu/en/modules/payments-and-purchases/) - [Module 26](https://pecuvo.eu/en/modules/bank-and-financial-products/) ## Related terms - [Current (payment) account](https://pecuvo.eu/en/glossary/current-account/) - [Credit card](https://pecuvo.eu/en/glossary/credit-card/) - [Prepaid card](https://pecuvo.eu/en/glossary/prepaid-card/) - [Card limit](https://pecuvo.eu/en/glossary/card-limit/) - [Blocking a card](https://pecuvo.eu/en/glossary/blocking-a-card/) - [Cash machine (ATM)](https://pecuvo.eu/en/glossary/atm/)