Well, Tracy, debit cards are just like "fast money." The advantage is that your mom doesn't have to carry so much cash in her purse when she shops. Some people used to take way too much, just so they would have enough, and if they lost the cash and someone else found it, they wouldn't know how to return it. The thief or the lucky person finding it would just spend it. Either way, the money was gone. So debit cards are easier and safer to use than using cash.

First, debit cards look just like credit cards. They are the same size. Some cards are just debit cards, some are just credit cards; some can be used as either one.

So usually a clerk at the check-out counter will say "Do you want to use this card as a credit card or a debit card?" When your mom answers "Debit," the clerk pushes a certain button, then he "swipes" the card through the funny little machine called a reader. Doing that tells a computer where mom has her bank account and her account number. The reader asks your mom for a special number or code called a Personal Identification Number or "PIN." That's the four-digit number your mom punches into the machine when it tells her to. Then the computer takes the right amount of money from her account at the bank and puts it into the bank account of the store and BAM! The money is gone and the bill is paid, just that fast!

Oh, by the way, tell your mom never to say that PIN number out loud or carry it with her. Leave it at home. She needs to memorize it, that makes using the card safer. If other people heard it said or saw it written down, they might be able to put it with the account number and take money from your mom's account.

Using debit cards is a great way to pay for everyday things like gas, groceries, makeup, gifts for friends or things for the yard. People using debit cards should keep track of how much they spend with the debit card. They can take the paper receipt home and put it into an envelope to keep or write the amount down somewhere else. Or, they might be able to look up their account on the Internet at the bank's website. It will show them how much they spent and what store got their money. People who use a debit card should look at their accounts online every few days to make sure that someone hasn't found out their PIN and sucked all their cash out of the account!

Your mom can also use her debit card at Automated Teller Machines or "ATMs." If she needs some cash, she can put the card into the slot in the wall, answer questions with other buttons and punch in the PIN code. The money she requested will come out of the money slot below. Cha-ching!

So that's the story. A debit card is just like a live checkbook. It's easy, quick, safe, but always protect the PIN number!

Did You Know?

In 2001, Debit Card transactions totaled more than $302 billion dollars!