Mike, go to   http://clarkhoward.com/   and see what he has to say about the issue. He's Atlanta's premier consumer guru who makes good points on los of stuff.

thanks konane

Yes, you can do most things with a debit card. The best kind is a Visa debit card from your bank. When you swipe it for purchases, choose 'credit' instead of 'debit'. It also is better to use for online purchases as opposed to a standard bank debit card.

A note about bank safety in bad economic times...choose a small community bank (preferably a credit union) that has been around for a long time as opposed to a national "chain" bank. Keep a week's worth of cash on hand.

If you drive it's nice to have a credit card in case you get stuck somewhere and cant make it back home especially if you don't have enough cash in you personal checking or savings account.

Credit cards are a good thing in the event of emergencies like car breaks down many hotels and car rental places will not offer you services without one.