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Updated on May 31, 2022
Reviewed by
Michael J Boyle
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Reviewed byMichael J Boyle
Michael Boyle is an experienced financial professional with more than 10 years working with financial planning, derivatives, equities, fixed income, project management, and analytics.
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In This Article
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In This Article
- Definition/Example of an Offline Debit Card
- How an Offline Debit Card Works
- Offline Debit Card vs. Online Debit Card
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/GettyImages-1207153541-5fde6a1623714f7187346cc4dd4287c4.jpg "What Is an Offline Debit Card? (3)")
Definition
An offline debit card is a debit card that is run offline as a credit card instead of as a debit through electronic-funds-transfer (EFT) networks. In an offline debit transaction, you don’t need to enter a PIN, and funds won’t be deducted from your account for one to two business days. The card is also known as a check card.
Key Takeaways
- Offline debit cards are debit cards that are processed offline, which simply means they are sent through a credit card network to deduct funds from your account.
- Offline debit cards are also known as check cards and can be run as regular debit transactions as well.
- Funds are deducted in one to two business days in an offline debit transaction; in an online debit transaction, they’re deducted immediately as an EFT.
Definition and Example of an Offline Debit Card
An offline debit card, or check card, is a payment card where the funds can’t be immediately deducted from your account. In most cases, it is the same as your regular debit card. When it is read by a POS device, you can choose whether to have the card processed as “credit.” In that case, it is taken offline and processed through the credit card networks instead of as an EFT.
- Alternate name: check card
If you bank with Chase, for example, you’ve likely been issued a debit card for your account. Your debit card can either be processed online or offline. While you may choose “debit” when running your debit card through a POS terminal, it would become an offline debit card if you were to choose “credit” instead. Choosing credit doesn't mean your card goes offline in the literal sense. Rather, it refers to the fact that the transaction is not processed instantaneously.
Note
Consumers don’t need separate cards to run offline debit transactions. It is the same plastic debit card we use in place of a check.
How an Offline Debit Card Works
There are two main characteristics of an offline debit transaction: You do not need a PIN, and the funds are deducted one to two days after the transaction.
Consumers swiping their debit cards are often given two options for processing the card: credit or debit. When “credit” is selected instead of “debit” for your debit card, you’re actually choosing to have the card processed offline. This means you do not need to enter your PIN.
Next, your information is sent through the credit card networks. Offline debit card networks are run by either Visa or Mastercard, which are respectively named Visa Check Card and MasterMoney. Money will be deducted from your account and settled with the merchant within a few days.
Offline Debit Card vs. Online Debit Card
The major difference between an offline debit card and an online debit card is how they are processed. An online debit card uses the EFT network to deduct funds from the consumer’s account immediately. On the other hand, the offline debit card uses credit card networks to process the transaction in one to two business days.
When you choose to bypass your PIN to complete the transaction, your purchase is taken offline. This distinction is important because funds are not immediately deducted from the consumer’s account when run through credit card networks as an offline debit card.
Here are some other key differences between the two.
| Offline Debit Card | Online Debit Card |
| Funds are most often deducted in one to two business days | Funds are deducted immediately |
| No PIN required | Secured with a PIN to complete transactions |
| Funds can’t be checked immediately | Funds can be checked at the POS terminal |
| Processed over a credit card network | Processed over an EFT network |
| Consumer not allowed to obtain cash back | Consumer allowed to obtain cash back |
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Sources
The Balance uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City. "A Guide to the ATM and Debit Card Industry." Page 8. Accessed Jan. 6, 2022.
Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City. "A Guide to the ATM and Debit Card Industry," Page 51. Accessed Jan, 6, 2022.
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