A
debit card (also known as a
bank card or
check card) is a
plastic payment card that provides the cardholder electronic access to their
bank account(s) at a financial institution. Some cards may bear a
stored value with which a payment is made, while most relay a message to the cardholder's bank to withdraw funds from a payer's designated bank account. The card, where accepted, can be used instead of
cash when making purchases. In some cases, the
primary account number is assigned exclusively for use on the Internet and there is no physical card.