Seems to me that "debit card" has a slightly different meaning here in the
UK than back in Canada. It seems to convey more weight over here.
Back in Canada, a debit card can be used to withdraw cash, or to buy something in a store (with the money directly taken from your account).
However, here in the
UK, a debit card seems closer to a credit card:
-you must have a debit card in order to arrange for direct payments (ie for a monthly mobile phone bill).
-you have to upgrade a "normal" bank account in order to qualify for a debit card
-a debit card has the same banking network logos on its back as do the credit cards, but often not the same banking networks as the cash cards (for example, my Nationwide cash card has "Cirrus" and "Link" logos on its back, but when I tried to apply for direct payments for something, and it asked which logo was on the back of my debit card, neither of these two companies were options.... but Visa and Mastercard were!)
It sounds more like a credit card than a "debit card" in the Canadian sense... or is it just me?