As Americans make a growing number of purchases with plastic, the question of what kind of card they use more often—credit or debit—has a clear answer. The number of purchases made with debit cards in the U.S. each year exceeded the number of purchases made with credit cards for the first time back in 2004, according to the Federal Reserve. And in 2016, debit cards were used to make 47 billion payments, compared with 26.2 billion payments made with credit cards (though the total value of credit-card purchases is higher).
But are the people who pay with debit cards onto something, or would they be better off using credit cards for those purchases instead?
Proponents of credit cards argue that credit cards offer better rewards programs and other perks than debit cards, as well as better fraud protection. Also, they’re a great way to boost your credit score by building …