Visa Debit Card
The most popular choice of debit cards in Australia is the Visa Debit Card. Visa debit cards operate in exactly the same way as their even more popular Visa credit card counterparts but differ in the way that funds are actually taken directly from a car holder's deposit account rather than being added onto a credit card debt.
Simply put a Visa Debit Card allows you to pay now rather than later which gives you better control over your budget and reduces the risk of excessive fees or interest charges associated with most types of credit cards. Naturally using a Visa debit card means the user has to have a linked bank account from where the funds are accessed. So generally if you apply for a Visa debit card it will be through your preferred banking institution. If your bank doesn't offer a Visa debit card Australia (perhaps they don't offer a debit card product at all or maybe they work exclusively with the Mastercard equivalent the Debit Mastercard) then you'll have to look for an insititution that can.
One reason people may choose a Visa Debit Card is because of the reputation of Visa - the company behind the cards. Visa has orgins in the 1950's when it launched it's pioneering credit card through Bank of America. After many years leading the worlwide credit card industry, Visa became a public company in 2008 breaking records as the largest IPO in US history. Since then the company has gone from strength to strength and as debit card products continue to grow, the company is heavily committed to providing the ultimate through it's Visa debit card.
Thankfully for Visa and for people seeking Visa Debit cards in Australia there are no shortage of outlets where you can apply for a card. Below we've listed the top institutions in Australia who are able to offer Visa Debit Cards:
St George - either through their Express or Complete Freedom Debit Card Products
NAB (National Australia Bank) - offer visa debit cards connected with three accounts - Gold, eBanking and Classic
Make sure you read through our article on choosing a Visa debit card before you decide.
