Paying for a purchase with a credit card has benefits beyond those discussed in my post on credit scoring. Be aware that these benefits may not apply to a purchase made with a debit card, even if the debit card is used as a credit card at the point of sale.
If you notify your card issuer within a certain time frame, federal law (15 USC 1601) limits your liability for unauthorized charges to your credit card to $50. In practice, Visa and MasterCard both waive the $50 liability. Unfortunately, card issuers do not bear the costs of any unauthorized purchases. Merchants who process transactions that are later discovered to be fraudulent almost always bear the costs, regardless of whether they were aware of the fraud.
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