Doing Vegas with only Debit card?

I think all of us probably fell victim to those "Pre-Approved Card" come-ons that were soooooo common (and still are, to an extent) back in the 80s and 90s! It was so tempting to just say the heck with it and charge!

 

I am a sucker for 'free' stuff. not much different from the comped rooms and free play and free food from casinos. you may as well get rewarded for money that you were going to spend anyway. I don't care for free stuff when it is useless junk.
in my wallet I have one debit card and one credit card and my ID. I have many more credits cards tucked away at home.
if you manage your money and life wisely, the rewards from credit cards can be quite lucrative. in my opinion, if you don't use a CC for most expenses, you are leaving money on the table. of course, that is if you pay it off monthly.
I have a part time job that offers a CC. I often see instances of people missing out on CASH back rewards of hundreds of dollars per year, claiming they don't like credit cards. who knows -- maybe they have money to burn. no judging.

 

Indeed. I remember one time in college I was down to single digits in dollars with about a week to go before my roommates and I held a kegger party at our house to raise enough $$$$ to make it through the next month. On the day I realized I was essentially broke I got one of those pre-approved AMEX cards in the mail with like a $500 limit. Manna from heaven!!! Blew through the limit in about three weeks and ended up in the same exact spot at the end of the next month!! Carried that debt, and the horrendous interest payments, until I got my first job after graduation. It’s funny as hell looking back at it now....but not so much at the time. College was awesome!!

 

There's also a Federal law that explicitly limits your liability for fradulent charges.

 

I haven't called a bank for years in advance of an overseas trip, let alone a trip to LV. But I have a lot of cards and I travel all the time.

 

Yeah, I traveled once when I was much younger with just a debit card. The daily charge / withdrawal limits are annoying. I would hate to go on vacation and have to worry about if the charge will clear. If you intend on spending less than 1k a day (including daily holds), then you should be fine with a debit card. Further, I'd suggest transacting in cash for everything but the hotel to minimize theft risk.

So, is it possible? Yes! Also, if you forget to raise your withdrawal limits before leaving, you have to wait 24 hours before they can activate to the new limits. Debit Cards are cash and banks are doing what they can to minimize liquidity runs

 

FWIW you may be able to change your limits on your bank app even if you forget to do so before you leave. I can change my ATM withdrawal limit on the app.

 

Contingent on the bank, yes. But, it's still pretty small. I'm Bank of America Preferred and it's still sub-2k last I checked.

 

The Russian and/or Chinese Mafia in LV steal credit and debit card numbers magnetically somehow. Skimming? Not sure what it is called. Other methods also. Remember the casino employees are largely very low paid labor. Debit cards and credit cards have different associated liability. The definition of theft will come into play as well. Essentially, and to way oversimplify, if a credit card is stolen, it is the credit card company fighting to get back the credit card company's money. And liability is limited. Although the definition of theft, etc. still come into play. It's a legal contract. Another in a long list of contracts most people never bother to read, or even skim briefly.

Not so with a debit card. It isn't the bank money. And liability in some instances can be unlimited. Also a legal contract. And one people should probably read through.

A marker line is attached to a checking account.

I know how much potential liability is associated with both my marker line(s), and my debit cards. I tend to be MrAntiDebitCard in Las Vegas, and most larger cities with an influx of Russian mobsters. NYC and Miami as other examples.

How easy is it to use either a credit or debit card in Las Vegas? Very easy. How wise it the use of one or the other? Well, the debit card liability is somewhat limited, and the credit card liability even more so. But, how much hassle do you really want?

 

As already mentioned, just pay the credit card odd before it comes due and you wont have interest, only cash back. I charge EVERYTHING and enjoy the bonus that I build up.

 

Very true.

Apparently, there are some folks that just do not get it and stubbornly refuse to use credit cards because they are the "devil".

(apologies and compassion to those that are just unable to control their spending and have difficulty managing their charging vs ability to pay it off)