Which bank issued the first debit card in the United States in 1966?

Bank of Delaware issued the first debit card in the United States in 1966.

The early card was part of an experiment in allowing customers to make purchases directly against funds in a bank account. Debit cards differ from credit cards because the transaction normally draws on the cardholder’s available deposit balance rather than creating a revolving loan.

The Bank of Delaware milestone is often confused with later debit-card developments by much larger institutions. Bank of America, Citibank, and other banks helped popularize electronic banking and payment cards, but they were not the bank identified with the first U.S. debit card.

Modern debit cards commonly operate through payment networks and may support point-of-sale purchases, online transactions, and ATM access. Their history also overlaps with the development of automated teller machines and electronic funds-transfer systems.