question: Why do you only sometimes have to use your PIN when using a debit card?
comment: It's a security check, from what I've been told by a girl at the checkout
passages: Depending on the economic space, there may be a payment limit on single transactions without the need to input the PIN, and some contactless cards can only be used a certain number of times before customers are asked for their PIN. Contactless debit and credit transactions use the same chip and PIN network as older cards and are protected by the same fraud guarantees. Where PIN is supported, the contactless part of the card may remain non-functional until a standard chip and PIN transaction has been executed. This provides some verification that the card was delivered to the actual cardholder.
   Some consumers prefer "credit" transactions because of the lack of a fee charged to the consumer/purchaser. A few debit cards in the U.S. offer rewards for using "credit". However, since "credit" transactions cost more for merchants, many terminals at PIN-accepting merchant locations now make the "credit" function more difficult to access. For example, if you swipe a debit card at Wal-Mart or Ross in the U.S., you are immediately presented with the PIN screen for online debit. To use offline debit you must press "cancel" to exit the PIN screen, and then press "credit" on the next screen.
   After a successful advertisement campaign in late 1990, PIN quickly became synonymous with debit card payments in the Netherlands. Already in 1992, Van Dale added the verb "pinnen", meaning "to pay by card," to its dictionary. Other successful campaigns included the card security oriented campaign "Jullie mogen alles van me weten, behalve mijn pincode" with Dutch singer Rob de Nijs, and the campaign "Klein bedrag, pinnen mag" ("Small amount, PIN allowed"), after the demise of Chipknip.
   In some banking networks, the two functions of ATM cards and debit cards are combined into a single card, simply called a "debit card" or also commonly a "bank card". These are able to perform banking tasks at ATMs and also make point-of-sale transactions, with both features using a PIN.
  
  Canada's Interac and Europe's Maestro are examples of networks that link bank accounts with point-of-sale equipment.
   Like in many neighbouring countries, the PIN debit card often doubled as a cheque guarantee card for Eurocheque until those cheques were abolished on 1 January 2002. In contrast to its neighbouring countries (e.g. Belgium's Bancontact and Germany's Girocard), the Netherlands has not operated a national debit card network since 2012.
  
  Section::::History.
   In some banking networks, the two functions of ATM cards and debit cards are combined into a single card, simply called a "debit card" or also commonly a "bank card". These are able to perform banking tasks at ATMs and also make point-of-sale transactions, with both features using a PIN.
  
  Canada's Interac and Mastercard's Maestro are examples of networks that link bank accounts with point-of-sale equipment.
   As a result of the Walmart Settlement and to compete against PIN-based debit cards (which are processed outside of the Visa and MasterCard networks), Visa and MasterCard lowered the interchange rates for debit cards well below those for credit cards. Some providers can pass on the lower cost of these cards directly to merchants. Consequently, the three tiers programs have added two classifications for debit cards that are processed without a PIN or with a PIN for a total of six rate classifications.
  
  Section::::Rates and fees.:Discount rates.:Interchange-plus pricing.
   In the early 2000s, Currence aligned PIN with the regulations of the SEPA Cards Framework (SCF). A few years later, Currence decided not to move PIN to the EMV chip. As a consequence, PIN disappeared as a product on 1 January 2012, when the infrastructure for magnetic stripe cards was shut down in the Netherlands.
  
  Section::::In popular culture.
   PIN (debit card)
  
  PIN was a debit card brand in the Netherlands from 1990 until 2012, owned by Currence. PIN was a magnetic stripe card which never migrated to the EMV chip. It was therefore discontinued in 2012, after the switch-over from magnetic stripe authentication to EMV chip authentication in the Netherlands was completed. PIN was replaced by Maestro and V Pay debit cards, but as most PIN cards were already co-branded with Maestro long before 2012, consumers noticed little of the change.
   The ability to use an ATM card for in-store EFTPOS purchases or refunds is no longer allowed; however, if the ATM card is also a debit card, it may be used for a pin-based debit transaction, or a non-pin-based credit-card transaction if the merchant is affiliated with the credit or debit card network of the card's issuer. Banks have long argued with merchants over the fees that can be charged by the bank for such transactions. Despite the fact that ATM cards require a PIN for use, banks have decided to permit the use of a non-PIN based card (debit or credit) for all merchant transactions.
   In 1987, the Dutch Central Bank investigated the possibility of merging the individual debit card schemes of the various banks in the Netherlands into a single system. This led in 1988 to the foundation of BeaNet, which provided a single network for all electronic payments and cash withdrawals in the Netherlands. Beginning in May 1990, merchants were provided with payment terminals linked to BeaNet, and in the autumn of 1990, BeaNet launched the PIN brand as the singular brand name for electronic payments in the Netherlands.
   Internet purchases can be authenticated by the consumer entering their PIN if the merchant has enabled a secure online PIN pad, in which case the transaction is conducted in debit mode. Otherwise, transactions may be conducted in either credit or debit mode (which is sometimes, but not always, indicated on the receipt), and this has nothing to do with whether the transaction was conducted in online or offline mode, since both credit and debit transactions may be conducted in both modes.
  
  Section::::Debit cards around the world.
   The majority of Irish Visa Debit cards are also enabled for contactless payment for small, frequent transactions (with a maximum value of €15 or €30). Three consecutive contactless transactions are allowed, after which, the card software will refuse contactless transactions until a standard Chip and PIN transaction has been completed and the counter resets. This measure was put in place to minimize issuers' exposure to fraudulent charges.
  
  The cards are usually processed online, but some cards can also be processed offline depending on the rules applied by the card issuer.
   Australia operates both electronic credit card transaction authorization and traditional EFTPOS debit card authorization systems, the difference between the two being that EFTPOS transactions are authorized by a personal identification number (PIN) while credit card transactions can additionally be authorized using a contactless payment mechanism (requiring a PIN for purchases over $100). If the user fails to enter the correct pin three times, the consequences range from the card being locked out for a minimum 24-hour period, a phone call or trip to the branch to reactivate with a new PIN, the card being cut up by the merchant, or in the case of an ATM, being kept inside the machine, both of which require a new card to be ordered.
   Numerous banks issue Visa-branded debit cards linked to accounts. Some issuing banks call their cards "Visa check cards", Cards allow for purchases at any merchant where any type of Visa card is accepted. Transactions are processed one of three ways. A signed transaction is processed through the regular Visa credit network. PIN-based transactions, including ATM withdrawals, are processed through the Visa-owned Plus, Interlink networks or other regional networks such as STAR. Many retailers allow cash back with PIN-based transactions. Also, in line with other credit and debit purchases, transactions under $25 are exempt from requiring signatures or PINs.
  
  Section::::Market competition.
   In 1994, BeaNet merged with Eurocard Netherlands and Bankgirocentrale into Interpay, which later became Equens. Because of increasingly stringent laws and regulations in the areas of competition and transparency, Interpay decided in 2004 to move all its payment systems into a separate company called Currence. Currence took over PIN in May 2005.
   In the Netherlands using EFTPOS is known as "pinnen" (pinning), a term derived from the use of a personal identification number (PIN). PINs are also used for ATM transactions, and the term is used interchangeably by many people, although it was introduced as a marketing brand for EFTPOS. The system was launched in 1987, and in 2010 there were 258,585 terminals throughout the country, including mobile terminals used by delivery services and on markets. All banks offer a debit card suitable for EFTPOS with current accounts.
   Visa Electron and Maestro work as a standard debit cards: the transactions are debited instantly, although it may happen on some occasions that a transaction is processed with some delay (hours, up to one day). These cards do not possess the options that credit cards have.
  
  In the late 2000s contactless cards started to be introduced. The first technology to be used was MasterCard PayPass, later joined by Visa's payWave. This payment method is now universal and accepted almost everywhere. In an everyday use this payment method is always called Paypass.
   Some cards might carry a stored value with which a payment is made, while most relay a message to the cardholder's bank to withdraw funds from a payer's designated bank account. In some cases, the primary account number is assigned exclusively for use on the Internet and there is no physical card.
   In the Philippines, all three national ATM network consortia offer proprietary PIN debit. This was first offered by Express Payment System in 1987, followed by Megalink with Paylink in 1993 then BancNet with the Point-of-Sale in 1994.
  
  Express Payment System or EPS was the pioneer provider, having launched the service in 1987 on behalf of the Bank of the Philippine Islands. The EPS service has subsequently been extended in late 2005 to include the other Expressnet members: Banco de Oro and Land Bank of the Philippines. They currently operate 10,000 terminals for their cardholders.
   In Canada, virtually all domestic debit card transactions are processed over the Interac network, though several financial institutions have also permitted PIN-based ATM transactions internationally over the Visa-owned Plus network. However, Interac's dominance has left little room for alternative debit networks such as Visa or MasterCard to be used for domestic transactions.
   Calling cards usually come equipped with PIN for user protection and security. Most companies require user to enter the PIN before granting access to the calling card's funds. PINs often are printed on a piece of paper found inside the calling card's packaging. Once the users makes their first call, some companies offer the option of eliminating the PIN altogether to speed up the calling process. Companies that sell virtual calling cards online typically PIN via email.
  
  Section::::Stored-value phone cards.
   This method is very popular within Germany as it allows quick and easy payments, and it is suited even for one-time payments. A customer might just give the authorisation at the same time she or he orders goods or services from an organisation. Compared to payments by credit cards, which allow similar usage, bank fees for successful collections are much lower. Often retailers such as supermarkets will process Girocards as direct debit (ELV) transactions after performing a real-time risk analysis when the card is swiped. This is possible because the bank account number and routing code of the giro account form part of every Girocard's card number (PAN), similar to early 1990s 19 digit Switch card numbers. The customer agrees to the direct debit by signing the back of the receipt, which normally contains a long contractual text that also allows the retailer to contact the customer's bank and get their address in the case the debit is returned ("Rücklastschrift"). Direct debits are practically free for the retailer, allowing them to save the Girocard interchange fees (approx. 0.3%) that would be associated with PIN based transactions, but incur a higher risk as the payment can be returned for any reason for up to 45 days. Therefore, they are used usually for returning customers that have already had successful Girocard (PIN-verified) transactions at the same store or are purchasing low-risk or small-ticket items.
   In the U.S., EFTPOS is universally referred to simply as "debit". The largest pre-paid debit card company is Green Dot Corporation, by market capitalization. The same interbank networks that operate the ATM network also operate the POS network. Most interbank networks, such as Pulse, NYCE, MAC, Tyme, SHAZAM, STAR, and so on, are regional and do not overlap, however, most ATM/POS networks have agreements to accept each other's cards. This means that cards issued by one network will typically work anywhere they accept ATM/POS cards for payment. For example, a NYCE card will work at a Pulse POS terminal or ATM, and vice versa. Debit cards in the United States are usually issued with a Visa, MasterCard, Discover or American Express logo allowing use of their signature-based networks.
   Debit cards may also be used on the Internet either with or without using a PIN. Internet transactions may be conducted in either online or offline mode, although shops accepting online-only cards are rare in some countries (such as Sweden), while they are common in other countries (such as the Netherlands). For a comparison, PayPal offers the customer to use an online-only Maestro card if the customer enters a Dutch address of residence, but not if the same customer enters a Swedish address of residence.
  