Yep — confirmation that the card works is what $8 gets them. Maybe a nice snack too.

I moved from debit to credit a few years ago for the sake of airline points, but it seems a better and better choice every year. I’ve had my card number stolen from a restaurant’s records, and I’ve had it tried with the wrong expiration date after the number was automatically generated. Each time, the credit card company would go, “Oh, that sucks, sorry, we fix,” without question. (I’ve also had geography/long distances on my side — I clearly was not in New Jersey.) There’s a risk of spending drift with credit cards, and I know I’ve been susceptible to it, but I think the security is worth it.