For the most part, no. The primary difference lies with who has to deal with the short-term loss of funds when a charge is in dispute. With a debit card, the money incorrectly or fraudulently withdrawn is your money. With a credit card, it's the bank's money. In both cases, you are made whole if the charge is indeed found to be incorrect, but the anxiety and inconvenience (or even hardship) is initially much greater with the debit card.

There have been a few regulatory changes as far as credit card v. debit card consumer protections, but basically it is a bank/CU policy to do that if they want. I'd get it in writing exactly what the protections are.

In general, debit cards are regulated under Reg E (electronic funds transer), and credit cards are regulated under Reg Z (credit). See CFPB discussion of Reg E and Reg Z, and FTC discussion of Reg Z consumer protections.)

I'm pretty sure that the maximum you are ever liable for in case of loss or theft of a credit card (or skimming your number, etc.) is $50, or zero if the charges occur after you report it lost or stolen.

For debit cards, it is $50, up to $500, or the full amount of the theft/unauthorized use depending on the circumstances and when you report it. It can also trigger overdraft or other fees, although I believe the bank/CU is required to credit these.

Protections also vary depending on if an unauthorized transaction is not conducted on an electronic terminal (i.e. using a swiped number), in which case you generally have more protections.

But the main problem with a debit card is that the money has left your account and you or the bank/CU has to get it back from the merchant if there's a dispute.

With a credit card, you aren't out any money until you pay your monthly statement. So if there's a dispute, you can get it taken off your statement or withhold payment of the disputed amount until it is resolved.

Another problem with debit cards involves holds on your account for amounts larger than the transaction. This usually occurs for gas pump purchases and lodging, where the merchant doesn't know what the final purchase is until it's completed. The holds are supposed to be taken off when the transaction is settled, but sometimes there are glitches and in the case of lodging the holds could be hundreds or thousands of dollars over several days until you check out. There may have been more recent regulations to address this.

Nope.