Depends... ... on your geo: in the US credit/debit terms used like that often refer to the network it'll travel over. As others have noted the rails don't impact the consumer protection you receive. Outside the US things credit/debit don't have this overloaded meaning. ... on who's asking: sometimes the retailer wants or has to offer you a choice of networks. Sometimes your multi-app chip card is asking you to choose which app to use.