What are some advantages & disadvantages of owning a debit card?

Using a debit card is stupid.  You end up paying to use your own money.  Only a moron would do that.  Use checks.  Banks and Credit Unions want you to use debit cards so they can collect the use fee and any overcharge penalties.  They have no respect for you and are depending on you to be a fool.  Debit cards also give others a heads-up on what kind of person you are.  That's not good.

I have not used a debit card for the last 25 years, but recently began to use it sparingly.  I now go to the ATM drive through to get cash to have in my safe at home for emergencies since banks/government are restricting how I use and move cash around (it irks me no end why they restrict me sending money on Zell to my son).  In my opinion, there is no reason for the government to interfere with my money, I earned it. (DO NOT talk to me about the 1% of drug money movers).  Secondly, WinCo groceries will not accept my credit card.  But the real disadvantage of a debit card is running out of spending power, then having to cover bounce or 'OVER CHARGE" FEES OF $35.  That bank computer is making more per hour than I did working out in the cold snow, and 113 degree summer building America when I did work.

The BEST THING THAT happened to me: 1. COSTCO's credit Card (and rewards programs), and 2. A ZERO % interest card that I manage to my advantage.

Technically, the BANK owns the card.

The advantage is it allows you to access money in your account without physically going to the bank.

The primary disadvantage is many people spend more when they use a card than when they use cash.

Most checking accounts automatically give a debit card when you open the account.

Advantages:

Instant access to your cash at an ATM machine

Most businesses accept debit cards for a payment method

No need to carry cash (if cash is stolen - it is gone forever - if your card is stolen - you can cancel the card and challenge any charges you didn't make - if you cancel it fast enough - no one gets any of your money)

Disadvantages:

Cash limits at ATM machine - you might need more cash than your daily limit sometimes

Overdrawn account - since a debit card is YOUR money from YOUR checking account, if you don't track your spending, you can accidentally spend more than you have in your account and end up with overdraft fees.  (most banks will let you set up your debit card to decline - but even that isn't perfect since some transactions you might do might not clear on the same day you made them.  You can also avoid this by putting overdraft protection on your account.)

i like not having to have cash all the time

A debit card simply comes with the bank account. It is what it is in terms of ATM access and card payments. However, credit cards are far superior when there's no penalty for using it as you do get rewards in return.

i never have to have cash cause of the debit card