We love our debit cards. We swipe to pay for purchases at the gas station, grocery store and restaurants. We enter our cards into our digital wallets for convenient payments, and, we pay for plenty of purchases on Amazon Prime. But did you know there is a way to add another layer of security to your debit card transactions?

It’s choosing “pen” (or signing for the transaction) vs. PIN (entering your personal identification number) to approve the transaction.

Note that merchants may encourage PIN transactions because their fees are often less than a signature (or pen) transaction – particularly for higher dollar transactions, which are based on a percentage of the sale. So, you’ll want to choose the credit option first.

A signature (pen) transaction gives you added security.

Mastercard offers greater protection on all signature-based transactions. This means you have zero liability for any potential fraudulent transaction – and won’t be responsible if fraud occurs. And since you’re not entering your PIN, you reduce the possibility of someone stealing it.

Overall, Pen/Credit transactions are safer, and more secure.