Why do you need to choose (or tell the worker) “credit” or “debit” when paying for something by card? Are the two cards built differently?

Question

Why do you need to choose (or tell the worker) “credit” or “debit” when paying for something by card? Are the two cards built differently?

In: Other

Answer 1

Credit is just an authorization, debit pulls the fund immediately. This works best when doing things between use and payment required, such as renting a car