Using your debit card to make purchases sure seems like an excellent idea. Debit cards are easy to use and as convenient as a credit card - without the high interest rate.

However, there are some serious disadvantages to using a debit card, of which you should be aware. You may find that using personal checks more often is a wiser decision.

You might assume that banks do not appreciate overdrafts and would consider you a bad customer if you continued to use your debit card with insufficient funds in your checking account. But you’d be wrong.

Financial institutions used to make most of their money by investing the funds you deposited. Today they make much of their profits from charging customers fees for certain services. One of the biggest money makers is overdraft protection.

According to the Government Accountability Office, revenue from savings and checking accounts jumped about 48 percent between the years 2000 and 2007.

Financial industry analysts say that money made by the banks from overdraft fees nearly doubled from 2000 to 2009. The total was more than $37 billion! More than half of that came from charges applied to debit and ATM transactions.

Consider this…let’s say you buy a gallon of milk at the grocery store for $2.50 and use your debit card. You were unaware that your checking account balanced had dropped to zero, and you overdraft the account. Now your bank charges you a $25 fee because you have overdraft protection.

That’s equivalent to being charged an interest rate or 1,000% - way worse than the typical Visa or MasterCard! The reason for that is the fee you are charged for an overdraft is equal no matter how large the purchase.

Thankfully, there is a new law that requires banks and credit unions to give customers the option of refusing overdraft protection. If you refuse the service, when you use your debit card or go to an ATM but don’t have enough money in your checking account - your card will simply be denied.

For most people, when their card does not go through they usually have another option such as a credit card, cash or personal checks.

One possible issue with the new rules regarding overdraft protection is that because banks will most likely be losing millions of dollars, they will have to find somewhere to make up the loss. That will inevitably lead to more fees and higher charges for those fees at your bank. Financial experts predict many banks will get rid of free checking completely.

The reason most people overdraft when using debit cards is because they have no clue how much they have in their account. Using checks could be the solution to this problem.

It’s true that you can still be charged NSF fees for bouncing personal checks. However, it is also a proven fact that people who order personal checks and use them with a check register have a better grasp on their personal finances.

Keeping a close eye on your finances is very important. An FDIC study recently found that just 13 percent of all checking customers pay 93 percent of all overdraft fees. That 13 percent includes people classified as “financially disorganized.”

So start taking control of your finances. Opt out of overdraft protection if you think it could help. If your debit card is denied, you can always use another option like personal checks, a credit card, or even cash.

Kasey Steinbrinck uses his writing skills to blog for Check Advantage. The online printer of checks is dedicated to keeping its customers happy. Stop by and browse through our retro checks and classic checks.