Some debit cards don't allow offline transactions, usually when the cardholder isn't allowed to be in debt.
In the olden days, you'd get a Visa Electron or Solo debit card in the UK if you were under 18 or had a poor credit history.
Visa Electron and Solo were online authorisation-only card brands (also known as "immediate authorisation").
If you didn't have enough money in your account, the transaction would be declined. Visa Electron cards didn't have embossed numbers on the front, so couldn't be used with the old-fashioned card imprinters.
Visa Electron and Solo have been discontinued now, so people with poor credit can get a Visa Debit or MasterCard debit card, but with offline authorisation disabled.
That does mean those cards can't work in some places (e.g. on aeroplanes or trains).
Credit Cards generally always support offline authorisation.
In the olden days, you'd get a Visa Electron or Solo debit card in the UK if you were under 18 or had a poor credit history.
Visa Electron and Solo were online authorisation-only card brands (also known as "immediate authorisation").
If you didn't have enough money in your account, the transaction would be declined. Visa Electron cards didn't have embossed numbers on the front, so couldn't be used with the old-fashioned card imprinters.
Visa Electron and Solo have been discontinued now, so people with poor credit can get a Visa Debit or MasterCard debit card, but with offline authorisation disabled.
That does mean those cards can't work in some places (e.g. on aeroplanes or trains).
Credit Cards generally always support offline authorisation.