Some banks have stopped offering plain ATM cards, but you always have the choice of never using it to make purchases. Make sure you opt out of debit card overdraft protection. Otherwise, they can empty your account and leave you with considerable debt besides. The bank MUST allow you to opt out of overdraft, but bankers aren't always forthcoming with that paperwork. There is protection against fraudulent debit card use, but how much you recover depends on how quickly you report the theft.