American Public University red flag

[jane_eyre11]

Hi, All. I graduated from TESU in September 2017. I was researching graduate programs and decided on American Public University because it is regionally accredited, affordable, and I like the 8 week format. The application process was very easy and last week I was accepted. I can now register for my first course. I received a shock when I went to pay for the tuition and discovered that APU would not allow me to use a debit card. You even have to check a box to affirm that you are using a credit card and not a debit card. I have never had this problem before with any school. Should I be concerned? Anyone with a similar experience?

[jsd]

People often try to make online payments with non-Visa or MasterCard (etc) debit cards often, and these will not work for online payments. If your debit card has a Visa or MasterCard logo on it, it's fine.

This was more of an issue when it was less common for ATM/Debit Cards to be branded with/supported by major credit cards, but they still exist without them occasionally.

[davewill]

I can't think of any reason why this would be of concern. If anything, you are protected from a bad actor better when using a credit card than when using a debit card, although the differences are becoming less over time. The main issue is that when someone who misuses your debit card, the money is immediately taken from your account, which can cause OTHER fees and problems if your balance becomes too low. Also, the dispute process then starts with you needing a refund, where in the case of a credit card, the dispute process starts with you merely owing the disputed amount.

[dfrecore]

If you have a Visa/MC Debit, then you can use it as a credit card (not use the PIN but instead the code on the back or your zip code or whatever). It still works as a debit card on your end (comes directly out of your checking account), but is backed up by Visa/MC, which are the exact same protections you'd get if you used a regular Visa/MC credit card.