Should I use 'credit' or 'debit' when making a purchase with my card? (EEA)
Some payment terminals ask you to choose credit or debit before they’ll process a card payment. This prompt is controlled by the terminal and the merchant’s setup, so it can vary by country, store, and even between terminals at the same location. It doesn’t necessarily mean your card is a “credit card” or a “debit card” in the way people usually think about those terms—it’s often just a routing preference the terminal needs to proceed.
What to select
Try credit first if the terminal provides the option.
If it’s declined, try debit (or vice versa).
If the terminal offers only one option, select the available option and proceed.
If the payment still fails
If switching between credit and debit doesn’t work, the cause is usually unrelated to that selection. Common reasons include:
merchant category restrictions (some transaction types may be blocked)
insufficient supported stablecoin balance in OKX Pay
temporary terminal/network issues (merchant connectivity, local outages, or routing problems)
card security controls that block a specific attempt
What to do next
If issues continue:
Try the payment again on a different terminal (if the merchant has more than one).
Try paying in a different way temporarily (another card or method) to complete the purchase.
Confirm your supported balance and that your card is active and unlocked in the OKX app.
If it keeps happening, contact OKX Support (OK Assistant) and share the merchant name, time, amount/currency, and what the terminal displayed (if you remember).
Learn more about OKX Card, visit here.