bank card

bank card — noun

IPA/ˈbæŋk kɑːd/
IPA/ˈbæŋk kɑːrd/

1. a small plastic card from a bank that a person can use to buy things in shops or

1.nounA2
Definition

a small plastic card from a bank that a person can use to buy things in shops or withdraw cash from an ATM

Example

Bao tapped his bank card on the supermarket's payment machine to buy milk and bread.

verb pattern: tap + bank card + on [device]

Talia called the bank right after her bank card stopped working at the ATM.

collocation: bank card + stopped working

Common collocations
  • use a bank card
  • pay by bank card
  • lose your bank card
  • block a bank card
  • tap your bank card
  • insert your bank card
  • bank card payment
  • bank card number
Synonyms
  • debit card

    a bank card that takes money straight from your current account

  • cash card

    mainly British English, used mostly at cash machines rather than for shop payments

  • ATM card

    used only for money machines, not for in-store purchases

Antonyms
  • cash

    bank cards replace physical money, while cash is coins and paper notes

Grammar Patterns

bank card + verb (e.g. works, stopped)

Common Mistakes

I left my bank’s card at home.
I left my bank card at home.
'bank card' is a fixed compound noun; do not separate with a possessive.
Can I pay by card from my bank?
Can I pay by bank card?
Use the compound term 'bank card' as a single unit.

bank card — phrase

IPA/bˈaŋk kˈɑːd/
IPA/bˈæŋk kˈɑːɹd/

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

A bank card is the general term for any plastic payment card that a bank provides. A debit card is the most common type — it takes money directly from your current account when you spend. A credit card allows you to borrow money from the bank up to a set limit and pay it back later, often with interest if you do not pay in full. A cash card (mainly used in British English) is usually limited to withdrawing money from an ATM and may not work for in-store purchases. In Taiwan, for example, a standard 'bank card' (jinrong ka) acts as a debit card linked to a savings account, while credit cards (xinyong ka) are separate products. When you hear someone say 'I paid with my bank card', they almost always mean a debit card.

debit card ↗credit cardcash card ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • bank card payment
  • bank card number
  • bank card issuer
  • bank card holder
  • bank card application

Phrases

  • pay by bank card
  • lose your bank card
  • apply for a bank card
  • activate a bank card
  • report a lost bank card

Prepositions

  • by bank card
  • on your bank card

Etymology

ItalianLatinEnglish

The word 'bank' goes back to the Italian 'banca', meaning a bench or counter where moneylenders exchanged coins. 'Card' comes from the Latin 'charta' (a sheet of papyrus or paper). The compound 'bank card' appeared in the middle of the 20th century, after banks began issuing plastic cards to customers for cash withdrawals and payments.

First known use

1947

1947, in the meaning defined above