Many people have said that they have not been charged. Its simply because off late things have been changing. These card companies have been tying up with more merchant establishments and charge less, due to competition. Instead of charging merchant/customer they charge membership fee from banks, or from customers having special cards like cash back, miles, etc. Basically the bank benefits on less transaction costs if we use the card (debit or credit), because the transaction cost of withdrawing money and paying or via cheque would be higher. Now you know why banks advertise, educate and encourage customers to use their debit card, because there are inherent benefits to them. Its better to get wise on use of credit cards, because as long as you pay your bill without rollover its fine, but just one delay and if you run out of cash another time, interest and charges start pouring in.