Consumers becoming more inclined to use debit cards The recession may be leading more consumers to use their debit cards instead of credit cards, according to a recent report.

In the 2009 Debit Issuer Study released by Pulse this week, debit transactions saw 8 percent growth in the second half of 2008, with a 7 percent growth rate in both PIN and signature-based debit transactions projected for 2009.

"Although the economy is a challenge for debit card issuers, as it is for everyone, debit transaction growth remains strong," Cindy Ballard of Pulse said in a statement, going on to predict continued growth in debit use because "consumers use their debit cards for a large portion of necessary everyday expenses."

Ballard also noted that the debit use is increasingly taking the place of cash transactions - even when small amounts are involved. For example, the report noted that 27 percent of all debit transactions in 2008 were for less than $10.

Another statistic in the report found that active debit card holders are now performing 17.3 point of sale transactions per month, up from 16.6 in 2008.