Smart tips for using your debit card

It's a debit card: You swipe it, punch some buttons and put it back in your wallet. How tough can it be?

Actually, experts say there are a handful of ways you can modify your debit card usage to make sure you're not wasting any of your hard-earned money on unnecessary fees or having your valuable dollars locked up by some company.

CreditCards.com details a number of steps you should take for good debit card management. WalletPop also got on the phone with Linda Sherry, director of national priorities for watchdog group Consumer Action, to get her expert opinion on all things debit-card related. If you don't want to read the whole CreditCards.com article, here's the short version of what you need to know.