Credit cards offer convenience. Credit cards offer emergency life preservers. If you start to use your credit card for daily expenses, and you start paying for pizza at 18 percent interest -- do the math.
Gift cards are popular because you don't have to buy a gift, ... You just have to know where they like to shop.
They are trying to increase the use of debit cards to increase their profits.
As for the consumer, I think the savings is diminished compared to how much more the bank will make in these transactions. They are trying to increase the use of debit cards to increase their profits.