Rather than the familiar Laser symbol, its debit cards will carry the Visa brand.

This means they can be used at almost 20 million merchants around the world but, unlike with credit cards, cardholders will not be able to spend more than they have in the bank.

Chrissy Quinn, head of retail at Bank of Scotland, confirmed it would be the first to offer an alternative to the Laser debit card, which is accepted only by retailers in Ireland.

"Rather than using Laser, we've chosen to go with a Visa debit card, " she said. "It's a lot more flexible and, unlike Laser, it can be used around the world."

The new card is likely to appeal to people who like Visa's universal acceptance but do not trust themselves with the big spending limits and high interest rates associated with a credit card. But Quinn said Bank of Scotland would not specifically target people who fear that Visa cards will lure them into debt.

"That's not necessarily within our thinking, " she said.

"In all our lending we try to encourage people to only borrow what they can afford."

Because Visa has only ever been sold as a credit card in Ireland, Bank of Scotland is planning an awareness campaign to promote its alternative use as a debit card.