Like @pbm said, you can file a chargeback with a debit card as well. Chargebacks aren’t a legal protection, but part of what the card networks offer (Mastercard, Visa, Amex, etc). As far as I know the major card networks offer the same kind of chargeback protection no matter if you use a credit or debit card.
However, there are two reasons why you might prefer a credit card for large travel purchases:
- Although this varies from bank to bank, if you file a chargeback with a credit card you generally don’t have to pay that part of your statement balance until the chargeback is settled. With a debit card (since the money has already been debited) you typically need to wait for the money to be returned to your account.
- In some countries (the UK being a notable example) credit card payments might have some additional legal protection, but since most credit/debit cards come with a zero liability protection from the card network, in practice the difference isn’t that significant.
That being said, mostly due to earning more points that way, I usually pay for travel purchases with a credit card (the Chase Sapphire Reserve, in my case).
For a lot of people it’s a lot easier to keeping track of their day to day finances when relying on debit cards, so that will often outweigh the theoretical benefits of using a credit card.
I do mention some credit cards as well (mostly US ones), but since credit cards are generally limited to the residents of a particular country, it’s a lot harder to cover them all. I prefer to write about products I have first-hand experiences with.