If I remember correctly the US military has their own payment network (Eagle Pay) and issues stored-value cards to the enlisted.
Or what if you don’t have a bank account?
If you live in the US, not participating in the banking system and not having a bank account is not a thing that you can do, except for religious reasons. From the moment you're born, you're on half a dozen companies' radars for credit reporting and scoring purposes, and most of the major purchases that you need to make to survive require a bank account with a good balance and a good credit score.
> An estimated 4.5 percent of U.S. households (approximately 5.9 million) were “unbanked” in 2021, meaning that no one in the household had a checking or savings account at a bank or credit union.
> If you live in the US, not participating in the banking system and not having a bank account is not a thing that you can do
Sure it is. Lots of people do. It's expensive, though.
Bank accounts are a necessary part of modern life in developed and many developing countries, and should be free and readily accessible to everyone.
There are plenty of places to get a free checking account, at least in the US. I don’t really understand why people wouldn’t have one.
My bank card doesn't even have a battery.
Your credit/debit cards use batteries?
Related: My European bank will ask if I actually need the plastic physical card, and unless I do, they'll just issue a virtual card to load into my phone/smartwatch.