More uses of prepaid cards

In recent years, younger generations have begun to make up a higher percentage of the overall consumer market, and thus shifted the landscape substantially. As a result, businesses and financial institutions have adapted strategies to cultivate relationships with new consumers, while prepaid cards and other alternative financial services have been focal points this year. TIME Magazine recently reported that prepaid cards are garnering further popularity as a result of parents using them to teach their children how to properly manage finances. Because prepaid cards are so low risk, they make for an excellent entrance point for individuals who have never had credit cards or checking accounts. The source said that prepaid cards provide unmatched monitoring capabilities, along with commonly lower annual costs, a lack of overdraft fees and many of the perks of traditional banking accounts. These are the very same reasons why unbanked and underbanked populations have been adopting the alternative finance product. Researchers believe tens of millions of households are currently unbanked or underbanked, and many of these individuals largely stay away from credit and debit accounts out of fear of racking up debts and fees. Prepaid cards have become much more feasible for these and other demographics, while trends indicate that the popularity will only become more intense in the future.