A growing trend among employers has replaced paper paychecks and direct deposit with prepaid cards that employees use to withdraw their pay. The switch has particularly affected hourly workers, who in many cases face withdrawal fees when using the cards. Employers favor payroll cards because they are cheaper and more efficient than issuing checks. Taco Bell, Walgreens, and Wal-Mart are a few of the more well-known companies to implement the card system so far.
See "Paid via card, workers feel string of fees", Jessica Silver-Greenberg and Stephanie Clifford, The New York Times, June 30, 2013