Paychecks transfer to plastic
Seeking to eliminate the cost and hassle of printing and distributing paper paychecks, an increasing number of employers are turning to payroll cards for the approximately forty percent of American workers who do not use direct deposit or other automatic payroll deposit systems. Marketed by a growing number of banks and credit card companies, payroll cards function like debit cards onto which an employee's paycheck is credited every payday and are being targeted at low-pay service sector industries where many workers do not have bank accounts. Consumer advocacy groups have urged caution, however, pointing out that while the cards free workers without bank accounts from reliance on check cashing services charging two to three percent on all transactions, the cards themselves often carry fees for users.
See "Paychecks transfer to plastic", ADAM GELLAR, Chicago Tribune, March 2, 2003