In my country, the state-owned bank (normal bank that happens to be owned by the state, not the central bank) came out with an automatic, free checking account

In my country, the state-owned bank (normal bank that happens to be owned by the state, not the central bank) came out with an automatic, free checking account so that everyone can use cards. It's not perfect because it has some less than ideal fees, but it helps getting over this problem.