Are prepaid debit cards a good way to avoid reliance on traditional banks?

What's the definition of a traditional bank? If you imply, the branch, the cheque book, the loans and mortgage offers, etc. then yes, the Prepaid debit card does not include all that. But are you walking away from a bank? No. The prepaid debit card is issue by a bank. It may be branded with Walmart or a Tiger logo, etc., but the underlying issuer is a bank and that is where your money is kept.

In most cases, you're simply loading funds into a debit card wallet. In advance cases, the prepaid debit card may be associated with a wallet that is bank and mobile carrier agnostic.

But have no doubt, no matter what prepaid card you pick, there is a issuing bank behind it and that is where your money is at.