MCLEAN, Va. - Prepaid cards are becoming increasingly popular among underbanked consumers. As a result, companies have been rolling out a range of prepaid cards that appeal to a variety of financial interests, including kids?? allowances, USA Today reports.

This tax season, Western Union is offering a card with Advent Financial, a service provider for independent tax preparers, for tax refunds. Meanwhile, custodian Millennium Trust offers a card for IRA distributions, while Allowance Manager allows parents to load their kids?? allowance onto a prepaid card.

"It's a smart way to market a card," said Aleia Van Dyke, a payments analyst for Javelin, regarding these types of specific-use prepaid cards. "They're specifically going after an immediate need someone needs to fill."

Prepaid cards are becoming increasingly popular for several reasons: The number of consumers forgoing traditional banking is rising, prepaid cards often tout lower fees, and big banks are turning to them as a way to compensate for lost revenue from recent industry regulations.

According to a 2011 report by the FDIC, more than 20% of U.S. households are underbanked, meaning they do not fully rely on traditional services such as checking and savings accounts.

As the prepaid market grows, so too does the number of bank-like features that many of them offer, such as mobile apps and bill pay. Van Dyke urged caution among prepaid card issuers, though, suggesting that prepaid cards that are too tailored toward specific, one-time uses may not resonate among consumers.

Still, according to Mike Hafer, senior vice president of Western Union, the prepaid industry is young, and the chances for growth seemingly endless.

"The opportunity is still very large," he said. "In any process where cash or checks are involved, a prepaid card can help make that process more efficient."