One of the biggest pains about being bankrupt, aside from the house/car respossessions and 
loss of earnings and self-esteem that is, is that it's bloody inconvenient. Can you have a Mastercard or Visa since everyone in the world accepts these as methods of payment? No you can't. Can you have a Maestro card to make online purchases and to make it easy to access your funds when abroad. No you can't. Can I even have one of those crappy little cash-cards that I had when I was 12 that came with my 'Top Teenager' account? Er, yes, you can have one of those... Wowser.
Bank Accounts
One of the first things that happens when you become bankrupt is that your bank account will be closed and unfortunately there are very few banks who will offer you an account while you remain bankrupt. The few who do are Barclays (Cash Card Account), Nationwide (Cash Card Account) and The Cooperative Bank (Cashminder Account ). The accounts that they offer are, of course, very basic but arguably the best is the Casminder Account from the Cooperative Bank. This account offers not just a cash card but a Visa Electron debit card that can be used in any LINK machine for cash and over the counter to purchase goods with Chip and Pin.
Prepaid Mastercards and Debit Cards
Well, don't worry Ladies because you can now have all those things thanks to the new prepaid cards that are currently on the market (no doubt thanks in part to the ever-swelling ranks of the insolvent). The types of cards currently available are Mastercard, Maestro, Visa Electron and also Visa Vouchers, and because there are a few to choose from they have 
different costs per month so make sure you check the fees before you choose. To make your research a bit easier the cards are listed and compared on the Which Prepaid Cards site. Of course, these Prepaid Cards aren't credit cards so there are no credit checks, although your name and address will still be verified on application, and someone else can load money onto them for you - bonus!
Visa Vouchers
The new 3V Vouchers can be used anywhere you see the VISA sign and are available to anyone over 16 (but must have use of a mobile p
hone and an email address). Like the prepaid cards, there are no credit checks or lengthy application processes - you can just reigster on the website and they'll send you a 3V Customer Card, which you can then use like a mobile top-up card.