He should be able to withdraw money directly from the bank. If he has bills to pay, most companies that bill still take checks (as opposed to grocery and convivence stores which often do not nowadays). With online banking and bill pay options from most banks, he can also use that option to make payments. Providing a the DDA/RTN for a direct debit is also possible.

Banks are at the mercy of their computers, but I know for a fact that if you're an important enough person, the card companies will get you a card pronto. Having contracted for Visa, I can say that one time a card was created and a Visa employee flew out to personally hand it to the VIP. The rich and powerful who have other means of getting food and paying bill certainly shouldn't be given that kind of treatment in my opinion. The poor who are in need should.