I do not recall having seen pay safe cards, but I live in a rural area where we have a Walmart, and a local supermarket. The supermarket stopped carrying gift cards a year or two ago, and I rarely go to the Walmart.

That said, I feel we have fewer payment options in the states. I have been playing a French game for the last 20 some odd years, it has options to pay for in game services. There have always been a ton of options included that I have never heard. Even the option to pay by adding the cost to your phone bill.