As of: February 9, 2024, 4:00 p.m
By: Carina Blumenroth
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In the future, state benefits for refugees will be provided via a payment card.
How this works and who exactly it should apply to.
Paying conveniently with a card is simply a must for many people.
Some people wonder which is safer, entering the PIN or providing a signature.
What is consistent, however, is that the card can be used easily and you don't necessarily have to look for an ATM.
A payment card for refugees in Germany has been under discussion for several months - it should have significantly different functions than normal debit cards.
How it works and what exactly is behind it.
Payment card: What is the current state of affairs?
A payment card for refugees is coming.
There is no nationwide uniform solution.
© Philipp von Ditfurth/dpa
There is no specific plan that applies to all 16 federal states.
In principle, the countries agreed at the end of 2023 to introduce payment cards for refugees.
Some tests are already underway.
The assumption behind this is that this would no longer allow possible smugglers to be paid or families abroad to be supported, migration researcher Petra Bendel (Institute for Political Science at the University of Erlangen) tells
ZDFheute
.
The payment card should be credit-based with a debit function.
This means that there is no account binding.
Each federal state then decides on the amount of the cash amount and other additional functions.
The basic technical options should be uniform, informs the
Germany editorial network
.
14 federal states want to introduce the card together, and this shouldn't happen until 2025 at the earliest.
According to information from Wirtschaftswoche
, Bavaria and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania are seeking
a special procedure.
There are currently some model tests in Thuringia.
Bavaria's Prime Minister Markus Söder announced on X (formerly Twitter): “Our payment card comes faster and is harder.
Only goods for everyday use can be purchased in shops.
We are stopping online shopping, gambling and overseas transfers.”
Who is the payment card intended for?
The card is aimed at asylum seekers who are entitled to benefits.
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Withdrawing cash with a payment card: Generally possible
Refugees should be able to withdraw money with the card - this should be possible up to a maximum contribution.
Exactly how high this amount will be is not yet clear.
It should not be possible to transfer money from card to card.
Transfers at home and abroad are also not planned, informs
RND
.
The card should also be used primarily regionally.
How much money is actually involved?
Asylum seekers receive pocket money of 204 euros at the first reception center.
This is available for personal needs.
A bed and meals are provided and care for acute illnesses is guaranteed.
If you are self-sufficient, single people receive around 460 euros, reports
Wirtschaftswoche
.
Criticism of the payment card
There is criticism, among others, from the support association Pro Asyl e.
V. – the federal and state governments are planning a “discrimination instrument that is intended to make life difficult for people in Germany seeking protection,” according to a press release.
Those responsible see three points as particularly problematic:
No transfers: Refugees are denied everyday life, for example small purchases on the Internet or a cell phone contract.
No minimum amount for cash withdrawal: guaranteeing participation in socio-cultural life is excluded.
Regional restriction: Limiting the freedom of those affected.