It is intended to solve the migration problem in Bavaria: the payment card for refugees. It has already been in use in four municipalities since the end of March, and a further 13 districts and two district towns are now to follow.
Munich – Bavaria's Interior State Secretary Sandro Kirchner is satisfied with his latest project: “The test phase of the Bavarian payment card has been very successful so far. Since March 21st, over 1,800 cards have already been issued in the four pilot municipalities,” he announced in a press release on Thursday, April 17th. According to the Bavarian Interior Minister, there have been no significant difficulties with the introduction so far - including in practice. “The fact that the payment card is linked to an existing debit card system and can therefore be used in stores without the need for adjustments on the part of retailers” is a key factor in this success.
On March 21, the state government identified four pilot municipalities in which the payment card was tested in advance. These included the districts of Günzburg, Fürstenfeldbruck, Traunstein and the independent city of Straubing.
Payment card for asylum seekers is intended to prevent smugglers from paying
The payment card for asylum seekers is intended to solve some problems in the refugee debate. An advantage that the Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs highlights on its website: The sum made available there can only be spent domestically and therefore for exactly the services for which the money is intended: for the lives of refugees in Germany. Funds for smugglers and transfers to the country of origin should no longer be possible.
Basically a good plan, but many people criticize this new form of asylum assistance. Refugee helpers in particular see blatant problems with the payment card and fear stigmatization and discrimination. And you can even hear skepticism about the new concept from the banking industry.
State authorities decide about money on the payment card
How much money can be withdrawn with the payment card in a certain period of time is ultimately left to the authority responsible for supporting refugees. According to the Federal Ministry, individual needs can also be addressed and the local circumstances can also be taken into account.
By the beginning of May 2024: Another 15 municipalities will start using the payment card
Like State Interior Minister Kirchner, the four pilot municipalities in Bavaria also draw an initial positive conclusion. “Over 700 payment cards have already been issued in the pilot district of Fürstenfeldbruck. The experiences so far have been positive: the hoped-for administrative simplification has occurred, and paying with the card generally works well,” explains Thomas Karmasin, District Administrator of Fürstenfeldbruck. In the coming weeks, the following districts and independent cities will follow the example of the four municipalities:
Altötting district
Eichstätt district
Erding district
Miesbach district
Mühldorf am Inn district
Freyung-Grafenau district
Regensburg district
Tirschenreuth district
Bamberg district
Hof district
Nuremberger Land district
Aschaffenburg district
Bad Kissingen district
Independent city of Passau
Independent city of Augsburg
Bavaria's Interior Minister taunts the federal government: "Only minimal consensus"
The districts will introduce the new system by the beginning of May, and Bavaria wants to have the payment card in use throughout the Free State by the end of June, regardless of what happens next at the federal level. Kirchner does not ignore criticism of the traffic light government's hesitant implementation: The federal government only approved the payment card with a minimal consensus, but Bavaria had already implemented the payment system in five months.
Kirchner once again emphasizes the state government's intention on this occasion: "We are pursuing two goals with the Bavarian payment card: We want to limit irregular migration by reducing incentives to immigrate and we want to relieve the burden on our municipalities," explained Kirchner.