The new digital prepaid card will enter the life of recipients of OPECA benefits (excluding the disabled), ΔΥΠΑ/ΟΑΕΔ from 2023.
According to exclusive information from Dnews, the plan of the Ministry of Labor for the payment of benefits includes the accrual of amounts exclusively on a prepaid bank card (from which you cannot withdraw cash, only pay in a store). This means that approximately 2 million beneficiaries, excluding the disabled, will be able to use the prepaid card and make purchases. Today, half of the minimum guaranteed income EEE (formerly KEA) is paid in this way.
From 2023, the entire amount of EEE will be transferred to a prepaid card. The same will apply to all OPECA benefits – they will be credited to the prepaid card that the recipient will use to make purchases. As Dnews already wrote, ΔΥΠΑ (formerly ΟΑΕΔ) benefits will also be paid.
According to the information, negotiations between the Ministry of Labour, Finance and Digital Governance with banks will be completed in autumn in order to conduct a tender for the project. Banks that accept the new cards and distribute them to beneficiaries will receive €10 million in the first year of the measure, that is, 2023.
The decision to introduce only a prepaid card (wow!) will greatly facilitate the use of benefits of any category. The cardholder will make transactions in an intangible manner, electronically, through electronic purchases, electronic banking and other online services. At the same time, it is being considered that there should be a limit on the amount of cash that beneficiaries can “withdraw”. The changes that will be made are as follows:
• Prepaid cards will also be created for other important OPECA social benefits such as child benefit, housing and maternity benefits.
• Basic unemployment benefit ΔΥΠΑ will be credited to the prepaid card.
• For this type of card, a cash withdrawal limit will be set, and the remaining amount can only be spent on electronic payments, ie. when shopping at points of sale, in an electronic bank, etc.
• The use of prepaid cards will be encouraged for the purchase of certain goods and services (for example, expenses for children or childbirth), and other expenses such as gambling will be prohibited.
PS An electronic concentration camp from the distant future somehow imperceptibly realized in the present.
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