While other federal states are still working on introducing payment cards for refugees, in Hamburg they have already begun issuing them to first applicants.
The blue-green Visa card is called the SocialCard: from now on, those applying for refugee status in Germany will receive it. This card is different in that it does not have any credit balance, that is, you can only spend the amount that is in your account. You can withdraw only a small part of the money in cash – up to 50 euros per month and an additional 10 euros per child.
The card intended for refugees can only be used in Germany. It is impossible to make transfers abroad or make purchases on the Internet using it.
The purpose of introducing such a payment card is to make illegal migration less attractive, as well as to prevent refugees from sending money to smugglers. In addition, civil servants will have less work to do, since they will not have to manually issue money at the cash register.
14 of the 16 federal states are planning to introduce a common payment card for refugees, while Bavaria and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern are planning to create their own models. Initially, the project was planned to be implemented before the end of the year.
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