Overview
- The association Greifswald hilft confirmed it exchanges shop vouchers bought with asylum payment cards for cash and says it views the card as unconstitutional.
- Asylum-seekers reportedly purchase vouchers with their Bezahlkarte in stores and then receive cash for those vouchers from the group.
- Mecklenburg-Vorpommern’s interior ministry reports no evidence of organized circumvention and says it has no specific information on the Greifswald case.
- The Bezahlkarte caps cash withdrawals at 50 euros per person each month and blocks transfers and online purchases, with more than 7,000 cards issued in the state since summer.
- Separate reporting cites data indicating sharp rises in voluntary departures in some areas since the card’s rollout, including nearly 300% in Saale-Orla-Kreis.