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2d ago

Hamburg Senate Considers Extending Bezahlkarte Beyond Refugees

Social workers have already used the prepaid cards to distribute youth allowances in care facilities as part of a pilot to streamline welfare payments.

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Die Bezahlkarte soll es bald nicht nur für Asylbewerber sondern auch für andere Leistungsempfänger geben (Symbolbild).
Eine Frau erhält im Beisein eines Dolmetschers an der Kasse der Aufnahmeeinrichtung für Asylbegehrende in Trier ihre Bezahlkarten für Geflüchtete in Rheinland-Pfalz. Die Bezahlkarte ist Teil eines Pilotprojekts.

Overview

  • Hamburg’s finance and social authorities are reviewing plans to open the Bezahlkarte program to wider social services beyond asylum seekers.
  • Finance Senator Andreas Dressel said the expansion would lower barriers for people without cashless payment options and reduce administrative burdens.
  • Social workers have piloted the cards to disburse pocket money to youths in care facilities, marking the first non-refugee use.
  • The cards function like credit cards for benefit recipients, allowing up to €50 in monthly cash withdrawals (€10 for minors) and purchases at supermarkets and salons while blocking foreign, online, money-transfer and gambling transactions.
  • Officials plan to collaborate over the coming months to identify and integrate additional suitable processes and services into the card payment system.