The first refugees who received bank cards instead of cash have already started to leave Germany, dissatisfied with this innovation, Bild am Sonntag newspaper reports.
According to his information, the German government is only discussing the possibility of introducing bank cards for refugees, but in the district of Greiz (federal state of Thuringia) they have already started to be issued. So far, nearly 200 payment cards have been given to migrants. By the end of the month, 740 refugees should receive them. Several regions of the country have analyzed this practice and have already started consultations on how to create such a system.
“Most migrants accept the change and are happy to get anything at all,” Dagmar Poland, head of the refugee office, told the paper. However, as early as December 2023, she said, 15 refugees said they needed cash, not a card, and left Germany soon after. The number of deportees from the district of Greitz, as noted by the publication, has increased significantly.
“The payment card allows you to separate the wheat from the chaff. Those who really need asylum don’t care how they pay: they spend the benefits on clothes and food. But some, especially young people, are using the benefit to buy new cell phones,” Poland said.
The way the system works is that each refugee (mostly from Syria and Afghanistan) receives a card that is filled out monthly by the local administration. Purchases can be made anywhere, but the cards are only valid in a certain region. In addition, bank transfers are not possible. When the credit balance reaches EUR 5,000, the card is no longer topped up.
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2024-01-20 16:31:00
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