Unemployment benefits, child benefit, birth benefit, financial support for foster care and the minimum guaranteed income will be paid through a prepaid card. Mandatory payment through the prepaid card will probably start from the last quarter of this year.
Beneficiaries will be able to take up to 50% of the allowance in cash, while the other half will have to be spent through electronic payments, that is, through the prepaid card, reports the ERT report. Those who choose to spend a larger amount (over 50%) via card will receive incentives.
For example, if someone receives an unemployment benefit of 500 euros from the Public Employment Service (DYPA), they will be able to withdraw 250 euros and spend the remaining 250 through the prepaid card. Of course, he can spend the entire amount on online purchases, but not in cash.
Also, the beneficiaries of the prepaid card they will participate in sweepstakes, sweepstakes and reward programs which will be carried out by both the banks and the competent bodies.
All the details on how to pay the allowances via prepaid card are determined by the decision of the Deputy Minister of National Economy and Finance, Mr. Nikos Papathanasis.
New system
The project will be included in the Recovery Fund, specifically in the “Action for the Protection of the Social Benefits System from Unfair Practices” with a budget of 10.3 million euros.
For the operation of the new system, an information system will be developed that will allow the interoperability of the DYPA, OPECA and bank registers.
As stated in the decision: “A new way of paying allowances, aids and all kinds of benefits of the Public Employment Service (DYPA) and the Organization of Welfare Benefits and Social Solidarity (OPEKA) is introduced. In particular, it is envisaged that they will be paid through a single prepaid payment card, which can be issued by any payment service provider (PPP), in which the beneficiary maintains an active payment account”. This is a measure to simplify and modernize the payment method of all kinds of benefits, with the aim of improving beneficiaries’ access to effective and inclusive actions, as well as the transparency of transactions.”
The total (100%) of the amount of each allowance will be credited to the beneficiary’s prepaid card, with the option of withdrawing up to 50% of the amount from an ATM. The card will be issued by banks operating in Greece and in which the beneficiaries maintain an active payment account.
Benefits that will not be given with a prepaid card
The benefits that will be included in the new system are: unemployment, from DYPA’s side, child allowance, birth allowance, financial support for foster care, as well as the minimum guaranteed income from OPECA’s side.
Allowances, subsidies and benefits such as:
- the employer’s insolvency allowance,
- the availability allowance,
- housing,
- Social Solidarity of Uninsured Seniors,
- the income support of families in mountainous and disadvantaged areas,
- disability benefits,
- the expatriate refugee allowance,
- funeral expenses in the event of the death of an uninsured adult,
- housing assistance for uninsured seniors,
- the monthly financial aid in the form of an allowance to the protected children of those who died from the fires that affected areas of the Attica Region on July 23 and 24, 2018,
- the monthly financial support in the form of an allowance for each minor child of those who died during and because of the flooding phenomena that affected Crete in the month of February 2019
- and the monthly financial aid to the protected children and siblings of those who died during and because of the fires that hit the Varymombi Area of the Municipality of Acharna on August 3, 2021 and because of the earthquake of October 30, 2020 in Samos.
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