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SocialCard for refugees in Halle (Saale) #

Photo by Nathana Rebouças auf Unsplash

The payment card for refugees is also being used in Halle (Saale) to severely restrict the usability of cash benefits for refugees. As a result, many initiatives have joined forces to provide the necessary access to cash in everyday life through a solidarity-based exchange model.

FAQ about the payment card (german)

Information #

The translation was done by machine.

Information in English #

Documents #

Receive cash #

To receive more cash, you can get support from some initiatives in Halle. There you can receive cash in exchange for shopping vouchers that you have previously purchased with the payment card.

To do this, buy a shopping voucher from dm, Rewe, Lidl or Edeka for up to €50. You can take this voucher to one of the shops listed below and receive the equivalent value in cash in exchange.

This is how it works #

  1. go to a shop and buy a voucher from Edeka, Rewe, Lidl or dm for up to €50. You can always find these vouchers at the checkout.
  2. take the voucher to an exchange centre. Here you can exchange vouchers for cash. A voucher of €50 gives you €50 cash. We only exchange one voucher per person. If we run out of cash, we can no longer exchange vouchers.
  3. you can find all exchange points here.
  4. you can also ask friends or other people without a payment card to exchange vouchers for cash with you. This is not forbidden.

Exchange in solidarity #

For the exchange campaign to work, we need many people to participate in solidarity. We’ll explain how it works!

Refugees who are forced to use the payment card use their payment card to buy vouchers in the shops listed above, for example a Rewe shopping voucher worth €50. They can then hand in this voucher at an exchange centre and receive the amount of the voucher in cash. Solidarity supporters can purchase an available voucher of their choice in cash and thus provide cash.

How it works #

  1. visit one of the exchange points and bring cash in the amount of your choice.
  2. choose from the vouchers available at the exchange point and receive vouchers to the value of the cash you brought with you.
  3. with the vouchers you have received, you can now go shopping as normal.
  4. come back next month to make the exchange possible in the long term.

List of exchange points #

Die Linke Halle (Saale) #

Further places #

The list of places to exchange is currently being updated.

What is the SocialCard for refugees? #

A payment card is a special cashless payment card. It is not a substitute for a bank account or a normal EC card or credit card, but a credit-based debit card. Anyone who receives the payment card does not receive a bank account. The payment card only offers the option of withdrawing a small fixed amount each month and paying in certain local shops.

The payment card is topped up with a certain amount each month. In most municipalities, the aim is to top up the card with the full amount of the social benefits previously paid out in cash.

The law does not stipulate exactly how the payment card works. The federal states design the payment cards - in some cases very differently.

More information (german) (freiheitsrechte.org)

Who receives the SocialCard for refugees? #

The law (AsylbLG) makes it possible in principle to issue a payment card to people who have applied for asylum or have a specific residence title specified in Section 1 (1) AsylbLG. Some of these people have only been in Germany for a short time, others for many years. The payment card can also be issued to people who have a bank account. The payment card can be issued to people living in initial reception centres, in subsequent accommodation or in privately rented accommodation.

The law stipulates that each adult person receives their own payment card (Section 3 para. 5 sentence 2 AsylbLG). In practice, this is not always the case. Children do not receive their own payment card. Their social benefits are usually booked onto the payment card of a legal guardian.

The issuing of a payment card is currently handled very differently by the authorities: it is not yet known exactly how the card is issued in Halle.

Where can I pay with the SocialCard for refugees? #

Saxony-Anhalt is also introducing the payment cards with restrictive limitations. The payment cards can only be used to make purchases in shops that accept payment from the provider VISA. The payment card can generally be used throughout Germany, unless you are subject to a residence requirement, in which case you can only use the payment card in your postcode area. The payment card is blocked for use abroad.

As the payment card is not linked to an account, no transfers can be made. Contracts that you already had before the payment card was introduced can be used with the payment card. New transfers, direct debits or instalment payments are only accepted in Saxony-Anhalt in exceptional cases. In both cases, please contact the benefits authority.

More information (freiheitsrechte.org)