Stop payment card!
The discriminatory payment card is received by all refugees who receive benefits under the Asylum Seekers Benefits Act - since 2025 also in Heidelberg, Mannheim, and the Rhein-Neckar-Kreis. The payment card is nothing but right-wing populist symbolic politics that serves racist prejudices and further marginalizes, discriminates against, and controls those seeking protection. Attempts are being made to further restrict the lives of refugees and to shield Europe from the Global South. We oppose the restrictive payment card and want to make solidarity a practice!
Why do we reject the payment card?
The payment card severely restricts asylum seekers in their way of life. Although the payment card outwardly resembles a VISA card, the possibilities for use are significantly limited. In many regions, such as here in Baden-Württemberg, those affected can only withdraw up to 50 € in cash per month. In addition, the card only works in certain stores. Shopping in small shops, at weekly or flea markets, as well as participating in cultural events, is thereby significantly complicated or made impossible. In addition, there are high bureaucratic hurdles, as, for example, every new transfer or direct debit must be approved by the responsible authority. Everyday financial decisions thus become an administrative act. We therefore see the payment card as:
1. Disempowerment of those affected: Refugees are harassed in their everyday lives and cannot freely decide where and how to shop. A frugal and self-effective lifestyle is prevented, for example, because cheap shopping options such as second-hand stores, exchange, or used goods markets often cannot be used.
2. Restriction of religious freedom: To eat halal or kosher, people need specially certified products from stores where payment with the payment card is often not possible.
3. Discrimination and social exclusion: Refugees are treated as second-class citizens with the payment card, participation in social and cultural life is prevented.
4. Violation of personal rights: With the payment card, the residency status of a person becomes visible when shopping. This can lead to stigmatization and carries the risk of humiliation or hostility in everyday life.
5. Racist control and data protection issues: The payment card provides the state with comprehensive insights into the finances of those affected and serves as a control instrument. Although authorities formally do not have the right to review expenses in detail, we are already aware of several cases in Heidelberg where exactly this happened. For additional cash withdrawals or transfers, those affected must submit justified applications, even though these reasons are none of the authority's business.
6. Additional problems: The issuance of the payment card causes significantly higher costs and greater administrative effort for the federal states and municipalities than the previous cash issuance - although the introduction should supposedly simplify it. The waiting times for applications for more cash or a transfer to be approved can be very long. Direct debits fail, services are not provided or have to be actively obtained.
7. Illegality: The flat-rate limit of cash for asylum seekers to 50€ is demonstrably illegal. Refugees already receive social benefits below the subsistence level, and now their access to cash is also massively restricted.
8. Danger of expansion to other groups: Refugees are effectively used as a "test group". In the future, payment cards could also be used for other groups receiving social benefits. Such an expansion is already emerging in Hamburg. This would mean a further normalization of monitoring, control, and restriction of social rights.
Supporters of the payment card often argue that it serves to prevent transfers abroad. In reality, however, it shows that only about seven percent of refugees transfer money abroad at all, and the majority of these individuals work. The maximum of 441 € per month in social benefits that refugees receive is simply not enough to transfer significant amounts abroad.
The massive restrictions on the lifestyles of refugees, the obvious illegality of the flat-rate cash limit, the problems with the introduction, as well as the high bureaucratic and financial effort, are no accident but are politically intended or consciously accepted. Refugees should be made life in Germany as difficult as possible to deter people from fleeing. In this logic, supposed "pull factors" should thus be reduced. The model of push and pull factors in migration research has long been considered inadequate, as the reasons for flight and migration are extremely complex and multifaceted.
The arguments in favor of the payment card are therefore merely pretexts. The alleged problems that a payment card is supposed to solve simply do not exist. It is therefore nothing but right-wing symbol politics and fits seamlessly into the racist isolation policies of recent years. The payment card fosters racist prejudices, normalizes distrust towards refugees, and serves a regressive longing for authoritarian control.
For us, it is clear: A system based on exclusion, control, and discrimination is not "in need of reform" but fundamentally wrong. We oppose this policy politically, in solidarity and practically. With solidarity exchanges, we support refugees concretely in overcoming the massive restrictions due to the cash limit.
What are we doing about it?
Since we do not want to accept this exclusion and control of refugees without resistance and want to show solidarity with those affected, we organize exchange actions throughout the region.
The principle:
- People with a payment card buy a shopping voucher in the supermarket
- During the voucher exchange they receive the voucher value in cash
- Solidarity people without a payment card receive the vouchers in exchange for cash
If you click on "Heidelberg" or "Mannheim", you will see where you can exchange in the respective city.
How can you support?
Feel free to contact us and/or come to our meetings if you...
- want to contribute your own perspectives
- want to support the organization of the exchanges
- want to take shifts in the exchange market
- can offer us premises
- are organized in rooms and would be willing to issue shopping vouchers in your premises
- can collectively buy shopping vouchers from us, e.g. for your flat-sharing community, your housing project, your association...
- want to participate in a nationwide political campaign against these racist attacks
- want to support challenging the payment card legally.
- want to get to know us or have questions.
We also rely on donations. For the exchange actions, we need a financial buffer. In addition, we need some money, for example, for materials such as flyers or posters, small purchases like lockable cash boxes or barcode scanners, or room rentals for information events. Donation receipts can be issued.
If the case occurs that the financial buffer is no longer needed, it would be donated to the following organizations:
This means that your donation will do good things in any case.
For a world of solidarity!
What do supra-regional structures look like?
There are already initiatives against the payment card and exchange initiatives like ours in many cities. We are networked nationwide in the "Equal social rights for all!" network (Website, Instagram)
Are you looking for an exchange option in your city? An overview of all exchange initiatives can be found here.
Further information
- Scientific assessment of the payment card
Refugee Council Baden-Württemberg - Ever fewer rights for refugee people
Refugee Council Baden-Württemberg - What you need to know about the new payment card for refugees
Baden-Württemberg State Parliament