What is the payment card (Bezahlkarte)?
Since June 2024, asylum seekers receiving basic assistance in Lower Austria have had the money needed to cover their basic needs transferred to a so-called Bezahlkarte (payment card). The basic assistance amounts to just €5.71 per day—not even €180 per month.
To prevent the alleged misuse of this ridiculously small amount (which top politicians have “heard about” but cannot provide evidence of) and to deter “welfare seekers,” asylum seekers can only use the pluxee card to make purchases at certain stores.
It is not possible to shop with the payment card at stores such as Hofer, social markets, pharmacies, or halal supermarkets. Tickets for public transportation cannot be purchased either, which severely limits the mobility of refugees, especially in rural areas. Cash withdrawals using the payment card are also not possible.
No Cash, no Mobility, no Self-Determination
The payment card strips asylum seekers of their autonomy, prevents them from shaping their daily lives on their own terms and participating in society, and, under the guise of combating social welfare fraud, serves as yet another dehumanizing mechanism of control.
Further information:
Asylkoordination Österreich: Bezahlkarte: Schikane statt Effizienz
Amnesty International Österreich: Bezahlkarte in Niederösterreich: Wie sie den Alltag von asylsuchenden Menschen einschränkt
Who are we?
We are a group of people united by their solidarity who are taking a stand against Europe’s inhumane asylum policies.
We exchange gift cards purchased with a payment card for cash so that people can decide for themselves how to spend their money.
How does the exchange work?
You need cash?
You live in Lower Austria, have a payment card and are in need of cash? Then let’s exchange!
- Use your payment card to buy a gift card worth 10€, 20€, 40€, or more at Lidl, Penny, Spar, or Billa. You can find gift cards at the checkout.
- We’ll exchange your gift card for cash. For a 10€ gift card, you’ll receive 10€ in cash from us. To find out where and when we’ll exchange your gift card for cash, send us a message to: +420 776 042 298
Show your solidarity with every purchase!
Do you shop at Lidl or Billa regularly? Then starting now, with every purchase you make, you can help shake up the racist policies of Fortress Europe just a little bit!
How does it work?
- Those affected use their debit cards to buy gift cards at supermarkets.
- We exchange the gift cards with those affected for cash.
- You exchange cash with us for a gift card.
Organize an Exchange Point
Help us with the voucher exchange and organize an exchange location in your area!
What is an exchange location?
An exchange location is a place where vouchers can be exchanged for cash—and vice versa—at regular intervals.
People with payment cards can exchange vouchers they’ve purchased in advance for cash at the exchange location, and people showing solidarity can buy these vouchers with cash—which they can then use, for example, to go shopping and thus replenish the cash fund. This creates a cycle of togetherness and active solidarity.
In addition to voucher exchanges, this also creates a space for interaction and connection.
In many cities, the concept of an exchange point has already proven successful and has become firmly established over the long term.
Places like churches, cafés, or other venues for meeting and gathering are well-suited to serve as exchange points. To become an exchange point, all you really need is the willingness and capacity to open your space on a regular schedule and facilitate exchanges alongside your regular operations.
We would take care of organizing the swap events and then, if necessary, hand them over once the project is well underway. For you as a exchange location, this would involve no extra effort whatsoever, yet you would still be able to make a significant contribution to a system of active solidarity.
Would you like to offer a location in Lower Austria as a swap spot, do you have ideas about what might be a good spot, or do you have questions you’d like to ask?
Contact us: solidarisch-gegen-bk-noe@systemli.org
Other Initiatives Against the Payment Card
Unfortunately, the payment card isn’t limited to Lower Austria. But we aren’t the only initiative campaigning against the payment card and organizing voucher exchanges.