People in Schwerin who see the German payment card for asylum seekers (“Bezahlkarte”) as a tool of distrust and control now have a place to act: On Tuesday, 13 October, the “Tauschsystem Schwerin” (Schwerin exchange system) invites everyone to the Komplex in Pfaffenstraße 4, from 4 to 6 pm. The idea is simple: exchange shopping vouchers for cash, play table tennis, drink coffee and learn how the system works.
The key facts
- Date: Tuesday, 13 October 2026, 4 to 6 pm
- Venue: Komplex Schwerin, Pfaffenstraße 4, 19055 Schwerin, Germany
- Offer: exchange vouchers, table tennis, coffee, information about the exchange system
- Organizers’ note: bring cash
- According to the poster: weltwechsel and zusammen Bewegen
What it is about: the Bezahlkarte
Across Germany, asylum seekers increasingly receive part of their benefits not in cash, but as credit on a payment card. Transfers abroad are impossible; holders can withdraw only limited amounts of cash, often around 50 euros per month. Supporters say this cuts off payments to people smugglers and to home countries. Critics call the card discriminatory and an obstacle in daily life – for small purchases at flea markets or a child’s school snack, for example.
The state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern chose its own path: in 2024, the state Interior Ministry in Schwerin, then led by Interior Minister Christian Pegel (SPD), tendered a state-specific card. Transfers abroad are impossible, but a limited monthly cash withdrawal is allowed. The exact limit and how Schwerin implements the card are not documented in this piece.
How an exchange system works
The idea has been tested elsewhere, notably in Bavaria, where the alliance “Offen!” runs “Kartentausch” exchange points in Munich and other cities. The principle: refugees use their payment card to buy supermarket vouchers and receive the same amount in cash at the exchange points. The money comes from people who take the vouchers and do their own shopping with them. The points are run by volunteers. Bavarian prosecutors reportedly considered the scheme “not open to criminal prosecution”. Political backlash followed anyway: the CSU announced it would act decisively against such exchange schemes and asked in Munich’s city council whether supporting the campaign could affect public grants. The alliance calls that intimidation.
What happens in Schwerin
The Schwerin invitation is explicitly about getting to know the idea: people can inform themselves on site, exchange vouchers or simply drop by. The Komplex in Pfaffenstraße is a socio-cultural centre in Schwerin’s old town that regularly hosts events on social topics. The afternoon also includes table tennis and coffee – a low-threshold offer, no registration needed.
Our view
You do not have to reject the payment card to believe that fair everyday conditions for refugees are worth standing up for. The exchange system relies on neighbourhood instead of slogans: people help people. Anyone who calls that circumvention should come and see what actually happens there – and that nobody is doing anything illegal. Agitation against refugees and their supporters helps no one.
This article is a translation of the German original: schwerin.news.
Sources: poster by the organizers (weltwechsel / zusammen Bewegen), nd-aktuell (20 January 2025), WELT/dpa (22 February 2024), netzpolitik.org. Image: poster of the organizers.
