Today Monday April 3rd is the next Market Pass payment for those who applied by choosing the physical digital card.
The Market Pass (or food pass as it was called at the beginning) is a measure to support households, with the aim of covering part of the increased cost of shopping, especially food items, due to the significant increase in the consumer price index. It covers the period from February to July 2023.
Today is the day of the next payment for those who applied to obtain it through an immaterial digital card to do their shopping in supermarkets and beyond
When does the money come in for the market pass – Next payments
Beneficiaries who chose the issuance of a physical digital card and submitted an application from March 1 to 15 receive the aid as follows:
on March 20, 2023 for the months of February and March already held
- on April 3, 2023 for the month of April to be held today
- on May 3 for the month of May,
- on June 3 for the month of June, and
- on July 3 for the month of July.
Those beneficiaries who chose the deposit to a personal bank account and submitted an application from March 1-15, 2023 will receive the aid as follows:
- on March 20, 2023 for the months of February, March and April held
- on May 3 for the months of May, June and July.
Any transfer to a third party or withdrawal of the amount credited to the debit card is not possible.
The use of the digital debit card is carried out through a device that supports contactless transaction technology (Web/Virtual POS).
The digital debit card remains activated until 31.08.2023, after which the credit institution or financial institution must immediately deactivate it, while any unused balance is lost.
In which banks is the card issued for market pass
VIVA WALLET, EUROBANK and ALPHABANK.
For the issuance of a digital debit card, it is not necessary for the beneficiary to be a customer of the above institutions.
ATTENTION: Project Market Pass digital debit cards automatically expire on 8/31/2023 and cannot be used for transactions after this date.
Which financial institution accounts can be declared for the deposit of the Market Pass grant:
BANK OF PIRAEUS
ATTICA BANK ANONYMOUS BANKING COMPANY
NATIONAL BANK OF GREECE SA
PAGRETIA BANK SA
VIVA WALLET
KARDITSAS COOPERATIVE BANK
COOPERATIVE BANK OF THESSALIA
OPTIMA BANK
EPIRO COOPERATIVE BANK
OLYMPUS BANK
COOPERATIVE BANK OF CHANIA
EUROBANK
ALPHABANK
Bank of Central Macedonia
Deposit and Loan Fund
In order for the beneficiary to declare a Bank account, he must be a beneficiary or co-beneficiary in it (not necessarily the first beneficiary), know the IBAN format of the specific account and, above all, be sure that this account is active and will remain active throughout the Market Pass.
In which shops is the market pass paid for?
In which businesses can the Market Pass digital debit card be used:
The amount of money credited to the Market Pass digital debit card can be used exclusively by the beneficiary to make the purchase of goods of any kind in shops or street markets active in the food retail trade.
The digital debit card can also be used for electronic transactions in e-shops of related businesses.
What about corrections
Beneficiaries whose applications were approved, but the process got tangled up with the banks. They will soon receive an email to correct their claim details and “unlock” the payment.
One of the most common mistakes made is that the beneficiaries, because they do not want to lose 20% by choosing to credit the money directly to their bank account, do not check if their mobile phone supports NFC technology for contactless transactions. So they choose the digital card, but then have no way to install it. This is an issue that has not been resolved. For this reason and before the application it was recommended as a solution, if possible, to find a person they trust who has a smartphone that supports the NFC contactless payment function. Otherwise, there is no possibility of correction and they lose money.
A mistake is also made when typing the IBAN. Beneficiaries often miss a digit, or lose the sequence of numbers, resulting in the process being unable to complete. But, in this case, a correction is foreseen in the system, but not immediately. From March 15 to May 2, you will be able to enter the vouchers.gov.gr/marketpass platform and correct the mistake you made.
What to watch out for with the limit
Very often, beneficiaries have tried to shop and pay normally with the market pass but the transaction is not accepted. This usually happens because the account amount is greater than the market pass limit, resulting in the transaction being rejected. So what the beneficiaries have to pay attention to is that when they use the card, they have an account less than or equal to the amount they want to pay, otherwise they will break their account in two once they reach the limit.
Unfortunately, it is not possible to exceed the market pass limit and cover the balance of the account using another card.
#Market #Pass #paid #today
**Interview with Maria Tsakiri, Economic Analyst and Policy Advisor, on the Market Pass Initiative**
**Interviewer:** Good afternoon, Maria. Thank you for joining us to discuss the recent developments in the Market Pass initiative. Can you tell us a bit about the purpose of this program?
**Maria Tsakiri:** Good afternoon! The Market Pass, initially referred to as the food pass, is designed to provide financial support to households in Greece. Its primary goal is to alleviate some of the burden caused by rising prices in consumer goods, particularly food. As we’ve seen a significant increase in the consumer price index, this initiative aims to ensure that families can better afford essentials.
**Interviewer:** The next payment is scheduled for today, April 3rd. What should beneficiaries expecting this payment know?
**Maria Tsakiri:** Beneficiaries who applied for the physical digital card and did so between March 1 and March 15 will receive their payment today. This specific payment covers the month of April. Those who opted for a deposit into a personal bank account will receive their funds for February, March, and April all at once. It’s important for everyone to know the timeline of future payments as well.
**Interviewer:** Speaking of the future, can you break down the payment schedule for those who chose the different application methods?
**Maria Tsakiri:** Certainly! For those with the physical digital card, payments will occur on specific dates: April 3 for April, May 3 for May, June 3 for June, and July 3 for July. Conversely, applicants who selected the bank deposit method will receive payments on March 20 for the first three months and again on May 3 for the remaining months of the program.
**Interviewer:** That’s helpful information! There’s been some concern about the expiration of the digital debit card. Can you clarify that for our audience?
**Maria Tsakiri:** Absolutely. The digital debit card, issued for the Market Pass, will automatically expire on August 31, 2023. After this date, it will no longer be usable for any transactions, and any remaining balance on the card will be lost. This is crucial for beneficiaries to keep in mind as they plan their spending.
**Interviewer:** And what if there are issues with a beneficiary’s application?
**Maria Tsakiri:** If there are complications in the application process, approved beneficiaries will receive an email soon with instructions on how to make necessary corrections. It’s essential for them to respond promptly to resolve any issues.
**Interviewer:** Maria, thank you for the insights on the Market Pass program. It sounds like a critical initiative to support households during these tough economic times.
**Maria Tsakiri:** Thank you for having me! It’s crucial that beneficiaries are well-informed to take full advantage of this support to ease their financial pressures.
