Recently, online payments have become a part of people's daily lives. If at the beginning of this decade the overwhelming majority of payments in the country were made in cash, then, according to Sberbank, in the first quarter of 2021, almost half of all transactions occurred electronically.
Today, a plastic card is not only a means of withdrawing cash from the nearest ATM, but an everyday means of payment. The vast majority of organizations, including budget ones, pay salaries by card, and each retail outlet has a terminal for accepting the corresponding payments. In addition, citizens can pay for many services, including housing and communal services, online.
This format is extremely convenient for citizens, as it significantly saves them time and frees them from performing many actions related to making cash payments. Pensioners also managed to appreciate the innovations, many of whom receive their pension payments on the card.
At the same time, despite the abundance of banking products, recipients of pension payments are limited in their choice. If a pensioner wants to receive money on a card, then it should only be from the domestic payment system “Mir”. The leading issuer in this case is Sberbank.
Pension card Mir
When receiving a plastic card, its owner, first of all, pays attention to the bank that issued it, as well as its validity period. However, on its front side there is no less important information in the form of the payment system logo. The latter is, in fact, a special electronic system through which electronic payments are made.
Today, there are several global payment systems in the world, the cards of which are accepted almost anywhere on the planet. First of all, these are Visa and Master Card.
Reference! The American Express non-cash payment system is no less used, but it is practically unknown in Russia and is used by our compatriots, mainly outside the country.
It should be noted that the leading payment systems are registered abroad, and therefore it is practically impossible to regulate their activities using the instruments provided for by Russian legislation. In addition, as practice has shown, this circumstance allows some states to exert economic pressure on individual organizations and individuals.
The need to create its own national payment system arose in the Russian Federation in 2014 and is associated with events surrounding the contestation of the status of the Crimean Peninsula. It was at this time that there was a threat of stopping the service of plastic cards of Western payment systems in Russia, which would cause significant damage to the domestic economy.
After the actual entry of Crimea and Sevastopol into the Russian Federation, the Visa and Master Card payment systems stopped servicing on the territory of the peninsula. In this regard, the only possibility of using non-cash payments on the territory of these subjects is their implementation within the framework of the national payment system.
The Mir payment system, which received its name as a result of a popular vote, was launched in accelerated mode already in 2015. And two years later, all retail outlets that work with non-cash payments became required to accept card data for payment. At that time, an active transfer of state employees and recipients of various government payments, including pensions, to cards of the Mir payment system began.
Today, “Mir” is accepted throughout the country, as well as in Armenia. The Russian Foreign Ministry, as well as representatives of financial institutions, are actively working to ensure that cards of the domestic payment system are accepted in those countries where Russians travel most often, including the CIS countries, Turkey, Egypt, and so on.
Debit card
In 2021, the State Duma adopted in the first reading a bill on transferring state employees to the Mir salary project.
From July 1, 2021, new state employees and newly minted pensioners will be issued Mir cards.
Until July 1, 2021, a transfer to PS MIR and existing public sector employees was carried out. According to the amendments adopted by the State Duma, only the “Mir” card was linked to the state employee’s account.
For pensioners receiving pensions through other payment systems, the transition to MIR will occur naturally: as soon as the validity period of the working pension card expires, another one will be issued in its place, already within the MIR PS. This process was designed to last 3 years and be completed by October 1, 2021.
Card conditions
For a long time, pensioners received their money on plastic cards of the Maestro system. However, this system is part of the Master Card, so today Sberbank offers social cards of the Mir payment system for those citizens who receive pensions.
The conditions for this product are very favorable. The pensioner will not have to spend additional funds to maintain it, while its benefits remain the same. Thus, the card is serviced at any retail outlet in the Russian Federation without commission.
Cash withdrawals from Sberbank ATMs are also free, as is depositing them into a card account. At the same time, you can receive banknotes from ATMs of third-party banking institutions by paying a commission of 1% of the withdrawal amount (but not less than 100 rubles).
The maximum cash withdrawal limit is:
- per day - no more than 50 thousand rubles;
- per month – no more than 500 thousand rubles.
In addition, bank clients have the right to receive free information about the flow of funds in the account, and can also request a statement of transactions carried out for a certain period.
Service cost
Servicing the Sberbank Mir social card is completely free . In addition, you will not have to pay for its reissue due to expiration. At the same time, the production of a new card to replace a damaged or lost one will cost a pensioner 30 rubles.
In addition, monthly use will cost the same amount.
Attention! In the first two months the provision is free, after which it can be disabled.
Bonuses and Thanks from Sberbank
Sberbank offers its regular customers various bonuses as part of their loyalty programs. This fully applies to holders of the Mir social cards. These include:
- Interest on balance . To stimulate non-cash payments, Sberbank pays cash for funds in the card account. Thus, the interest rate is 3.5% per annum. Interest payments are made once every three months. Considering that the amount of funds on the card is constantly changing, to calculate the funds to be paid, special methods are used that take this circumstance into account.
- “Thank you from Sberbank.” This loyalty program is a cashback, within which customers are returned a portion of the money, which is a certain portion of the purchase amount. However, this program assumes that the money is not returned directly, but in the form of bonuses, the cost of one of which is 1 ruble. With bonuses, a Sberbank client can also pay part of the cost of goods and services. Social card owners can count on 30% cashback depending on the frequency of non-cash payments and their amounts.
Card restrictions
The Sberbank Mir card can be used in Russia without restrictions. In addition, this payment system is the only one operating in the Crimea and Sevastopol. However, it is impossible to pay it somewhere outside the country, with a few exceptions. This imposes some restrictions on the actions of citizens who use non-cash payments when traveling abroad.
Card replenishment options
The pension card of the Mir payment system supports the functions of replenishment and accrual of profit on the balance. For this reason, the answers to the questions whether you can put money on it and whether there will be interest are positive. Methods for replenishing your plastic account are presented in the table.
| Replenishment method | Description of the procedure |
| Via Sberbank terminal | You can deposit funds without interest through the Sber terminal: — insert the card; — enter the password; — select the replenishment function; — deposit funds into the terminal; — click on the “Deposit” button. |
| From another personal Sber card | It is more convenient to perform a translation in a mobile application, but this function is also available on the website. You will need to do the following: — select the option “Between your accounts”; — indicate cards for withdrawing and depositing funds; — enter the amount; — confirm the transfer. You can transfer no more than 50 thousand rubles per month from a Sber card for free. |
| Via SMS from another person's Sber card | To transfer, you will need to send an SMS to the number “900” with spaces: - the word “Translation”; — the phone number to which the card is linked, or the “plastic” number; — amount to transfer. Using this method, you can transfer no more than 8 thousand rubles. per day. |
| From a card of another bank | The procedure is carried out in your personal account. Usually the sending bank charges a fee for the transfer. The process includes the following steps: — in the functions tab, select “Translation”; — enter the details of the recipient and Sberbank card; — indicate the transfer amount; — confirm the procedure. |
| Through SBP from another bank | If the Mir card has a fast payment system connected, then funds will be credited to it from a card of another bank without interest. You will need to select the appropriate option in the personal account menu and transfer money to the phone number linked to the card. |
Attention! If, when using the method of replenishing a Mir card via SMS, you need to select a specific “layer”, its last 4 digits should be indicated after the word “Transfer”.
Interesting! How much can you transfer to a Sberbank card in 2021 without being blocked?
How to get a card
Considering that the social card offers a number of advantages (free service and interest on the balance), only a limited number of people can receive it. These include only recipients of pensions and social benefits. Other categories of citizens cannot count on it.
The easiest way to apply for a card is to contact a Sberbank branch. You should have with you:
- passport;
- a document confirming the receipt of payments (for example, a certificate from the Pension Fund);
- SNILS.
Registration of a card at a bank branch will take no more than 30 minutes.
Is it possible to apply on the Sberbank website?
On the Sberbank website you can apply for a card. In the proposed electronic form, you should indicate the passport and contact details of the applicant, as well as information about the types of security received.
Upon receipt of the card, the citizen is obliged to provide the specified documents to a bank employee for review and for making copies.
The procedure for transferring pensions to new plastic
You can use Visa and MasterCard cards until their expiration date, after which international plastic cards are automatically replaced by a sovereign financial instrument - no application required. This procedure is valid only until July 1, 2020.
Regulations for self-transfer of pension to MIR plastic:
- Go to the bank whose client is a pensioner and submit an application for a Russian card. Bring your passport and pension card or SNILS with you.
- Accept from the bank employee a new card, a sheet with information about it and account details.
- Bring a bank certificate to the Pension Fund office and inform the employee about your desire to receive a pension using MIR plastic, starting from the next month.
You can do without going to the Pension Fund if your bank account number has not changed when you changed your card.
Questions from pensioners
Those pensioners who use a Mir bank card or are just planning to receive a pension on it have many questions related to it. The answers to the most relevant ones are given below.
Is it necessary to have a Mir card to receive a pension?
Not necessarily, since pensioners have the right to choose other ways to receive a pension, for example, through Russian Post branches. However, if they want money to come to their card, then it can only be from the Mir payment system.
When does the pension arrive on the World map?
As a rule, funds arrive on the card on the day they are paid to the Pension Fund. However, there is a possibility of delay in transfer, which, as a rule, is no more than 3 days.
Is it possible to receive a military pension with this card?
Recipients of any pension and social payments, including military pensioners, can apply for a pension using the Mir card.
What other banks issue the Mir card
The vast majority of banking institutions in Russia issue cards of the Mir payment system. At the same time, to receive a pension and social benefits, a citizen has the right to independently choose a bank. However, it should be noted that different financial institutions have different terms of service.
In accordance with the law, citizens can receive pensions and social benefits only in cash or on bank cards of the Mir payment system. The corresponding social card from Sberbank is completely free for pensioners. In addition, for frequent non-cash payments, its holder is awarded cashback and other bonuses.
