Review of the MIR pension card from Sberbank: pros and cons, terms of service

When the time comes for retirement, Sberbank offers to organize the issue of a MIR pension card, which provides an increased income of 3.5% on the remaining amount of money on the balance sheet. Without requiring a service fee, the issuer provides a full-fledged banking service with remote servicing, notification of incoming and outgoing transactions, and mobile banking. It is not difficult to obtain pension plastic, but the bank will require you to present documents confirming the right to use products for pensioners.

Features of the Sberbank pension card

Sberbank plastic for pensioners is almost no different from other card products, performing all standard functions:

• non-cash payments at checkouts, terminals in stores, cafes, and retail outlets;
• making utility payments;
• replenishment of a card account;
• payment of loans or credit cards;
• transfers to individuals by card number or mobile phone;
• transfer using bank details.

In addition to the traditional payment method with confirmation by entering a PIN code, a contactless method is provided. If you buy for an amount less than 1 thousand rubles, you do not need to enter a password; payment occurs by touching the terminal reader.

The main purpose of plastic is the rapid receipt of pension funds by the recipient of government contributions. In addition to age pensioners, a Sberbank card is issued to younger clients over 18 years of age if they have received payments from the Pension Fund of the Russian Federation or other government agencies.

What is the MIR Pension Card from Sberbank

To receive a pension on a MIR card, a Sberbank client must transfer the plastic details to the Pension Fund. The issuer is ready to facilitate the coordination of the transition to service, reducing the waiting period for plastic to 1 week. An SMS sent to the phone number specified in the application will notify you that a new amount has been credited.

Plastic for receiving pensions can be actively used on the Internet to pay for orders through special payment services or a bank’s personal account.

To confirm payments through the terminal, you need to know the four-digit PIN code. To make cashless transfers via the Internet, the pensioner first connects a mobile bank and registers an account in Sberbank Online. When performing spending transactions, pensioners additionally accumulate points that are not available to owners of regular non-privileged debit cards. “Thank you” is charged on all expense transactions in the amount of 3 percent or more. For special offers, partners have prepared increased bonuses with a return to a separate account of up to 30% of the amount spent.

The greatest interest among plastic owners is the opportunity to earn an additional 3.5% income on the balance of funds. The interest rate, albeit slightly, increases the monthly income of the most vulnerable category of citizens.

How to use the MIR pension card

To use the card, after it is presented, you must activate it by performing the first transaction through an ATM. Typically, a pensioner, in the presence of a branch employee, asks how much money is on the balance.

There are no significant restrictions on the functionality of the card. It can be used for:

• translations;
• cash withdrawals;
• replenishment of balance;
• non-cash transactions;
• payments for housing and communal services, etc.

In order to pay housing and communal services receipts on time, top up your mobile balance or pay for the Internet, it is enough to connect your mobile bank when issuing and set up automatic payment. On the appointed day, the amount fixed in the settings will be debited from the account.

What does a pension card look like?

In contrast to classic plastic with a discreet gray color, recipients of MIR pension cards from Sberbank will have a life-affirming, positive design of a plastic product on which all the necessary information is printed.

On the front side there is a photo with birds on a white background and a green branch. Also on the surface of the plastic there is a Mir logo designation, which determines the scope of application of the product - this payment system operates exclusively within the state and is not suitable for traveling to Western countries or the East.

Although the plastic looks elegant, there are some complaints about the design - the digits of the card number applied to the surface quickly wear out, which makes it additional difficult for pensioners to read their own details. Over a 4-year period of use, the problem of erased digits occurs even with careful handling of the card.

Advantages and disadvantages of the card

Branch managers do not always mention the possible benefits of the card, leaving clients of retirement age in the dark about possible charges and ways to effectively use the product.

Below, along with the disadvantages, we have collected information about the most outstanding parameters of the card, so that the pension recipient can quickly understand the advantages and make the most of the options provided by the issuer.

The advantages of pension plastic include:

• free service;
• mobile banking;
• online payment;
• connection of automatic payments;
• accumulation of increased bonuses from Sber (from 3%);
• long period of use 4 years;
• accrual of income on the balance.

There are not many disadvantages of plastic:

• Geography of application limited to the Russian Federation;
• payments are made exclusively in rubles;
• relatively low limits on preferential spending of funds (receiving cash within a day or month);
• Not all categories of citizens have access to the production of profitable plastic.

Russian issuers do not have many offers for pension plastic, and the Sberbank product optimally meets the needs of a pensioner.

Tariffs for servicing a pension card

It’s not difficult to understand annual payments and card tariffs for pension recipients - the service is completely free, and simple rules apply when performing transactions:

1. Cash out up to 50 thousand rubles per day or 500 thousand rubles per month for free.
2. If the established limits are exceeded, the commission is 0.5% of the difference between the withdrawn amount and the upper limit.
3. When using third-party ATMs, the commission will be 1.0% of the withdrawal or 100 rubles per transaction.

The cost of early reissue is 30 rubles, for a planned exchange - 0 rubles.

When requesting a balance through someone else's ATM, they charge a fee of 15 rubles. They will provide free statements of 10 transactions or send electronic reports on spending and replenishment of the account.

Connecting SMS notifications is free, but the service itself is paid, starting from the 3rd month of the service. The bank charges 30 rubles per day.

MIR card validity period

Previously, all MIR system cards were serviced for 5 years. Now the validity period of pension plastic has been reduced to 4 years. Still, this period is higher than for regular cards issued with the support of the international payment systems Visa or MasterCard.

To organize a reissue, the pensioner must contact the branch in the last month of the card’s validity (it is indicated in the MM/YY format on the front side of the plastic) and inform them of their intention to receive an updated bank product. During the last month indicated on the card, there are no restrictions on service.

Card design

To become a participant in the pension transfer program by non-cash payment, you must fulfill a certain number of conditions and actions. Following these rules, understanding how to transfer your pension to a Sberbank card will not be difficult.

1. Contact the nearest branch with your passport and pension certificate so that an employee of the credit institution fills out an application and brings it for signature;
2. Receive card details to provide them to the pension fund at your place of residence. There you must fill out an application for the transfer of funds to a new personal account;
3. After a few days, contact Sberbank to receive the finished card and the information attached to it in the form of a PIN code. Then you can connect additional services and immediately start using it if you transfer funds yourself using terminals, or wait for the receipt of funds from the Pension Fund of the Russian Federation.

How to apply for a card

To receive a card, you will need to go to the bank branch at your place of residence. You can order plastic production without leaving your home.

To issue a card remotely, follow the link from the page with a description of the banking product. When filling out the online application, provide the pensioner’s personal details and contact information. It is easier to submit an application from your personal account, since some of the parameters are filled in automatically. Before sending a request, indicate the department where you will receive the finished plastic.

After the card is ready and delivered, a message is sent to the specified phone number inviting you to visit the office and pick up the payment product.

Conditions for receiving a card

To receive a card, you must present a personal document (Russian passport) and a confirming certificate of pension payments at the branch.

You don’t have to be over 55-60 years old to get a pensioner card. The product can be given to all recipients of pension contributions, benefits from the Pension Fund, as well as military pensioners.

When re-issuing a card, you only need to present your passport. There are no other conditions for extending work with the card.

Requirements

One of the disadvantages of pension plastic is limited access to the product by Sberbank clients. To issue a card, you must meet the following requirements:

1. Citizenship of Russia and other states, stateless persons, if they have the right to receive pension contributions.
2. Age of majority.
3. Registration in the Russian Federation.
4. Receiving benefits and payments from the Pension Fund of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Defense, and other law enforcement agencies, including the Investigative Committee, the Prosecutor's Office, and the Customs Service.

The Bank does not limit the right to a profitable product for pensioners from other countries, provided they receive payments and benefits through the Russian fund.

Acceleration of submission of documents to the Pension Fund of Russia

Yes, complete registration of state support remotely is impossible. You will also have to wait some time until your application for a pension is approved. Often pensioners are outraged by this situation and try to find a way to quickly move forward the documents that are being verified.

Speeding up the process is possible using the following algorithm:

• visiting the Pension Fund website and going to the electronic services section;
• fill out an application for an appointment, confirming contact details and other information;
• indicate a convenient date for your visit and submit the form for verification.

This procedure allows you to simplify and speed up the process of processing documents to receive a pension. You can always submit an application on the Pension Fund website to change the type of money accrual.

Why do pensioners change their cards from Maestro to MIR?

Not so long ago, senior citizens more often used the Maestro pension card. This is what the bank offered to everyone who applied for pension payments. In the context of growing foreign policy tensions, Sberbank announced that it was switching to work with the Russian payment system MIR, offering more favorable working conditions and additional bonuses to holders.

The replacement with the new MIR product occurred gradually, as the Maestro cards expired. If the card was lost or damaged, the pensioner exchanged it for a new one, switching to service by the internal payment system of the Russian Federation.

What is the difference between Maestro cards and MIR cards?

The main difference between the MIR social card for pensioners and the previous product for receiving pension payments and benefits from the Maestro payment system is the impossibility of using plastic abroad and its purpose for payments in rubles.

The difference between the two payment systems is that they belong to different countries. If owners of old cards are at risk of problems with servicing through the international MasterCard system, MIR clients do not face such a risk.

Social plastic of the domestic system is distinguished by its reliability and longer period of validity. Maestro makes it possible to use it in all world powers, not only within the country.

Is it necessary to change cards?

According to Sberbank's plans, a sharp abandonment of the previous plastic with international service was not envisaged. As the previous term expired, the bank began issuing a new product in order to change the link to servicing by the MIR system. Any pensioner could refuse Maestro earlier.

The latest cards of the international Mastercard system are planned to be changed to MIR in 2021 due to the expiration of the last cards issued in 2021.

How to transfer a pension to a Sberbank card without a pensioner

In order for such persons to have the right to use a bank account or manipulate the details of a pensioner, they draw up a special power of attorney certified by a notary. Now we face the most difficult procedure of transferring a pension to a Sberbank card. It will not be possible to resolve the power of attorney issue remotely without the presence of the pensioner.

Older people are finding it increasingly difficult to use 21st century technologies that challenge them. To facilitate the procedure, a special Sberbank portal was developed, where information is available in simple and understandable language:

• at what time and in what amount the pension is transferred;
• what is the state of the pension account;
• retirement requirements.

Another important addition to the portal’s services is the ability to contact the bank manager at any time on the issue of changing the type of pension.

According to numerous reviews from older people who use a pension card, receiving a pension this way is much more convenient. Especially compared to the crush of the post office. All the advantages of obtaining a pension card can be reduced to the following points:

1. Pension accrual always occurs on time, without delays or delays.
2. You can find out that your next pension has been received by receiving an SMS message. To do this you need to connect.
3. Money stored on plastic media can be spent without even leaving home, around the clock, paying for purchases in online stores and making the necessary payments.
4. On a card issued by Sberbank, you can receive not only a pension, but also other transfers (from children, relatives).
5. Pension cards are issued and reissued (after expiration) completely free of charge.
6. Making purchases using a card has now become much more profitable, because all cardholders are included in the “Thank you” cashback promotion. You can use it to accumulate bonuses, and then spend them as a discount on goods (and the maximum discount in this case is 99%). In order for points to begin to accumulate, all payments must be made by bank transfer.
7. Under the most preferential conditions for pensioners - card holders, you can also get a loan from Sberbank.
8. The bank will also take care of the safety of money in case of loss or theft of the card. To do this, you just need to call the bank branch and the tellers will block the account. And the remaining money will be transferred to another card, which will be issued in the shortest possible time.

Expert opinion

Evgeniy Belyaev

Legal consultant, financial expert

Ask

Using a Sberbank card to receive a pension is much more convenient compared to regular payments. All elderly people who already use the bank’s services talk about this.

Is there an alternative to the MIR card?

The fact that Sberbank produces special products for pensioners does not at all limit the right of elderly people to choose exactly how to receive transfers of pension payments from the budget.

In addition to social cards for pensioners, Sberbank plans to issue regular classic and privileged products. The problem is the need to pay a fee for servicing any other debit card, when social plastic provides additional bonuses and increased cashback in the form of 3% “Thank you” points.

How to switch from a WORLD map to any other

A Sberbank client has the right to independently choose where to receive a pension, at his own discretion, after consulting with a branch specialist.

To transfer pension contributions to another Sbercard, you need to write a corresponding application and open new details for approval of transactions from the Pension Fund. To notify the fund about a change of card account, you must obtain a bank statement with new details and write an application.

Advantages of receiving a pension through Sberbank

The Russian card issuance system is now actively operating (it replaced the previously functioning American MasterCard). Now Sberbank offers all its clients who have reached retirement age to issue a MIR card (by the way, existing Maestro cards are currently being transferred to MIR). By 2020, all pensioners in Russia will already become owners of Russian MIR pension cards.

Registration of a card for calculating pensions is free of charge

Expert opinion

Evgeniy Belyaev

Legal consultant, financial expert

Ask

A new MIR card is issued automatically as the MasterCard expires; this transfer is carried out on a voluntary basis. But it is worth knowing that, starting from 2021, all pension contributions will be made strictly using Russian payment services.

Moreover, the owner of the MIR card retains the right to receive pension contributions to a savings book or at post offices. Of course, if you wish, you can order another card from the Russian payment system, but, according to reviews, the MIR card is the most convenient for receiving a pension. Its maintenance and registration are free of charge.

This card can be used for any transactions. And preferential conditions have also been developed for pensioners, for example, Sberbank accrues a good interest rate on the balance of funds, which is significantly higher than the rate on savings books.

For citizens of retirement age, three main things are most often relevant - convenience of service, its profitability and the ability to make savings. At Sberbank, all these goals are perfectly achieved. This bank serves the majority of Russian pensioners, and it has a special relationship with them.

Why citizens choose Sberbank:

• a large number of ATMs and branches. It's comfortable. In any case, an ATM for withdrawing cash will be within walking distance. A wide network of branches allows you to easily contact the bank to resolve any issues;
• interest is provided on the balance of own funds. That is, a pensioner can simply keep money in the account in any amount and will receive a profit for it;
• special deposit programs for citizens of retirement age. In the future, you will be able to transfer money to the deposit directly from your pension account;
• receiving your pension on the same day. The bank does not transfer funds from the Pension Fund; it immediately transfers them to citizens’ accounts. If you received your pension in cash on the 15th, on the same day of each month it will be credited to your card or account;
• servicing accounts and cards of pensioners is always free of charge.

Analysis of reviews about the card

Before issuing plastic to receive pension income from the Pension Fund of the Russian Federation, it is better to study alternative products of Sberbank and other financial institutions, paying attention to the percentage of income, maintenance costs, and benefits provided on a bank card. It is worth collecting information, analyzing all emission and service parameters, and drawing a conclusion taking into account all the feedback.

In addition to all the bonuses provided to pensioners, when choosing an issuer, they take into account the high reliability of Sberbank, as well as its participation in the DIA. Compulsory deposit insurance extends its return guarantees to cardholders and savings on the card account.

About the new payment system MIR

MIR is the national system of the Russian Federation. The emblem and name were chosen through a competition, and the map combines green and blue. According to Article 30, the mandatory issuance of national cards is required, to which the following will be transferred:

• earnings of public sector workers;
• pensions;
• social benefits and other government payments.

The Russian government plans a quick and smooth transition to the new system. For new clients of banking organizations from July 1, 2017, for employees of budget organizations - until July 1, 2018. Pensioners need to switch to the card after the expiration date of the working card.