SSA will offer SS debit card

The government plans to announce today that it will offer MasterCarddebit cards to the estimated 4 million Social Security recipients whodon’t have bank accounts.  Insteadof getting a paper check, a recipient’s monthly benefit would beelectronically transferred, at no cost, to the debit card’s balance.Using the card to make purchases ould be free, as would one ATMwithdrawal a month. Switchingfrom paper checks to the debit card would save recipients — andtaxpayers — a fair amount of money. It costs the government 88 centsmore to send a paper check than it does to transfer moneyelectronically. And people without bank accounts pay on average $6 tocash a check, according to the Treasury Department.

Source/more:  LA Times, http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-debit10-2008jun10,0,27432.story