U.S. Treasury's Direct Express® Prepaid Debit Card Earns High Marks from Social Security Population

WASHINGTON, July 17, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Four years since its debut, 95 percent of individuals who use the Direct Express® Debit MasterCard® card to receive monthly Social Security payments report they are satisfied with the card, according to a new cardholder study, and 93 percent of cardholders also say they are likely to recommend the card to others. The findings come from a survey conducted last month by KRC Research and commissioned by MasterCard Worldwide on behalf of the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Financial Management Service.

Introduced in June 2008, the Direct Express® card has helped more than 3 million Americans – two-thirds of whom did not have traditional bank accounts when they signed up for the card – to safely and easily access their federal benefit payments. Approximately 6 million paper checks are still sent to federal benefit recipients each month, and the Treasury Department urges these individuals to switch to the Direct Express® card or direct deposit well ahead of the March 1, 2013, deadline for all federal benefits to be paid electronically.

"We hope that hearing about the extremely high satisfaction with the Direct Express® card will encourage check recipients to make the switch to the card or direct deposit as soon as possible," said David Lebryk, commissioner of the Treasury Department's Financial Management Service. "For four years, millions of senior citizens, people with disabilities and other Americans who lack access to traditional banking services have used their Direct Express® cards to pay bills, withdraw cash and make purchases without worrying about their paper checks being lost or stolen or paying check-cashing fees."

Additional findings from the Direct Express® cardholder satisfaction survey revealed:

• 97 percent said the Direct Express® card is a safer way to receive their benefits than paper checks
• 93 percent said the card is more convenient than cash to make purchases
• 91 percent said the card makes it easier to pay bills  
• 85 percent said the card helps them manage their money

Spreading the word about electronic payments

The Treasury Department's Go Direct® public education campaign is working with more than 1,800 partner organizations throughout the country to spread the message about the electronic payment rule and educate federal benefit recipients about their options. This month, the campaign introduced a new public service announcement as well as a series of educational videos and print materials that explain how electronic payments work and how to use the Direct Express® card. The videos and materials are available on the Go Direct campaign website at www.GoDirect.org.

"We know moving from paper checks to electronic payments may be challenging for some Americans and that's why we're taking extra steps through our Go Direct campaign to provide robust levels of education and community outreach in the months leading up to the March 1, 2013, deadline," Lebryk said. "We are working closely with financial institutions, caregivers, senior services providers and advocates for people who are homeless or have disabilities to ensure there is a comprehensive network of organizations that can help people make a smooth transition to electronic payments."

Now is the time to switch to electronic payments

Check recipients can sign up for direct deposit or the Direct Express® card by calling toll-free 1-800-333-1795, visiting www.GoDirect.org, or talking to their local federal paying agency office. The process is fast, easy and free.

• By taking a few minutes to gather the necessary information ahead of time, most federal benefit recipients can sign up for electronic payments with one phone call that takes 10 minutes or less.
• Individuals will need their Social Security number or claim number, their 12-digital federal benefit check number and the amount of their most recent federal benefit check. If choosing direct deposit, recipients also will need their financial institution's routing transit number, (often found on a personal check) account number and account type (checking or saving).
• There are no sign-up fees or monthly fees to receive benefits electronically.

Survey results are from a telephone survey of a random sample of 1,211 Direct Express® cardholders in June 2012. The margin of error at the 95 percent confidence level is +/-2.8 percent.

For the media

Downloadable B-roll is available at www.newsinfusion.com/events/Direct-Express-Card-Satisfaction.

The public service announcement, educational videos and materials, graphic elements – including a national map showing the states with the most remaining paper benefit checks – key numbers and additional information are available for download at: www.GoDirect.org/media/Direct-Express-Card-Satisfaction.

The Go Direct® campaign is sponsored by the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Federal Reserve Banks. The Direct Express® logo,Go Direct® and Direct Express® are registered service marks, and the Go Direct(SM) logo is a service mark, of the U.S. Department of the Treasury, Financial Management Service. The Direct Express® Debit MasterCard® card is issued by Comerica Bank, pursuant to a license by MasterCard International Incorporated. MasterCard® and the MasterCard® Brand Mark are registered trademarks of MasterCard International Incorporated.

SOURCE U.S. Department of the Treasury