Mastercard will soon launch Life Donor™ feature to enable documentation of organ donor status on payment cards in Germany

Mastercard has announced the launch of its new Life Donor™ feature in Germany which will enable the decision to donate organs to be documented directly on the payment card. The pilot program, which is initially launched in cooperation with the payment provider PayCenter via its product VIMpay, will enable customers to add a Life Donor feature mark via the VIMpay app and use it to declare their willingness to donate organs and tissue on physical payment cards. The feature will soon also be available from other Mastercard card issuers. 

Although 84 percent of Germans view organ donation positively according to a representative survey by the Federal Centre for Health Education (BZgA), less than half of those surveyed (44 percent) have an organ donor card. Many people make their personal decision for or against organ donation without recording it in writing.   

Mastercard enables banks and savings banks to provider of a product people generally have in their possession – the payment card. Now Mastercard is introducing a Life Donor feature to offer an additional option to document one’s status as an organ donor on the physical card.  

Low-threshold option for documenting organ donor status 

A representative survey conducted by GfK on behalf of Mastercard shows that 86% of Germans almost always have their bank card with them. However, only one in four (26%) carry their organ donor card with them. Only 16% of respondents indicated that they are registered with the new online organ donation register.  

Being able to use your bank card to document your organ donor status is a new viable option: 41% are of the opinion that a clearly documented declaration of intent makes it easier for relatives to make the right decision in an emergency. around two thirds of respondents (64%) would consider such additional information useful. Almost one in three (30 percent) think that this would enable faster decisions to be made and lives to be saved in an emergency.  

Pilot program in cooperation with VIMpay  

The Life Donor feature is being introduced initially in cooperation with the payment provider PayCenter via its product VIMpay. As part of the pilot program, VIMpay users will be able to apply for the Life Donor Feature via the VIMpay app and use it to declare their willingness to donate organs and tissue. The willingness to donate can also be limited to specific organs. This information is then noted on the back of the payment card, which needs to be physically signed by the customers to make the document valid. In an emergency, it can be accessed quickly and easily. Card holders will also be able to change or revoke their organ donor status at any time. The feature is introduced in line with data protection standards.   

Dr. Peter Robejsek, Country Manager Mastercard Germany: "Organ donation is an issue for society as a whole that affects us all. With the Life Donor feature, we are offering another way to easily document the willingness to donate organs and want to create more awareness on the importance of organ donation and how more donations can help save lives in critical situations. ". 

"Our customers value user-friendly product innovations. With the Life Donor feature, VIMpay can now offer many people in Germany who are ready to donate an organ an easily accessible way to record this important decision – on a product everybody carries with them on a daily basis. Thanks to Mastercard's initiative, we can work together to raise awareness of this socially significant issue and encourage people in Germany in making a decision that can save lives,” says Dr. Peter Schönweitz, Managing Director of VIMpay . 

"The organ donation register is an important step in the right direction. However, in order to increase the number of organ donations in Germany, we need many more measures – such as the Life Donor feature from Mastercard. It is an uncomplicated way to declare your willingness to donate organs," says Sandra Zumpfe. The Chairwoman of  the German Organ Transplant Association (BDO) emphasizes: "The legislator has expressly stated that the decision to donate organs can be documented in a legally binding manner not only via the register, but also in another form. A declaration that is integrated into the bank card is a low-threshold but very present form of documentation. We very much welcome clever solutions like this" 

“Around 200 children in Germany are currently waiting for a donor organ. Many people would be willing to donate in an emergency, but do not document this decision - a problem that can be further counteracted with additional offers such as the Life Donor Feature from Mastercard,” says Franziska Liebhardt, Chairwoman of the Board of Kinderhilfe Organtransplantation (KIO).   

More information at: mastercard.de/lifedonor

^{Survey methodology
On behalf of Mastercard, a representative sample of 1,001 people aged 18 to 74 were surveyed online using the GfK eBUS. The survey on the topic of “bank cards and organ donation” was conducted between May 2 and 6, 2024.}