UMID or the Unified Multi-Purpose ID cardholders can now upgrade their cards to a UMID ATM Pay Card as the Social Security System advised last November 28 that this free upgrade is only available to select members.
“The SSS is enjoining the select members who applied for a ‘generic’ UMID card, and whose cards are still pending release, to apply for a free upgrade to a UMID ATM Pay Card instead,” the organization said.
SSS explained that the UMID ATM pay card serves both as a debit card and an ID for SSS loans and claims.
“The UMID ATM Pay Card is an ID and a debit all-in-one card with the benefits of receiving SSS loans and claim proceeds, and refunds directly and securely. You can also experience cashless payment at any retail and online outlets and 24/7 access to your money through ATM or via online bank transfer,” SSS said.
SSS listed the steps to avail of the upgrade on social media:
Cardholders should first login to your “My SSS” account via the website, then access the “Services” tab. Signify your consent to share your information with Union Bank. Download the Union Bank mobile banking app and complete the online form.
SSS posted in its official Twitter account clarified to a user that this new service is only available to select members in the meantime.
The UMID Card was adopted into government policy by virtue of Executive Order No. 420 on April 13, 2005, under the former administration of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
As the name suggests, it was supposed to serve as a “unified identification system” for all multiple IDs required in government offices and transactions.
“A unified identification system will facilitate private businesses, enhance the integrity and reliability of government-issued identification cards in private transactions, and prevent violations of laws involving false names and identities,” the EO reads.
However, in August 2018, the then President Rodrigo Duterte, signed the Philippine Identification System Act (Republic Act 11055), which adopted a new system with the same goal of unifying identification card or the national ID system.
Registration and delivery of national IDs are still ongoing.