10

In the Washington Post, I read that the US state of West Virginia offers money to people who get vaccinated. I am wondering if you can help me find countries that offer similar cash incentives.

It seems that Germany does not yet offer money to people who get vaccinated, although there has been an experiment to see if monetary incentives increase one's willingness to get the vaccine (Sprengholz 2021).

3
  • Some US states have lotteries for vaccinated people, I'm not sure there are any that are actually just giving away money to everyone.
    – Barmar
    Aug 20, 2021 at 14:19
  • @Barmar, they have actually offered the "real" money, i.e. West Virginia Aug 20, 2021 at 14:53
  • @Barmar MN has paid people to get vaccines in May and presently. Aug 20, 2021 at 23:01

7 Answers 7

11

The Greek PM announced at the end of June that those aged between 18 and 25 would be eligible for a €150 cash card, and a free month of mobile data when they receive their first Covid vaccination. According to Reuters:

"With the first jab of the vaccine (they) will get a prepaid card of 150 euros," Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis told a ministerial meeting.

"It's a debt to the youth, a gift out of gratitude," he added.

Around 940,000 Greeks aged 18-25 who get their first shot by the end of the year will be eligible for the "freedom pass" cash bonus, the government said.

On the first day of residents being able to apply for this card, there were more than 120,000 applications, according to Tornos News. It looks like the card can only be used on travel and entertainment though, rather than it being a pure cash lump sum:

It can be used to cover costs in travel and entertainment, such as plane and ferry tickets, hotel bookings, music, theater and cinema, museums, and archaeological sites that have opened, most available only to the fully vaccinated.

7

In China there are many incentives for people to get vaccinated. According to this article by 中国基金报 (China Fund News) on Baidu, there are local initiatives where household supplies and staple foods are given to those getting their vaccine. Gifts mentioned in the article are: eggs, milk, rice, oil, and laundry detergent. There's also mention of a monetary incentive of 300 yuan (almost $50) in cash.

13
  • 1
    Welcome to Politics! Are you sure China pays citizens to get vaccinated? Can you provide a reference to support that?
    – JJJ
    Aug 20, 2021 at 1:49
  • 5
    Yea that's true, vaccination is paid for by the state in many places. This question seems to be asking about paying those who get vaccinated to convince those who are hesitant to get the vaccine. For example, in the US some offer free beer to people after they have been vaccinated to get more people to come. This question asks about a monetary incentive: get cash if you get your vaccine.
    – JJJ
    Aug 20, 2021 at 2:13
  • 2
    Sorry for my misunderstanding. Never heard of give money directly, but people in some area will receive eggs, soaps, etc. @NoviceMindset
    – Ming Tong
    Aug 20, 2021 at 3:13
  • 1
    @MingTong if you can find some sources to confirm that, please edit them into your answer. Then it's a good answer to the question asked (even if the incentives aren't cash). :)
    – JJJ
    Aug 20, 2021 at 3:15
  • 2
    It's more like cash. @JJJ
    – Ming Tong
    Aug 20, 2021 at 9:21
5

Slovakia started a lottery where everybody who is vaccinated can register and win €1000 immediately and then up to €100,000 if you fulfill some conditions (tell a specific keyword at a certain time on Sunday within first 20 seconds). You can find more details in the following article.

The first round was on last Sunday (on 15th of August) and it did not go very well. They called 5 random people, only the first one won and the others were a bit discriminated. You can see more here.

1
  • Thanks for your answer and information, I am still looking for countries offering "real cash" for every individual. Whta you mentioned is something like raffle as Fizz mentioned above. Thank you Aug 20, 2021 at 13:52
4

A few more are mentioned in a Reuters article. It seems most incentives are some kind raffle, rather than a "sure thing", or if there was a "sure thing" it was of small value:

Moscow authorities have been handing out five cars a week in a prize draw for the vaccinated, while Londoners got the chance to win tickets to the final of the Euro 2020 soccer Championship, and Romanians … just a barbequed sausage sandwich.

(Note that the Euro soccer thing was postponed from last year, it's not typo.)

In a Philippine town, the mayor is planning a cow raffle as an incentive, while another community has been raffling off huge sacks of rice, after finding it hard to persuade people to get their shots. Mexican vaccination centres are instead laying on entertainment in the hope of making it fun to get a jab.

Businesses are also getting in on the act, from free beer in Israel to complimentary dessert in Malaysia. In Hong Kong, a property developer is raffling off a $1.4 million apartment for people who have been vaccinated.

2
  • 1
    Thanks a lot, a good source of learning for me, @Fizz, I also notice some raffles like that, but I am still willing to see the countries offer the real money rather than under other forms. Aug 20, 2021 at 3:08
  • "small value"? In Europe we now have EU Digital COVID Certificate (EUDCC); people who are not vaccinated are required to provide a recent negative covid test whenever they try to enter a restaurant / museum / etc. In some countries, tests are reimbursed by health care; if they're not, they are quite costly and certainly not "of small value".
    – Stef
    Aug 21, 2021 at 19:58
3

The Canadian provinces of Alberta and Manitoba have offered cash prize incentives for vaccination. Manitoba further offered scholarships for children aged 12-17.

0
3

Official list of winners: https://www.gov.pl/web/loteria/tygodniowe

In Poland you can win:

  • Final (bank transfer)
    • 2 x 1 000 000 zł
    • 2 x Toyota C-HR
  • By month: (bank transfer)
    • 2 x 100 000 zł
    • 2 x Toyota Corolla
  • By week: (bank transfer)
    • 5 x 50 000 zł
    • 60 x electric scooter Segway
  • By day: (can be withdrawn from an ATM)
    • 500 zł
    • 200 zł

Currently $1 = 4 PLN = 4 zł

2

For countries, Serbia meets the criteria. According to this article:

Serbia now has a surplus of vaccines and plenty of options, too. In response, last week, President Aleksandar Vučić made a bold offer: cash for shots. As in, get vaccinated this month, and receive about $30.

(The article was published in may, so I am not sure about wether this offer still stands)

Side note: NYC will pay you to get vaccinated.

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .