The local social security card service center is calling on about 2.1 million residents who haven’t updated their old social security cards to do soas soon as possible in case there’s a rush at the end of this year.

Old social security cards will be invalid from December 31. By June 21, the city had issued more than 14.7 million new cards since the card change program was launched in 2018.

But nearly 5 million of these card carriers haven’t yet activated their cards.

They can have the cards activated either online or through community affairs centers or bank outlets.

Among the 2.1 million still carrying old cards, there are over 500,000 aged above 60.

Since the card is required for seeing a doctor and these people are usually frequent visitors to hospitals, the center suggests that seniors change the cards at their community centers oroutlets of banks cooperating with this program.

There are 310 community affairs centers across the city providing various services related to social security cards.

More than 3,000 outlets of 11 banks can accept an application for a card or card change and 505 of them allow applicants to get a card at the site.

The new cards can not only be usedfor identity, employment and medical payments, but also financial bank deposits and transfers and money management.

“The issuing of government subsidies, payment for social insurance and acceptance of its benefits will all be realized with the social security card. So the new cards are added with financial functions,” said Zhu Liang, director of the social security card service center.