Commuters can use Visa contactless cards to pay for public transport from 6 June
SINGAPORE — From 6 June, public transport commuters in Singapore can make use of their Visa contactless cards to pay for their fares, said the Land Transport Authority (LTA) in a media release on Thursday (16 May).
This follows the launch in April of the SimplyGo contactless payment scheme by LTA and TransitLink with Mastercard. With Visa coming aboard the scheme, most contactless card users in Singapore can make use of SimplyGo’s benefits.
To use SimplyGo with contactless cards, cardholders who have EZ-Link/NETS FlashPay functionality built into their Mastercard or Visa contactless bank cards will need to visit a general ticketing machine at any MRT or LRT station to switch their cards’ payment mode to “Bank Card”.
Commuters who use SimplyGo with contactless cards will be charged the same fares as those who currently use travel cards. Charges for public transport rides will be reflected in the commuter’s credit, debit or prepaid card bills, similar to retail transactions.
Yeo Teck Guan, LTA’s senior group director (public transport), said, “\We are seeing a steady uptake in usage since (SimplyGo’s) launch, with an average of over 120,000 daily trips. With the inclusion of Visa, more commuters will benefit.”
With more cards being accepted by public transport services, LTA has advised commuters who carry more than one contactless card and/or travel card to take out the card they wish to use from their wallet or bag, before tapping at the fare reader. This is to avoid charges to multiple cards or delay in travel.
Commuters can enjoy added convenience by signing up for a SimplyGo account to view their travel history and fares via the SimplyGo Portal or mobile app.
Towards the end of the year, commuters using their EZ-Link cards can also upgrade their cards to enjoy SimplyGo benefits like topping up on-the-go.
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