Following the launch of SimplyGo last month, Singapore commuters were able to tap in and out of MRT and bus rides with their Mastercard contactless bank cards.
Then, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) shared that Visa cardholders could expect to be included in the SimplyGo programme later in the year.
It seems like Visa cardholders won’t need to wait much longer for a more convenient way to pay for their daily commute.
From today (6 Jun), commuters will be able to use their Visa contactless cards to pay for public transport fares.
Said Mr Yeo Teck Guan, LTA Senior Group Director, Public Transport in a press release: “We are encouraged by commuters’ response towards the launch of SimplyGo.”
We are seeing a steady uptake in usage since its launch, with an average of over 120,000 daily trips. With the inclusion of Visa, more commuters will benefit.
Added Mr Kunal Chatterjee, Visa Country Manager for Singapore & Brunei: “The launch of SimplyGo for Visa contactless cards will bring the convenience of contactless transit payments to local Visa cardholders and international travellers visiting the country.”
“With this, we foresee Visa contactless usage in Singapore continuing to grow, surpassing the current contactless penetration of over 80 per cent.”
SimplyGo users will enjoy the same fares as those using regular EZ-Link and NETS FlashPay cards, but foreign-issued bank cardholders may be charged administrative and overseas transaction fees.
How To Get On Board?
By signing up for a SimplyGo account via its website or its TL SimplyGo mobile app, commuters will be able to view their travel history and fares whenever they please.
Registered users of contactless bank cards can also opt to receive push notifications for fares after each trip is completed using SimplyGo mobile app.
Commuters who currently use contactless bank cards with the EZ-Link/NETS FlashPay functionality would be able to opt in to SimplyGo by visiting a General Ticketing Machine at any MRT or LRT station and switching their cards’ payment mode to ‘Bank Card’.
LTA added that they are also working towards eventually letting commuters using their EZ-Link cards enjoy SimplyGo benefits, like topping up their cards on-the-go via the SimplyGo account.
- Sign up for, or find out more about SimplyGo here.
