PayWave Can Finally Be Used For Public Transport From 6 Jun 2019 Onwards

Imagine this – you wake up late after a night out drinking and discover you’re going to be late for work for the fifth time this month, after which your boss would probably fire you.

GIF: BuzzFeed.com

So you run and run to the MRT station…

GIF: pann101.blogspot.com

You fight through the throngs of people and finally, your hand’s flying to tap your ezLink card at the gantry.

Phew, I’m going to make it, you think.

Then the dreaded thing beeps, denying you entry – insufficient balance, reads the screen.

You forgot to top up your now valueless card after you stumbled home last night.

NOOOOOOOO!!!!

You curse in exasperation as you dash over to the automated top-up machines, only to see there’s a queue as long as the distance you still have to travel to work.

Confirm late liao.

And you think, ugh, if only there was a way that I didn’t have to go through all this hassle.

Well, you can start thanking God or Buddha or whoever it is, for now, there actually is one.

You Can Pay With Visa!

Starting from 6 June 2019, you can now use your Visa contactless credit cards to pay for public transport, just like an EZ-Link card, as long as it has EZ-Link, PayWave or Nets FlashPay functions.

The fares will get directly charged to your credit or debit card bill so you can just pay off your bills and transport fares all at once.

So that means you don’t have to waste extra time every month or so to top up your Ez-Link card – for lazy people like you and me, that’s a big relief.

GIF: Gfycat.com

SimplyGo – It’s That Simple, Actually

Image: Land Transport Authority

In case you hadn’t already heard of this initiative back when it was launched in April, SimplyGo is a service that allows commuters to use their contactless credit cards to pay for transport fares instead of the classic ezLink cards.

You can read more about that service by my handsome colleague here.

Only Mastercard users were able to use their contactless credit cards back then, but now Visa card users can do it too.

You can immediately use your card for transport purposes with effect from 6 June 2019.

However, if your card is so powderful it has Nets Flashpay, EZ-Link & Visa all in one, just visit any general ticketing machine to opt to change your public transport payment method to the bank card.

There’s More

After creating a SimplyGo account at simplygo.com.sg, you can also log on to the SimplyGo portal or mobile app to track your travelling and fare history easily.

You know, just in case you just wanted to see how much you spent travelling to and from work every day with the exorbitant adult fare prices and complain to your boss about how you’re not paid enough to cover this.

Just be careful with your credit cards and don’t lose it in the morning hour rush, okay?

Plus, we’re not just talking bank cards.

Your phone (ApplePay, Samsung Pay or Google Pay), as long as it is registered to your debit or credit card, can be used to pay for your transport too.

In other words, you can literally leave the house without bringing your wallet. Or any cards.

We’re living in tomorrow.