Image Credits: unsplash.com
As 2024 began, Singaporeans faced financial challenges with the GST increased to 9% and Singapore again named the world’s most expensive city. This has significantly impacted on daily expenses, such as meals and groceries.
To help ease this burden, every Singaporean household can now claim S$300 in CDC vouchers for daily expenses. These vouchers can be redeemed online at go.gov.sg/cdcv and used at participating hawkers, heartland merchants, and supermarkets.
PREVIOUS TRANCHES
In January 2024, the CDC vouchers worth S$500 were launched by then Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. This was S$200 more than the previous year’s tranche. Households will receive a total of S$800 in 2024, marking the first time two tranches of CDC vouchers have been distributed in one year.
LATEST VOUCHER LAUNCH
On June 25, Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong, who is also the Minister for Trade and Industry, introduced the new tranche of CDC vouchers at West Coast Community Centre. He was accompanied by National Development Minister Desmond Lee and the five mayors.
BUDGET 2024
During Budget 2024 in February, Prime Minister Wong, also the Finance Minister, announced that Singaporeans would receive a mix of cash, vouchers, and rebates. This is part of a S$1.9 billion boost to the Assurance Package to help with cost-of-living concerns and an uncertain economic outlook. The package includes an additional S$600 in CDC vouchers, with S$300 distributed in June 2024 and another S$300 in January 2025.
HISTORY OF THE SCHEME
The CDC vouchers scheme was introduced in June 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic to support lower-income households and local merchants. It was expanded to all households in December 2021 to thank Singaporeans for their solidarity during the pandemic and to support heartland businesses as they recovered.
Despite the pandemic’s end, high inflation due to supply chain constraints and the war in Ukraine has kept daily expenses high. Deputy Prime Minister Gan explained that this is why the Government continues and enhances the scheme.
SPENDING OF THE VOUCHERS
Most vouchers were spent on hawker centers, participating merchants, and groceries, with S$140 million on F&B, S$273 million on supermarkets, and S$28 million on mini-marts.
FairPriceGroup is offering a promotion where shoppers receive S$4 in return vouchers for every S$50 spent in CDC vouchers in a single transaction until July 1. These return vouchers are valid until July 31 with no minimum spend requirement.
Furthermore, Cold Storage offers an S$8 return voucher for shoppers who spend at least S$80 in CDC vouchers in one receipt. Giant Singapore provides a S$6 return voucher for spending at least S$60 in CDC vouchers in a single receipt.
CLAIMING THE VOUCHERS
More than 650,000 Singaporean households claimed their June 2024 vouchers within the first two days of the launch, according to Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry Low Yen Ling.
Want to claim yours? To use the CDC vouchers, access them via your smartphone using the unique link provided to your household. Select the type and amount of vouchers you wish to use, and a QR code will appear for you to present to the shop staff. The staff will scan the QR code to deduct the amount accordingly.
Image Credits: unsplash.com
Note that no change will be given if the voucher amount exceeds the purchase price. However, you can combine voucher usage with cash to cover the total cost. For instance, you can use a S$5 voucher and add S$2 in cash for a S$7 item. The same rules apply to physical vouchers.
