Have you seen the news?
Starting from 1 June 2024, you won’t be able to use your old EZ-Link or NETS FlashPay cards to pay for public transportation fares anymore.
Additionally, the old EZ-Link cards also won’t work for retail payments.
But you can still use the NETS FlashPay and EZ-Link cards for driving-related payments like Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) and parking fees.
Image Credits: channelnewsasia.com
The Land Transport Authority is moving everyone over to the SimplyGo system by June 2024 since most people are already using SimplyGo EZ-Link or contactless bank cards.
Apparently, about two-thirds of adult fare payments are with one of those options now.
But there’s good news for folks like seniors, students, and those with disabilities who are using concession cards as y’all don’t need to change anything.
If you have an old EZ-Link card, you can upgrade it to SimplyGo at any ticket machine, SimplyGo office, or service center.
You can keep using the same card.
To find out if your card is a SimplyGo EZ-Link card, check to see if you can find the SimplyGo logo/text:
Image Credits: ezlink.com.sg
Anyway, just in case you need reminders, starting at the end of March, the ticket machines will remind you to upgrade your old EZ-Link card when you add money to it.
For NETS FlashPay users, you have 6 months to swap your card for a FREE NETS Prepaid Card from 19 January to 18 July at SimplyGo locations such as ticket offices or ticketing service centers.
Or you can choose other SimplyGo payment methods like contactless bank cards.
For the stored value left on your old cards, you can either use it for other non-transit payments or get a refund.
To encourage people to upgrade, EZ-Link is doing a lucky draw until 31 May where 1,000 people can each win up to 6 months of FREE transit rides.
Image Credits: ezlink.com.sg
To qualify, you just need to add your SimplyGo EZ-Link card to the SimplyGo app and then make one bus or train ride.
Easy peasy!
Here are the draw dates so may the SimplyGo force be with you:
Image Credits: ezlink.com.sg
Even if you’re not joining the lucky draw, it’s still a good idea to download the SimplyGo app to check your trips and add money to your card remotely when you need an urgent top-up.
But if you don’t have the app, you can still check balances and trips at the ticket machines.
Just note that since SimplyGo transactions are like credit/debit cards, you won’t see deductions or balances at station gates or on buses, yeah?
And that’s about all we have for you.
If everything written here has been too much for your fried brain to take in, just take heart that staff will be at stations and interchanges to help people upgrade and provide information on how to download and use the app.
So relax, and breathe 🙂
