43% Singaporeans prefer cash over e-wallets and apps for public transportation

SINGAPORE: Following a report showing that 43 per cent of Singaporeans do not use e-wallets and apps for public transportation transactions, Singaporeans took to social media to share their reasons for preferring to pay with cash.

In February 2024, a survey titled “The Clicks and Shifts: Â Yahoo Singapore Digital Study” was conducted on 1,500 respondents. The study, conducted by Milieu Insight and commissioned by Yahoo Singapore, found that 43 per cent of commuters do not use mobile apps or e-wallets.

The survey’s results came despite the notion that shifting towards a more digital system of payment would be more convenient.

The study’s results also showed that there seems to be a connection between household income and commuters’ likelihood of using mobile payment methods.

For households earning more than S$6,000 monthly, 59 per cent used mobile payment methods in public transport. The figure rose to 70 per cent for households with monthly incomes surpassing S$12,000.

On the contrary, among people in households earning S$3,000 or less monthly, only 40 per cent use digital payment methods for public transportation. 82 per cent of individuals from this particular group preferred physical cards and even tokens.

Singaporean commuters share insights

Many online users took to social media to share their thoughts on why this may be so. Some mentioned the constraints of mobile devices, such as a finite battery life.

“I’m an (e-wallet) user,” said one. “I have to worry if my phone battery is able to last til the end of the trip and poor signal issues etc. The physical card is always kept in my wallet as a backup plan.”

“Yes, those who use e-wallets really have to take note of their device battery level. Now, more and more smart users are coming to the counter and saying ‘My phone/watch battery is flat.’

How can one use their phone til flat when he/she knows that it’s needed for exiting the station?”

Another mentioned senior citizens and their issues with technology, saying:

“Seniors most(ly) are afraid (of) using e-wallet as they are worried about cons or scammers who take advantage of their weakness in AI.

I am also a senior but have been using the computer starting from a 286RAM and non-stop til the upgraded system of today. But I still prefer to use cash which is much safer…”

Still, another compared digital payment systems abroad.

“The key issue is that digital payments in Singapore are cumbersome and there are too many options,” they shared.

In China, Alipay and WeChat are the two main digital payment apps that even seniors use with ease. I didn’t use any cash throughout the entire trip; it was Alipay all the way.”

One kept things plain and simple, saying, “I trust the physical card, paper, pen, cash. Prefer old school, peace of mind.”

Read also: 2 in 5 Singaporeans don’t use e-wallets for public transport: Study