SINGAPORE: On Tuesday (May 13), the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and American Express issued a joint news release announcing that commuters on public transport may begin using their American Express cards for contactless payments beginning this Thursday (May 15).
“This will provide greater convenience and choice for public transport commuters,” the news release reads.
This development will benefit not only locals but tourists as well, since payment systems will accept cards issued by American Express and cards issued by its partner banks in Singapore and other countries.
Additionally, commuters may add their American Express cards to their mobile wallets. They do not need to pre-register their cards for public transport rides. This means that they won’t need to bring or take a travel card when getting around Singapore or top up stored-value travel cards before going out.
“We are proud to partner with the LTA to bring more contactless payment options to Singapore commuters as this form of payment becomes increasingly popular. For our local and overseas Card Members, including those of our third-party partners, this brings greater convenience as they can now tap, pay, and ride across the ever-expanding bus and train network in Singapore.
“It is important for us to provide our Card Members a seamless payment experience wherever they live, work, and play, and enabling them to use their cards on public transportation worldwide is essential,” said Marlin Brown, American Express Country Manager for Singapore.
The LTA added that commuters using American Express will be charged the same fares as those using stored-value travel cards, such as EZ-Link and NETS FlashPay cards. They will also not need to pay any additional fees. Similar to retail transactions, the charges for public transport rides will be seen in the commuter’s credit, charge, debit, or prepaid card bills.
As for commuters with a SimplyGo app account, they will be able to use the SimplyGo mobile app to check their travel expenses and history. They will also be given the option to receive push notifications for fares incurred after each trip.
“Commuters who carry more than one contactless bank card or travel card are reminded to take out the card they wish to use before tapping at the fare reader, and to use the same card to tap in and out, to avoid charges to multiple cards,” the joint statement added. /TISG
Read also: Here’s Why You Should Start Considering An American Express (AMEX) Credit Card