Are You Maximising Every Dollar Spent Topping Up Your EZ-Link Card?

I remember folding paper planes out of bus tickets stubs and stuffing them into any random gaps I can find on the bus.

Out of tickets, I’m left with the keys in my pocket to fumble with on my ride home…

The introduction of EZ-Link to pay for our public transport changed all of this. And it seemed like one of the best inventions ever until I found myself queueing for half an hour to top up my EZ-Link card at a crowded MRT station.

“That’s it, I quit EZ-Link and should just buy myself a car,” I thought.

Are You Making Full Use of Every Dollar Spent on Transport?

“Just kidding, I’m too poor to afford a car. Back to my EZ-Link card.”

Most of our public transport expenses are clocked through our EZ-Link card. This makes topping it up a necessary expense.

Image Source: Seedly Personal Finance App

Of course, if you are paying a lot more on Grab or Go-Jek, it is time to relook your monthly expenses.

If you are tracking your expenses regularly, public transport fees can amount to hundreds of dollars every month. Are you fully utilising every dollar used to top up your EZ-Link?

Hacks To Maximising Every Dollar Spent On Transport With The EZ-Link App

Determined to avoid queueing at the General Ticketing Machine, I embarked on a journey to look for alternative methods to top up my EZ-Link card.

I found out that there are a few ways I can do so, other than heading to the General Ticketing Machine. I can always do a top up via the EZ-Link Mobile Application, AXS Stations, or OCBC ATMs around the island.

Having chanced upon the EZ-Link mobile app recently, I realised that I can top up my EZ-Link card simply by placing it at the back of my phone (NFC-enabled phones).

source: EZ-Link

Not only that, I uncovered some “dark secret” to stretch every dollar spent on my EZ-Link card.

TL;DR – Example On How Commuters Can Maximise Their Transport Expenses

An average Singaporean spends about $100 every month on public transport. Should he not do a thing about it, he will receive $100 worth of transport services in return for the month.

However, if he were to jump on at least one loyalty program that allows him to push the value of the $100 spent, he gets back rewards on top of the $100 worth of transport services.

Editor’s Note: As usual, this is not a sponsored article

How To Earn Points on EZ-Link App?

• Download EZ-Link App, of course
• Add your EZ-Link card to your app (using the CAN number at the back of the card)
• Earn points when you pay with your EZ-Link card for Public Transport rides, ERP charges, Carpark charges and retail transactions.
• For every $0.10 spent on your EZ-Link card earns you 1 point.
• These points can then be accumulated to redeem rewards on the app.

What can I redeem with points accumulated on the EZ-Link App?

To give a good gauge, a typical Singaporean spends about $100 per month on public transport. This adds up to about 1,000 points on the app per month.

Points can be used to redeem rewards in these categories:

• EZ-Link Products
• Food and beverages
• Lifestyle
• Services

EZ-Link Products and Points Required on The EZ-Link

Here are some of the EZ-Link related products which one can redeem using their points. EZ-Link charm is one of the most popular choices among Singaporeans.

Food and Beverages Rewards and Points Required on The EZ-Link

Here are some of the food and beverages related products which one can redeem using their points. EZ-Link charm is one of the most popular choices among Singaporeans.

Lifestyle Rewards and Points Required on The EZ-Link

Here are some of the lifestyle-related products which one can redeem using their points. EZ-Link charm is one of the most popular choices among Singaporeans.

Services Rewards and Points Required on The EZ-Link

Here are some of the service-related products which one can redeem using their points. EZ-Link charm is one of the most popular choices among Singaporeans.

Other partnerships which EZ-Link is on

On top of the points system, EZ-Link also worked with a few partners to maximise the benefit of every dollar our transport fees.

Here are some of the partnered programs which EZ-Link embarked on which may be beneficial for a certain group of commuters.

Circles.Life

Commuters who are on Circles.Life will be able to add 50MB worth of data into their plan for every 10 rides taken in the week.

LinkPoints

Linking your EZ-Link account to your Plus account allows one to earn Link-Points on every purchase that is done on the EZ-Link.

Each $2 spent on EZ-Link will earn the commuter 1 LinkPoint.

Ryde

New users who download and sign up will get $3 RydeCredits.

Using EZ-Link Charms and NFC-Enabled Phone To Commute

If you are sick and tired of your visually boring EZ-Link that is sold off the counter at any passenger service counter, here are some cooler alternative which you can use to commute!

EZ-Charms

source: EZ-Link

There is an EZ-Charm for everything, from Spiderman to Hello Kitty or even our favourite Pikachu. These charms are limited in stocks, so do follow EZ-Link’s Facebook page to keep track of their launches.

NFC Phones

Some of our phones come with NFC EZ-Link. This feature conveniently allows us to use our mobile phone as EZ-Link when we commute. Last we checked, iPhone users will not be able to enjoy this feature.

Credit Cards Which Can be Used As EZ-Link

Free up some space in your wallet and look for credit cards that can be used as EZ-Link.

To know if your credit card can be used, simply look out for the EZ-Link logo at the back of your credit card.

Where can I top up EZ-Link Card For FREE?

While there are numerous venues that allow you to top up your EZ-Link card, some of these places charge you a fee for it. Make sure you avoid the charges if you can!