Touch 'N Go Card Guide (2024): Where & How To Buy, Reloading & Avoiding Scams

The borders have reopened and you can finally take short trips to Johor Bahru or anywhere in Malaysia again!

If you’re driving or planning a road trip, you will need a Touch ‘n Go (TNG) card for the road charge at the immigration counter and expressway tolls.

Here’s a compiled list of places that sell TNG cards, how to get them, how to reload your card and how to avoid scams involving these cards!

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TL;DR: What Is Touch ‘n Go Card, Where To Buy Touch ‘N Go Cards, How to Reload & Touch ‘N Go Scams

Click here to jump:

• What is TOUCH ‘n Go and what is it for
• Where to buy a Touch ‘n Go card
• How to reload a Touch ‘n Go card
• Touch ‘n Go scams
• Public transport to go to Malaysia
• Other payment methods on highway tolls

You can check the merchant listing by keying in the location and the state you’re at.

Note: Information is as of 12 March 2024 and may be subject to changes without prior notice.

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Touch n’ Go Card & Usage

In 1997, Malaysian-based company Touch ‘n Go Sdn Bhd launched the Touch ‘n Go services on the Metramac Highway and PLUS Expressways in Malaysia.

To date, the company is the only electronic toll-collection operator on all highways. It is also accepted as the Common Ticketing System for major public transport in Klang Valley.

Along with modern technologies, Touch ‘n Go has evolved into a versatile eWallet that can be used for a wide range of transactions.

There are different types of Touch ‘n Go cards, and this article shares the ones that Singaporeans often use.

The most common usage for a Touch ‘n Go card is to pay for highway tolls.

If you’re driving into Malaysia, you must pay an RM20 road charge at the immigration booth, which can only be paid using the Touch ‘n Go card.

Cash and credit cards are not accepted.

For paying the toll, you can enter the Touch ‘n Go lanes on highways and tap on the payment portal to pay the toll fee.

Touch ‘n Go e-wallet App

Since 2017, Touch ‘n Go introduced a mobile application to streamline card reloads and account management for users. Additionally, the app facilitates contactless payments via smartphones, which means users don’t have to carry their physical cards for non-driving purposes!

The eWallet also offers other features including bill payments, cashback, and rewards.

Touch ‘n Go Card Validity & Registration

You will need to register to activate your card.

The old classic Touch n’ Go card has a 10-year validity and will remain active if you reload or use it at least once a year.

Once a card is deactivated, a dormant fee of RM5.30 will be charged immediately and deducted from the deposit or the unutilised card balance.

If a deactivated card remains inactive, RM5.30 will be further deducted from the deposit or unutilised card balance once every 6 months.

Hence, if you’re not going to use the card anymore, you can return it to a Touch ‘n Go counter and get your unutilised card balance refunded (subject to the terms & conditions).

Enhanced Touch n’ Go Card

There is also a newer generation Touch ‘n Go card, the Enhanced Touch ‘n Go Card – it is supposedly easier to top-up credit via the Touch n’ Go e-wallet.

To reload the card, you will need a Near-Field Communication (NFC)-enabled smartphone and an Enhanced Touch ‘n Go card. This makes things convenient as you can top-up without additional surcharges. Furthermore, you can effortlessly monitor your balance in real-time via the Touch ‘n Go eWallet app.

Those with the e-wallet app can look for the option to order an Enhanced TNG Card, bearing in mind that there is an RM5 shipping fee.

This option may only be suitable for those staying in Malaysia.

Users from Singapore can order the card but must send it to a Malaysian address. If you’re staying in a hotel or Airbnb, you can check if your host could help you collect the card.

In the case of the upgraded Enhanced version with NFC functionality, the card has a limited lifespan of 7 years. Thus, if you acquired a card issued in 2023, it would cease to be valid by 2030.

Ez-Link x Touch ‘n Go Motoring Card

Local company EZ-Link Pte Ltd and Touch ‘n Go Sdn. Bhd collaborated to launch the EZ-Link x Touch ‘n Go Motoring Card.

This card is a dual-currency cross-border contactless smart card designed primarily for Singapore motorists travelling to Malaysia.

This means you can hold the Singapore dollars in the EZ-Link purse and Malaysian Ringgit in the Touch ‘n Go purse.

In Singapore, the EZ-Link x Touch ‘n Go Motoring Card can be used to pay checkpoint tolls, electronic road pricing (ERP), and carpark fees.

This card cannot be used for public transit and retail payments locally.

Note: Payment for ERP and checkpoint toll charges is applicable to Singapore vehicles only.

In Malaysia, the EZ-Link x Touch ‘n Go Motoring Card can be used to pay for highway tolls, checkpoint toll charges, parking fees, bus fares, MRT fees as well as retail and dining acceptance points.

Unfortunately, it’s currently sold out in sales channel, including 7-Eleven, Cheers outlets, and petrol stations Caltex, Sinopec, Shell and SPC islandwide in Singapore.

If you ever get your hands on it, note that you cannot load Ringgit on this card in Singapore, from the Touch ‘n Go e-wallet app on your phone, or at 7-Eleven outlets in Malaysia. You can only top-up this card at locations or merchants in Malaysia that are identified by Touch ‘n Go.

For a quick summary, these are what you can and cannot do with the Ez-Link x Touch ‘n Go Motoring card:

How Much Value Can You Store in Your Touch ‘n Go Card?

You can store up to RM1,500 in your Touch ‘n Go Card, or your EZ-Link x TNG Card purse.

And if you’re an EZ-Link x TNG Card user, you can stash up to $500 in your EZ-Link purse.

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Where To Buy Touch ‘n Go Card in Singapore

Mind you, there’s a Touch ‘n Go shortage…

But if you’d like to try your luck, you can visit these locations to try and make a purchase.

Singapore: After Tuas Checkpoint (Second Link Road)

The Touch ‘n Go card is available for sale only after Tuas Checkpoint.

Keep to the left if you are walking through the immigration counters – there are two lanes separated for immigration counters, so keep a look out so you won’t miss the booth.

If the lines aren’t long or you’re travelling alone, you can pull over to the side of the road and buy a Touch ‘n Go card or top it up at a vending machine.

Based on posts from the motorist.sg and a recent sharing online, there are temporary staff in white T-shirts and green vests selling these cards. They were also said to offer top-up services as well.

If they are really there, you may try getting it from them!

Singapore: Carousell, Shopee & Lazada

This is good news for local Carousellers!

Using the app, you can purchase a new or used Touch ‘n Go card in Singapore — prices range from S$6 to S$30.

There are also a few things to note if you purchased a used card:

• The card’s validity is 10 years, but if it’s not used for more than 365 days (or 1 year), it will be deactivated by Touch ‘n Go Sdn Bhd. Hence, you will not be able to use this card and can only get a refund from the office
• You cannot top-up or reload the Touch ‘n Go card in Singapore
• Ensure the card has a balance of at least RM20 to pay the road charge.

As such, you should always check BOTH the validity date printed on the card and the balance left in the Touch ‘n Go eWallet app.

You should note that you cannot top-up or reload the card using the app.

For a fuss-free option, you can check out Shopee and Lazada, which have wholesalers who have good customer reviews.

Besides, you can clock cashback or miles when you use a credit card for your purchase.

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Where to Buy TNG Cards in JB

TOUCH ‘n Go Spots

You can find Touch ‘n Go spots at selected Malaysian petrol stations, including Caltex, Petron, BHPetrol, and PETRONAS.

Rumour has it that Touch n’ Go cards are sold out in most places, hence you may have to drop by a few places to try getting one.

Check out this website for the latest spots: https://www.touchngo.com.my/consumer/toll/card/enhance-card-outlet/

TOUCH ‘n Go Hub

Those staying in Kuala Lumpur or planning to visit can grab the Basic or Enhanced card from the Touch ‘n Go store at Nu Sentral, a mall located within KL Sentral Transportation Hub.

Otherwise, you can head over to selected partner retailers shown above.

Malaysia’s Convenience Stores, Petrol Stations & Rapid KL Light Rapid Transit (LRT) Kelana Jaya Line

The most ubiquitous convenience store would be 7-Eleven.

There are selected petrol stations where the cards are sold: BHPetrol and selected Petronas, Caltex and Shell Petrol Stations.

You can also use an online locator to check out all Touch ‘n Go merchants in Malaysia.

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How to Reload Touch ‘n Go Cards

Unfortunately, you can’t recharge your Touch ‘n Go card in Singapore.

To add funds to your TNG purse, you must do so at authorised outlets and touchpoints within Malaysia’s borders, such as those along highways.

For local top-ups, holders of the EZ-Link x Touch ‘n Go Motoring card can only recharge their EZ-Link purse in Singapore dollars. While within Singapore’s territory, they cannot top up their TNG purse, which operates in Malaysian ringgit.

This is extremely inconvenient, especially for those who might not have realised your card has a low balance and are about to cross the border.

So, the main takeaway here is to ALWAYS ensure sufficient balance when on Malaysian soil.

That said, there are two ways to reload:

• Online: You can reload your card online through the MYTouchnGo portal or the Touch ‘n Go e-wallet app (via a credit or debit card)
• At a physical location: You can also reload your card at a variety of physical locations such as Touch ‘n Go Spots and other authorised reload points.

These cards can be reloaded at several places in Malaysia.

Here are some of the nearest reload locations upon entering from Singapore:

• Plaza Tol Tanjung Kupang
• Shel R&R Gelang Patah
• Petron R&R Gelang Patah
• Petronas Jalan Tun Sri Lanang
• Petron Jalan Tun Sri Lanang
• Shell Jalan Tun Sri Lanang

You can reload your card with RM10, RM20, RM35, RM50, RM100, RM200 and RM500.

The maximum reload value is capped at RM1,500 for safety purposes.

Always make sure you go through authorised partners only. You risk having your card blacklisted if an illegal reload through unauthorised parties has been detected.

The card and its remaining balance will be forfeited and forwarded to the authorities for investigation.

Touch ‘n Go card reloads have surcharges levied by their reload agents.

However, you’ll be happy to know that you can avoid the surcharge at Touch ‘n Go hub, Touch ‘n Go SPOTs located along major highways, Touch ‘n Go self-service kiosks, 99 Speedmart outlets, Watsons and Caring pharmacies.

As for the enhanced Touch ‘n Go card, there is no surcharge at all.

If you intend to top up at the Malaysia immigration, one driver suggested that the top-up machines might not be working. He was also advised to borrow another driver’s Touch ‘n Go card.

It was only after he had passed the immigration on 2nd Link Road that he could reload his EZlink-Touch ‘n Go card with ringgit in cash.

Reloading Using Touch ‘n Go eWallet

As mentioned above, you can top up the Enhanced TNG card using the Touch n’ Go e-wallet’s NFC technology.

Once you’ve linked your card to the online wallet, you can reload it by holding it to the back of your phone for a few seconds and tapping a few buttons within the app (the app will prompt you).

The online reload works for most of the latest Apple and Android phones as they have this feature.

Before Driving in, Check These Things

A Malaysian driver also shared his recent experiences and noted some things regarding the card:

• Cards that are more than two years old would have expired
• Expired cards are no longer usable at Touch ‘n Go counters
• Touch ‘n Go cards are mostly sold out at petrol stations
• Singaporean vehicles require at least S$9.65 (RM30) on their cards to pay for road charges (RM20) and PLUS fees (RM2+)
• Only cashless payment modes like debit or credit cards are accepted for card top-ups and purchases (note: this is different from the anecdote above where the driver mentioned credit card was not accepted)

The point here is to make sure that you have cash in Ringgit.

Additionally, if you know someone going into Malaysia via other means, you can approach them to get and top up the card for you in Malaysia.

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Beware of Touch ‘n Go Scams

There there.

With so many scams around, it’s unsurprising that scammers would use the name of Touch ‘n Go.

Beware of scammers asking for personal and/or banking information, such as your bank account number, OTP number, PIN number, or password, by clicking on a link!

This is the official advice from Touch ‘n Go’s website. So stay vigilant:

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Public Transport to Malaysia

If you’re a non-driver, things are different.

Cars are expensive, we get it.

Public transport is definitely the way to go if you don’t own a car!

PSA: The operations for the KTM train (or Shuttle Tebrau) between Singapore and Johor have just resumed.

You can consider taking the following bus services from either Woodlands or Tuas Checkpoint for public transport.

There are also blue factory buses from the JB Checkpoint, but the transport fee is most of the time RM5. So this is a slightly higher price to pay as compared to normal public transport.

But this could be an option to look out for as there’s a shorter queue and you will be guaranteed a seat. There’s a catch though. This type of bus service will be that they will only start moving when the bus is full.

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11 Highways Support Credit And Debit Card Payments

Finally!

While this article concerns the Touch ‘n Go cards, we still can’t hide our excitement about Malaysia’s plan to upgrade its payment systems!

As a first step towards implementation, five highways will adopt an Open Payment System, and this allows drivers to use their credit and debit cards to pay for tolls.

Yup, you can use Visa or Mastercard!

The highways that will support credit and debit card payments are:

Hopefully, this will ease the situation of the Touch ‘n Go shortage and drivers’ experience of their cards expiring in the two years that border crossings were restricted due to the pandemic.

This will provide additional opportunities for e-Wallet providers to take part and put an end to Touch ‘n Go’s monopoly. Moreover, it will foster healthy competition among industry players and provide highway users with a wider range of options for paying tolls.

We will update this article when more information about this initiative is released.

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• Top 10 Things to Do in JB Now That Malaysia Has Finally Reopened Its Borders
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