Singapore rewards transit users for open loop contactless fare payments

PUBLIC TRANSPORT: Travellers can earn reward points for making open loop contactless fare payments

Passengers travelling on public transport services in Singapore can now participate in a game to earn reward points for making open loop contactless fare payments by tapping their bank card or mobile wallet on an onboard reader or station gate.

Singapore’s public transport operator SMRT has launched the Unleash the Gates campaign in partnership with the country’s Land Transport Authority, Transit Link and Mastercard to encourage transport users to open a new account or add a contactless bank card to an existing account on the Transit Link SimplyGo fare payments app.

Once passengers have registered, they receive a game participation code and a list of 400 ‘virtual gates’ where they can earn points via SMRT’s Wink+ loyalty scheme that can be redeemed as fare rebates, discounts at participating merchants or donations to charity.

Users adding a Mastercard debit, credit or prepaid card to a TL SimplyGo account “receive a Mastercard-exclusive game code to earn more points” and access to “an additional 100 Wink+ golden gates”, Transit Link explains.

Passengers who use the contactless bank card added to their TL Simply Go account to pay for a minimum of 60 public transport journeys during the campaign will receive an additional 800 travel bonus points.

A short video explains how the Unleash the Gates campaign works.

The campaign runs until 18 January 2022, with participants able to claim fare rebates and donate to the Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund until 1 March. Wink+ points earned during the campaign will remain valid for use at participating merchants after that date, however.

Singapore rewards transit users for open loop contactless fare payments was written by Tom Phillips and published by NFCW.