Hawker centres to accept EZ-Link and concession cards on NETS terminals

NETS and EZ-Link recently announced they have joined forces to propagate e-payments with the acceptance of all EZ-Link and concession cards on all NETS terminals at hawker centres in Singapore.

This is the first time the two companies have come together to provide a holistic and interoperable payments system and it is said to be a "testament to the commitment by both NETS and EZ-Link towards building a cashless ecosystem at hawker centres".

The partnership will cater to the needs of senior citizens and students, a large majority of whom may not have bank accounts, to use their concession cards for payments at NETS terminals in hawker centres as part of the collective Singapore journey towards becoming an e-payments society.

NETS CEO Jeffrey Goh said: “NETS is committed to helping Singapore become a cashless society and we want to work with like-minded partners to convert cash transactions into cashless payments. This partnership is a significant milestone in our efforts to build a cashless ecosystem at hawker centres because we are now able to offer all Singaporeans, young and old, a ‘single interface’ payments experience at hawker centres. They can choose to pay via mobile phone (QR code) or cards.”

EZ-Link CEO Nicholas Lee added: “EZ-Link’s goal is to make it easy, attractive and beneficial for all consumers and merchants in Singapore to go cashless in various aspects of their daily lives. This collaboration opens up many opportunities for EZ-Link and concession card holders to make cashless transactions across the island with a single interface, starting with hawker centres. We hope to continue to establish similar partnerships to increase our acceptance points across Singapore and empower Singaporeans of all ages in the nation’s cashless journey.”

From April 2018, EZ-Link and concession cardholders will be able to make payments for their food and drinks at all NETS-enabled hawker centres by tapping their cards on the existing NETS terminal. Both companies view this initiative as a start of a growing relationship and will extend the partnership beyond hawker centres.

There are currently more than 1,000 stalls across more than 30 hawker centres which accept NETS (QR code and card payments), including those at Beo Crescent, Tanjong Pagar, Yishun Park and Zion Road, as well as food courts and canteens at Singapore Polytechnic, Republic Polytechnic, Nanyang Polytechnic, Temasek Polytechnic and the National Technological University.