As cashless-only stores continue to pop up across Singapore, some teens and seniors feel left out

[ramlee]

This is outrageous!!!!

15yo can afford Starbucks and wok hey?!? I ripe old age ish cannot afford

 

[JonWeak]

Good ah. Moi now also hardly use cash. Paywave ish the way for me

 

[Ethan_]

So if a hawker or café refuses to take cash, they’re likely in breach of MAS guidelines. You can report such cases to the Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE) or MAS directly.

This is for all businesses or some only?

Usually can't be bothered patronise such places. Cause feel its abit too 霸道 when insist it certain way.

 

[Nuclear Boy]

Nowadays, there are prepaid debit platforms around like YouTrip, Revolut, Stinktel Dash...

But then again, we're one major sabotage, cyber attack away from being paralysed if cash were to be completely phased out.

 

[guile]

EZlink/SimplyGo can use this opportunity to allow machines to accept their cards at these brick and Mortar businesses."

then those students/seniors can use their concession cards to still be cashless.

 

[Quala98]

Dunno why will teens feel left out...

They whole day tiktok.. Dunno how to use phone?

As for boomers, is cos they dun want learn and believe everything they heard in the coffeeshop


Sent from satki Android device

 

[tomsss]

feeling left out?

catch up la. that's what our govt had been teaching everyone for the past few decades

society doesn't wait for you de. either you catch up or get left behind

which is also part of the reason we got this fomo mentality

 

[leonaheidern]

Dunno why will teens feel left out...
They whole day tiktok.. Dunno how to use phone?
As for boomers, is cos they dun want learn and believe everything they heard in the coffeeshop
Sent from satki Android device

below 16 can't apply credit or debit card also probably the shop dont accept some ez link card lo.




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[PikaPika33]

personally i boycott those cash only

especially hor those non food shops, or cafe that charges over 10++

give me options
i dont care if you sell $1 cheaper

 

[begintoend]

below 16 can't apply credit or debit card also probably the shop dont accept some ez link card lo.




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OCBC has a debit card for teens <16. It's a parent controlled account where limits are placed on the aact and the kids can hold a debit card.
Else they can use the parents youtrip or revolute cards.

 

[yesman2978]

In tiongland, tiagong they blacklist wechat accounts if users post things that goes against the govt narrative

Kena ban super inconvenient, cannot use epayment, ebooking, cannot be contactable

Having the people reliant on technology makes people compliant

 

[leonaheidern]

OCBC has a debit card for teens <16. It's a parent controlled account where limits are placed on the aact and the kids can hold a debit card.
Else they can use the parents youtrip or revolute cards.

ya lo but maybe the kids complaining come from the low income and parents purposely don't want to apply for youtrip or revolute card for either the above reasons or security related or simply dont want to pay attention to the marketing

for me since I don't usually draw physical cash except during birthdays and cny its alot easier if i knew the dad's youtrip account so I can top up for my niece but since he prefers to control the spending then i just pass the cash over lo and she has to give the dad to manage the cash to top up



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[Apparatus]

Sinkieland is still light years away from a cashless society as compared to China

 

[fly1111]

As cashless-only stores continue to pop up across Singapore, some teens and seniors feel left out​

https://www.straitstimes.com/singap...o-pop-up-some-teens-and-seniors-feel-left-out

SINGAPORE – When Jiya Sharma, 15, went to Starbucks at Downtown East two months ago to study, she could not buy a drink as the outlet has stopped accepting cash.

The Secondary 3 student, who had visited the outlet weekly over the past two years, left empty-handed that day.

She also recalled having a similar experience about a year ago while trying to buy food from Wok Hey at White Sands mall, after the store stopped accepting cash.

Indeed, “cashless-only” signs have been popping up across stores in Singapore as shop owners get used to the convenience of not having to handle notes and coins, after making the switch for hygiene reasons during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.

This is a sharp contrast from store encounters before the pandemic hit, when many shops insisted on “cash-only” payments.

Associate professor of finance Fu Fangjian of SMU’s Lee Kong Chian School of Business attributed this to the success of the Government’s go-digital campaign.

Said Prof Fu: “Singapore’s Government has been very deliberate in driving the Smart Nation agenda... Grants under the SMEs Go Digital programme have made it easier and cheaper for merchants to go cashless.”

During a recent visit to four malls in Bugis, Orchard, Somerset and Dhoby Ghaut, The Straits Times found “cashless-only” signs displayed at 14 of 100 shops.

Food and beverage (F&B) outlets such as Chagee, Luckin Coffee, Starbucks, Stuff’d, llaollao, Tiong Bahru Bakery and Eat Pizza are among a growing list of shops that have stopped accepting cash.

Many F&B outlets told ST that the shift is driven by convenience, hygiene and customers’ preference for cashless methods.

Tea company Chagee, for one, no longer accepts cash at all of its 19 outlets in Singapore. It made the transition over the last year.

“Going cashless means shorter queues, quicker transactions and fewer errors, so customers can get their tea more quickly and consistently using the digital payment methods they prefer,” said Chagee Singapore’s head of operations Jeremy Ma.

The move also allows employees to focus on engaging with customers and preparing tea, he added.

Tiong Bahru Bakery, which has 20 outlets across the island, started its cashless-only journey in early 2020. Today, cash handling is out at all 20 outlets.

“It allows us to serve our guests more quickly during peak hours, creates a more hygienic environment by reducing the handling of physical money, and reflects the way most in our community already prefer to pay,” said Mr Matthew McLauchlan, Tiong Bahru Bakery’s general manager.

Similarly, of the eight outlets Eat Pizza operates here, only the one located in Temasek Polytechnic still accepts cash.

This is to better cater to the students there, who may not have payment cards to pay for food, said the firm’s head of marketing Jessie Ong.

“Going cashless not only streamlines operations and reduces (cash) handling risks, but also speeds up transactions and integrates seamlessly with our self-ordering kiosks,” she added.

Popular coffee chain Starbucks does not accept cash at 38 of its outlets in Singapore, out of around 130 in total.

A spokesman for the company said cashless-only stores include those in Battery Road, Asia Square Tower, Biopolis and Frasers Towers, and the decision is made based on customer profile, transaction patterns and operational considerations.

Stores in high-traffic tourist areas continue to accept cash to meet the needs of customers, said the Starbucks spokesman.

Experts said that the shift is expected as going cashless has become a lot cheaper, thanks to increased competition.

“Merchants now have more affordable plug-and-play options instead of needing costly point-of-sale systems,” said Prof Fu, adding that promotional incentives such as cashback further encourage adoption.

QR-code payment systems also charge lower commissions than traditional card networks, he said.

“This makes it particularly attractive to small businesses, hawkers and micro-enterprises, which previously avoided digital payments due to high card transaction fees.”

Prof Fu added that cashless payment methods also discourage theft and minimise human error in account reconciliation.

However, some teenagers, seniors and migrant workers said they feel left behind.

Like Jiya, student Bazil Khair said he could not catch a movie with his friends at Causeway Point in 2024 after the cinema stopped accepting cash.

“It’s annoying that I can’t even use cash for something that costs less than $10,” said the 15-year-old. He is looking forward to getting his own debit card after he turns 16 in November.

When she is out on her days off, domestic helper Dude Surya, 43, would sometimes ask others in the queue for help and pay them back in cash. “I feel frustrated sometimes, because I don’t have a bank card,” said Ms Surya, who has been in Singapore for around eight years.

Having always used cash, 66-year-old Madam Nisa Khalid said she has on several occasions struggled with PayNow.

On one occasion, a bakery cashier snapped at her for handing over a $10 note for waffles, pointing to a QR code instead. “There were about five people queueing behind me, and the cashier was in a hurry,” said the housewife. “I felt pretty embarrassed.”

She said she wished that service staff would be more understanding. “It will be less daunting for older people to switch to digital services.”

Security guard Samsul Amir, 57, said he has never been able to buy from the sole vending machine located at the community centre where he works as he does not have a debit or credit card.

Similarly, Madam Khong Kwai Kuen, 94, said she prefers to use cash when shopping for groceries as she does not own any debit or credit cards.

“Many of the shops I buy things from accept cash. If they stop doing so, I will stop buying from them,” she said.

Si ginna stop wasting ur parents money

 

[tatsit]

Sinkieland is still light years away from a cashless society as compared to China

yes, agreed, and i friggin hate it.

i still cant understand why not just unify to international standards to use visa/master/amex. this is what's happening in europe, everyone just pay using phone, fast and easy, the cashier type the amount, customer just tap and collect purchase.

 

[FORSTA]

15yo drink starbucks, future looking great for sg

 

[leonaheidern]

yes, agreed, and i friggin hate it.
i still cant understand why not just unify to international standards to use visa/master/amex. this is what's happening in europe, everyone just pay using phone, fast and easy, the cashier type the amount, customer just tap and collect purchase.

because we let the payment gateway companies earn first. and probably its some civil servant's yearly kpi. they promoted Liao previous project abandon.

a few years later another civil servant reuse the idea then new implementation lo


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[Lchlch]

I prefer cash.
Buy pay n go.
No orh-tan nothing, transaction done.
Now is eat pay later.
I dnt like.
Can indirectly overspend.

 

[TA20222025]

In tiongland, tiagong they blacklist wechat accounts if users post things that goes against the govt narrative

Kena ban super inconvenient, cannot use epayment, ebooking, cannot be contactable

Having the people reliant on technology makes people compliant

A great tool to control sheep. Sinkies are sheep anyway.

 

[klavier]

OCBC has a debit card for teens <16. It's a parent controlled account where limits are placed on the aact and the kids can hold a debit card.
Else they can use the parents youtrip or revolute cards.

My 14 year old kid wasnt able to buy something when going out with friends cos shop wanted cashless.. End up just didnt buy..

If need to pass her my youtrip it is fine just that its actually more work for the parents to monitor/control..
Cashless payment is suppose to make it easier for everyone but doesnt feel that way.