SimplyGo (ABT) and Pay [Express Travel Not Supported]

[twosix]

travel cards being phased out? can’t be they expect their whole citizenry to all have cc cards

It will take time but eventually yes. Debit cards have replaced atm cards. Anyone can use a dc to pay for transport and anything.

 

[Synnexo]

I checked with Gemini and got this reply:

The Core Issue:

Both Express Travel and Transport Card aim to provide a seamless tap-to-pay experience for transit by allowing users to bypass the usual authentication steps (Face ID, PIN, etc.). While Samsung devices seem to achieve this with various card types, iPhones often struggle, especially with credit and debit cards not specifically issued for transit use.

Why the Discrepancy?

Several factors could contribute to this difference:

• Implementation Differences: Despite having the same goal, Apple and Samsung might have implemented the underlying technology differently. This could involve variations in how they communicate with payment terminals or how they handle different card types.
• Security Protocols: Apple is generally known for its stringent security measures. It's possible that their implementation of Express Travel has stricter requirements or checks in place, especially for credit and debit cards, to prevent fraud or unauthorized use. These extra checks might inadvertently hinder compatibility with certain cards or transit systems.
• Card Technology and Standards: While the feature is intended to be universal, there might be subtle differences in how various card technologies (e.g., contactless EMV, older transit card systems) interact with the NFC hardware and software on iPhones versus Samsung devices.
• Transit System Compatibility: Transit systems themselves have varying levels of technological sophistication. Some might be better equipped to handle the nuances of different mobile payment implementations than others. This could lead to inconsistencies in how well Express Travel works across different transit networks.

Why Card Technology Still Matters (to some extent):

While the intention is for universal functionality, the reality is that different card technologies and standards exist. For example:

• Dedicated Transit Cards: These cards are specifically designed for transit use and often have their own proprietary technology. They tend to work most reliably with Express Travel/Transport Card.
• Contactless Credit/Debit Cards (EMV): These are the standard bank cards with contactless payment functionality. While they should work, their compatibility can be affected by the factors mentioned above (implementation differences, security protocols, etc.).

Foreign Cards and Transit Systems:

You're correct that whether a transit system accepts foreign cards is a separate issue. However, it can sometimes be conflated with the Express Travel/Transport Card problem. Even if a transit system technically accepts foreign cards, those cards might still face compatibility issues with the express payment feature on iPhones due to the reasons outlined earlier.

In Conclusion:

The discrepancy you've observed likely stems from a combination of factors, including differences in how Apple and Samsung have implemented the technology, varying security protocols, and the complexities of dealing with different card technologies and transit systems. While the goal is universal compatibility, the reality is that certain combinations of devices, cards, and transit systems may encounter issues.

It's important to remember that this is an evolving area, and both Apple and Samsung are likely working to improve the compatibility and reliability of their respective features.

 

[Fellowes]

To be fair, Singapore has it as well. It’s NETS. Just that NETS is neither here nor there

Nets is outdated and should just die off peaceful in the next few coming years yet the latest car OBU 2.0 only take in Nets and old school ez-link. SimplyGo EZ-link cards that are used for travel on public transport are incompatible with the OBU.

Sadly the Govt fk up the so called latest gen OBU 2.0 that cannot take in SIMPLY GO EZ-LINK, carpark gantry also cannot so sometimes fails to take in ez-link and nets only the super old school nets cashcard. Too many technologies trying to do the same thing and not simplified into 1 whole integrated system with 1 type of card that can do motoring, transport and payment. Our whole mode of payment is a mess what PAYNOW QR (but Google Pay despite support it sometimes cannot even scan PAYNOW QR) , one QR code so many different apps, some are FavePay QR only and some only DBS PayLah only. KNN.

When I go to China, very simple, no different companies trying to do the same thing, only either WeChat Pay or Alipay settled, just need 2 apps that all to do 90% of the things from booking and food ordering via mini-app to the main feature payment.

 

[twosix]

Nets is outdated and should just die off peaceful in the next few coming years yet the latest car OBU 2.0 only take in Nets and old school ez-link. SimplyGo EZ-link cards that are used for travel on public transport are incompatible with the OBU.

Sadly the Govt fk up the so called latest gen OBU 2.0 take cannot take in SIMPLY GO EZ-LINK, carpark gantry also cannot so sometimes fails to take in ez-link and nets only the super old school nets cashcard. Too many technologies trying to do the same thing and not simplified into 1 whole integrated system with 1 type of card that can do motoring, transport and payment. Our whole mode of payment is a mess what PAYNOW QR (but Google Pay despite support it sometimes cannot even scan PAYNOW QR) , one QR code so many different apps, some are FavePay QR only and some only DBS PayLah only. KNN.

When I go to China, very simple, no different companies trying to do the same thing, only either WeChat Pay or Alipay settled, just need 2 apps that all to do 90% of the things from booking and food ordering via mini-app to the main feature payment.

Govt wants to continue feeding the useless scholars imo. Nets should.just merge with ezlink or bye bye.

 

[xsoldix]

Nets is outdated and should just die off peaceful in the next few coming years yet the latest car OBU 2.0 only take in Nets and old school ez-link. SimplyGo EZ-link cards that are used for travel on public transport are incompatible with the OBU.

Sadly the Govt fk up the so called latest gen OBU 2.0 take cannot take in SIMPLY GO EZ-LINK, carpark gantry also cannot so sometimes fails to take in ez-link and nets only the super old school nets cashcard. Too many technologies trying to do the same thing and not simplified into 1 whole integrated system with 1 type of card that can do motoring, transport and payment. Our whole mode of payment is a mess what PAYNOW QR (but Google Pay despite support it sometimes cannot even scan PAYNOW QR) , one QR code so many different apps, some are FavePay QR only and some only DBS PayLah only. KNN.

When I go to China, very simple, no different companies trying to do the same thing, only either WeChat Pay or Alipay settled, just need 2 apps that all to do 90% of the things from booking and food ordering via mini-app to the main feature payment.

Many third parties or vendors want a piece of the same pie. But lack of direction from leaders/authorities (LTA).

 

[froztheart]

Nets is outdated and should just die off peaceful in the next few coming years yet the latest car OBU 2.0 only take in Nets and old school ez-link. SimplyGo EZ-link cards that are used for travel on public transport are incompatible with the OBU.

Sadly the Govt fk up the so called latest gen OBU 2.0 that cannot take in SIMPLY GO EZ-LINK, carpark gantry also cannot so sometimes fails to take in ez-link and nets only the super old school nets cashcard. Too many technologies trying to do the same thing and not simplified into 1 whole integrated system with 1 type of card that can do motoring, transport and payment. Our whole mode of payment is a mess what PAYNOW QR (but Google Pay despite support it sometimes cannot even scan PAYNOW QR) , one QR code so many different apps, some are FavePay QR only and some only DBS PayLah only. KNN.

When I go to China, very simple, no different companies trying to do the same thing, only either WeChat Pay or Alipay settled, just need 2 apps that all to do 90% of the things from booking and food ordering via mini-app to the main feature payment.

Nothing new nor surprising coming from our decorated and praised scholars. hehe

 

[tamago_]

https://udn.com/news/amp/story/7323/8489891

Taipei Metro expected to accept credit cards and other payment modes from October. But Express Transit won’t be supported.

If buses do not support, then the utility might be limited as users would not be able to make use of transfer rebates.

北捷近期部分票口閘門更新，北捷表示，未來除了能使用信用卡感應外，也能將已綁定的行動支付等刷卡進站，預計今年10月完成建置，待市府公告時間配合啟用。

近期部分北捷票口閘門更新，多出了方形的感應器。北捷說明，未來民眾可直接感應信用卡實體卡片，或使用已綁定信用卡的Apple Pay、Google Pay、Samsung Pay等國際3大行動支付感應進站。

另外，電子支付部分，則新增手機QR乘車碼搭車，邀商對象包含LINE Pay、街口支付、iPass MONEY、全支付、悠遊付、icash Pay、台灣Pay、台新Pay等。

 

[dean_h]

South Korea gets their Tmoney stored value card in Apple Wallet + Express Transit support as well.



Meanwhile, we are still sitting around waiting for Express Transit… What Smart Nation?

As explained last year, LTA needs to work with Apple to make this happen!

 

[tamago_]

https://atadistance.net/2025/07/22/apple-pay-tmoney-at-last-but-what-about-easycard/

As pointed out earlier, Apple Pay certification (the Apple Pay logo), means the card reader and payment terminal software supports Apple’s Enhanced Contactless Polling (ECP). ECP ensures that Wallet knows which card to present to the reader for a smooth transaction experience. Express Mode depends on ECP. Most NFC reader chips support ECP but I suspect the problem is scale. Transit agencies and stores have their own reader hardware replacement cycles so ECP support most likely is a slower rollout with lots of testing.

Which brings up to Taiwan’s EasyCard. Samsung Pay EasyCard has been around for some time now because Samsung Pay supports the hacked MIFARE Classic protocol that Apple Pay does not. Apple and EasyCard Corp can’t move forward until the EasyCard card base (along with iPass and iCash) has been migrated to MIFARE Plus or higher AND the NFC reader infrastructure has been updated to support ECP.

 

[twosix]

Hello, we can use cc or debit card. So no need tmoney?

 

[Fellowes]

Facilitating Global Visitors, Chengdu Becomes First City in Central and West China to Enable Contactless Subway Fare Payment via Foreign Bank Cards​

https://www.chinajob.com/city/detail.php?id=kfe2zD52aM6pEqzlrM&city_id=vqfCSR2glJ3NcmheQS

It’s a similar to Singapore, just tap bank card, of course need to enable foreign transaction setting first in our own bank app.

 

[tamago_]

Facilitating Global Visitors, Chengdu Becomes First City in Central and West China to Enable Contactless Subway Fare Payment via Foreign Bank Cards​

https://www.chinajob.com/city/detail.php?id=kfe2zD52aM6pEqzlrM&city_id=vqfCSR2glJ3NcmheQS

It’s a similar to Singapore, just tap bank card, of course need to enable foreign transaction setting first in our own bank app.

Nice. Beijing started this (contactless foreign bank cards) on 13 Sep 2024, followed by Shanghai on 28 June this year. Now Chengdu started on 28 July.

 

[Fellowes]

Nice. Beijing started this (contactless foreign bank cards) on 13 Sep 2024, followed by Shanghai on 28 June this year. Now Chengdu started on 28 July.

I think their subway system is manage by their different payment vendors, not national wide like us with LTA as an overall body for their subway, if not can rollout nationwide at a faster rate.

More countries should follow and allow debit/credit contactless payment for transport system be it local or foreign cards

 

[tamago_]