Do you fumble through your pockets looking for notes and coins whenever you need to top up your fare card?

Fumble no more because in our bid to become a Smart Nation, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and TransitLink will finally be phasing out cash top-up services at train stations, starting with 11 stations on September 1.

[related_story]

The 11 stations are: Admiralty, Bedok, Bukit Panjang, Buona Vista, Farrer Park, HarbourFront, Hougang, Lakeside, Pasir Ris, Serangoon and Yew Tee.

Only the Passenger Service Centres (PSC) at these 11 stations will phase out the cash top-up services on September 1. Commuters can still top up their fare cards with cash at the General Ticketing Machines (GTM) at these stations.

Top-up services are also available at 7-Eleven and Cheers outlets.

[related_story]

But how to top up my card?

Here are two ways you can travel as a Smart(er) commuter:

1. Account-based ticketing: Simply put, your credit/debit card is your fare card. All fares are charged to your credit/debit card, which means you never have to top up your fare card. Currently, this is being piloted with Mastercard cards.
2. Top up using bank cards: Top up using credit/NETs cards/mobile payment (Apple/Android Pay).

Here are some equally interesting but totally unrelated stories:

5 types of NDP-goers you’ll see on public transport

NS last time vs NS now, explained in GIFs

Top image via SGtrains.com

[related_story]