Commuters in Singapore can start using their Visa bank cards to pay for public transport rides from June 6, 2019.

This follows the recent Mastercard payment roll-out by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) as part of its SimplyGo contactless card payment system.

Contactless bank card payment is convenient for commuters because the fare is charged directly to the user's credit or debit card, just like any other retail transaction.

There is no need to top up an extra card (like an EZ-Link card) to pay for public transport and there is no extra fee for using your bank cards.

This mode of contactless payment also extends to all NFC-enabled devices that use digital wallet platforms like Apple Pay, Fitbit Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay that are linked to Mastercard or Visa bank cards.

To use SimplyGo using your bank cards, you have to register for an account on the SimplyGo portal.

Cardholders who have EZ-Link/NETS FlashPay functionality built into their Mastercard or Visa contactless bank cards will need to visit a General Ticketing Machine (GTM) at any MRT or LRT station to switch their cards’ payment mode to Bank Card.

You can also see your fare transactions and travel history on the SimplyGo app (available on the App Store and the Google Play).

LTA advises you to take out your bank card to tap in so as to avoid card clash.

Card clash might result in getting charges on multiple cards or failure to detect the proper card.

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