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DBS Bank (DBS) has released a series of Chinese New Year QR gift cards as an alternative to traditional red packets and new notes.
For the environmentally conscious people, cutting down on the use of new notes and red packets can reduce your carbon footprint this festive season if you are not aware yet.
Gift cards double up as red packets
According to the Monetary Authority of Singapore, a large proportion of the 100 million new notes produced annually for Chinese New Year are subsequently destroyed as it far exceeds normal circulation demand.
That's about 330 tonnes of carbon emissions generated each year, as reported in 2021.
If you can't shake the habit of giving physical red packets, the DBS QR gift card is an alternative to simply sending money digitally.
The gift cards double up as red packets, and are made of environmentally-friendly FSC-certified paper. In contrast, red packets, with the amount of ink and gold stamping involved, are not easy to recycle and often end up incinerated.
After use, these DBS gift cards can be conveniently recycled at recycling points available in DBS and POSB bank branches islandwide.
There are two Chinese New Year designs, and one generic design which is suitable for occasions such as weddings and birthdays.
Image by Kow Zi Shan.
Image by Kow Zi Shan.
How to use?
The gift cards are loaded using PayLah!, which can load up to 10 gift cards at once.
When loading the gift cards, you can customise them by writing a message for the recipient and choosing an animation.
Image by DBS.
The QR gift can be redeemed by scanning the QR code with PayLah! or PayNow.
Image by Kow Zi Shan.
Each QR gift card has a unique QR code and serial number for added security, according to DBS.
In the event when someone loses the card or the card goes missing, you can easily cancel the loaded funds via your PayLah! app too.
Amid Covid-19, many Singaporeans have also turned to sending these e-angpows to their loved ones over Chinese New Year as the bank saw a surge in the number of gift cards used in Chinese New Year 2021.
On the first two days of Chinese New Year 2021, DBS saw a record jump of 108 per cent in eGift transactions as compared to the same period in 2020.
Since Covid-19 rules are not going to change over this coming Chinese New Year, you can consider this method as a way to celebrate Chinese New Year from a safe distance.
Where to get these QR angpows for free?
The DBS QR gift cards will be available for free at these locations:
- DBS and POSB branches from now onwards
- Sheng Siong outlets from Jan. 17 onwards
Customers can also place their orders online for the DBS QR gift cards to be delivered to your address, free of charge, from now until Jan. 16.
Each pack contains eight QR gift cards, and each person can collect up to five packs.
More information on the DBS website.
This article was made possible with the support of DBS Bank.
Through this partnership, we hope to inspire more people to take small but important steps towards a sustainable lifestyle, and raise awareness of purpose-driven businesses and individuals that are leading the way in driving positive change.
Discover more about DBS Bank’s sustainability initiatives here.
Top images by Kow Zi Shan.