Going cashless in Johor Bahru, and Malaysia in general, is straightforward and easy.
And no, I’m not referring to a credit card or a special multi-currency travel wallet.
Instead, I’m referring to the NETS bank card.
Over 41,000 places that accepts NETS
Most of us probably own a NETS bank card and carry it in our wallets.
The good news is that this little card is accepted at over 41,000 NETS merchants in Malaysia. This includes Johor Bahru, of course, which is just a short commute away.
Paying with NETS means that you can skip the money changer and potentially never have to carry around and sort through a thick wad of Malaysian ringgit again.
And what’s more, the conversion rate is comparable with brick and mortar money changers.
Competitive exchange rate with no conversion and admin charges
Unlike conventional credit cards, there are no conversion, admin, and hidden fees when you use NETS to pay at all of the above mentioned locations,
Additionally, you can expect a competitive conversion rate that is comparable to what you will find at money changers when you pay with NETS.
This rate will be automatically reflected on your NETS receipt after you perform a payment, where you will be charged in Singapore dollars after conversion.
Now that you know what to expect, here are some shortlisted NETS merchants from food to shopping to groceries to check out on your next visit across the border.
Food: The Five
The Five is a health driven homely eatery that is just a 30 or so minutes drive away from Second Link at Tuas.
Image by 新山生活誌 / JB City Guide from The Five 五色餐/Facebook.
Image by 新山生活誌 / JB City Guide from The Five 五色餐/Facebook.
Its Chinese name 五色餐 translates to meal consisting five colours, and as the name suggests, each plate comes in a plethora of colours.
Image by 新山生活誌 / JB City Guide from The Five 五色餐/Facebook.
Beyond being aesthetically pleasing on the eyes, the variety of different coloured food is also nourishing for the body.
This is because there is a good mix of fruits, vegetables and proteins on the plate, of which each is loaded with unique and essential vitamins and nutrients.
Image by 新山生活誌 / JB City Guide from The Five 五色餐/Facebook.
Image from The Five 五色餐/Facebook.
Prices start from RM9.90 for an egg sandwich, and go up to RM30.90 for a salmon fried brown rice set.
The good news is that The Five has a promotion from now to Dec. 31, 2022, where you can enjoy 10 per cent off with a minimum spend of RM50 in a single receipt when you pay with NETS.
Opening hours: 11am to 9pm
Address: 56 Jalan Eko Botani 3/6 Taman Eko Botani 79100 Gelang Patah, Johor, Malaysia
Food: Tasixi Hong Kong Dim Sum
As its name suggests, Tasixi Hong Kong Dim Sum serves up dim sum.
Image from 大四喜香港点心楼 eco botanic/Facebook.
It is around a 30 minutes drive away from Second Link at Tuas, but you might want to go earlier as it appears to be a popular brunch spot with the locals.
Image from 大四喜香港点心楼/Facebook.
Like all other dim sum eateries, you can expect to see the usual suspects such as char siew bao, siew mai, chee cheong fun, har gao and salted egg yolk buns at Tasixi Hong Kong Dim Sum.
They also serve other sweet and savoury Chinese teahouse snacks.
Image from 大四喜香港点心楼/Facebook.
Image from 大四喜香港点心楼/Facebook.
While there isn’t a menu online, a pork and century egg congee costs RM4, while a tray of soup dumplings costs RM9.80, based on a recent receipt uploaded onto Facebook.
This is similar to the prices in Singapore, except it is three times cheaper because it is in ringgit.
Image from 大四喜香港点心楼/Facebook.
What’s more, NETS users will get 10 per cent off with a minimum spend of RM80 in a single receipt when they pay with NETS at Tasixi Hong Kong Dim Sum from now to Dec. 31, 2022.
Opening hours: 9am to 10pm
Address: 58, Jalan Eko Botani 3/2, 79100 Gelang Patah, Johor, Malaysia
Food: Manzanita Patisserie & Boulangerie
Manzanita Patisserie & Boulangerie is another brunch option within the vicinity of Eco Botanic City in Johor Bahru, which is around a 30 minutes drive away from Second Link at Tuas.
Image from JB City Guide website.
Image from Manzanita 蔓月堂烘焙本铺/Facebook.
Image from Manzanita 蔓月堂烘焙本铺/Facebook.
The bakery specialises in all kinds of Western baked goodies and sweet treats, perfect for afternoon tea, and those with a sweet tooth.
These can be enjoyed with freshly made coffee and tea, or juices, smoothies and other caffeine-free options.
Image from Manzanita 蔓月堂烘焙本铺/Facebook.
Image from JB City Guide website.
They also have afternoon high tea platter options, which includes a mix of small savoury and sweet bites, but at a fraction of the price after converting from the 1:3 exchange rate.
Image from Manzanita 蔓月堂烘焙本铺/Facebook.
Besides these, Manzanita also serves full-sized mains for those who prefer a heartier meal.
Options include Western dishes, such as breakfast, pizza, pasta, et cetera, and also local dishes like nasi lemak, mee goreng and chicken rice.
Image from Manzanita 蔓月堂烘焙本铺/Facebook.
Image from Manzanita 蔓月堂烘焙本铺/Facebook.
Image from Manzanita 蔓月堂烘焙本铺/Facebook.
To make the visit to Manzanita a little sweeter, pay with NETS to enjoy 10 per cent off when you spend a minimum of RM80 in a single receipt from now to Dec. 31, 2022.
Opening hours: 10am to 10pm
Address: 1, Jalan Eko Botani 3/4, Taman Eko Botani, 79100 Iskandar Puteri, Johor Bahru.
Food: LeeCha
LeeCha is conveniently located within the vicinity of the previous two places if you’re looking for something refreshing to wash down all the grub, or to round off your meal with a sweet, but healthy, beverage.
Image by Evelyn Won from 立茶 LeeCha Malaysia/Facebook.
The dessert and beverage store concocts many of their drinks using healthy ingredients, such as fruits and vegetables, and is more than just a bubble tea shop.Other nutritious ingredients include soya bean milk, chia seeds and pine nuts.
Mango Pomelo Snowy drink. Image from 立茶 LeeCha Malaysia/Facebook.
Very Grape Cheeso drink. Image from 立茶 LeeCha Malaysia/Facebook.
For those who are feeling a little more adventurous, they can give LeeCha’s fruit coffee a shot, which is perhaps the most unique offering on their menu.
The store also serves milk tea, for those who prefer to stick to the classics, and a small selection of hot beverages, fruit beer, and fruit-based dessert bowls.
Image from 立茶 LeeCha Malaysia/Facebook.
For those feeling peckish, they even offer light bites from the standard french fries for RM7.90 to something a little more unique like the pizza chicken chop for RM13.90.
Pizza chicken chop. Image from 立茶 LeeCha Malaysia/Facebook.
Night owls should keep LeeCha bookmarked as the store opens till 1am, which makes it a great gathering spot.
Prices start affordably from RM9.90 and go up to a maximum of RM16.90 but NETS users get 10 per cent off with a minimum spend of RM25 in a single receipt when they pay with NETS at LeeCha from now to Dec. 31, 2022.
Address: 42 Jalan Eko Botani 3/3 Taman Eko Botani 79100 Gelang Patah, Johor, Malaysia
Operating Hours: 11:30am to 1am
Shopping: Johor Bahru City Square
If you’ve been to Johor Bahru from Woodlands Checkpoint, Johor Bahru City Square needs no introduction.
This is because the shopping mall is located right across from the customs at Sultan Iskandar Building.
Image from Savills website.
If you want to go to Johor Bahru yet don’t want to travel far, the good news is that you can just spend the day in Johor Bahru City Square, which possibly has everything that you might need.
The shopping mall has seven levels of shops, ranging from food and beverage outlets, to beauty and wellness services, and to retail fashion outlets.
One place to check out is Jean Yip Hub, which is located on the fourth level at City Square.
Most Singaporeans should have heard of Jean Yip, which is a homegrown hair salon brand.
Image from Johor Bahru City Square website.
With the 1:3 exchange rate, Jean Yip will no doubt be relatively more accessible and affordable in Malaysia than in Singapore.
Those visiting Johor Bahru for a day trip should consider stopping by Jean Yip at City Square, or any of the other shops in the shopping mall, many of which accept NETS payment.
Opening hours: 10am to 10pm
Address: 106 - 108, Jalan Wong Ah Fook, 80000 Johor Bahru, Johor
Shopping: Paradigm Mall, Johor Bahru
Paradigm Mall is yet another hotspot for Singaporeans visiting Johor Bahru.
It’s easy to see why the largest mall in Johor Bahru attracts so many Singaporeans as it has an extensive shop directory boasting 500 shops.
This pretty much means that it’s a one-stop shop, where there is something for everyone from the young to the young at heart.
Image by Chongkian from Wikemedia Commons.
Unlike Johor Bahru City Square, some travelling is required to get to Paradigm Mall, which is around a 30 minutes drive away from Woodlands Checkpoint.
But the journey there is well worth it as Paradigm Mall has a climbing gym, a premium supermarket and a skating rink all under its gigantic roof.
Image from Camp5 Indoor Climbing Paradigm/Facebook.
Image from Camp5 Indoor Climbing Paradigm/Facebook.
Image by Jun Hong Kang from Google Maps.
Image by Paul Liew from Google Maps.
While you’re at Paradigm Mall, you should definitely consider popping by Daiso.
If you’re not already aware, offerings at Daiso in Singapore are no longer S$2. Thankfully, however, this is not the case at Daiso in Malaysia, where items are still S$2, or more specifically, S$1.90 after conversion.
Image by HorLeong Loh from Google Maps.
With NETS, you never have to worry about running out of cash again so you can shop till your heart’s content at Daiso in Paradigm Mall.
Opening hours: 10am to 10pm
Address: Paradigm Mall Johor Bahru, Paradigm Mall, Lot 3FK-12J, third floor, Jalan Bertingkat Skudai, 81200, Johor, Malaysia
How to use NETS in Johor Bahru and Malaysia
If you’d like to use NETS on your next visit to Johor Bahru or Malaysia, all you have to do is keep a lookout for merchants with the NETS decal displayed on their shopfront.
Image screenshot from NETS website.
Example of NETS bank cards accepted in Malaysia. Image screenshot from NETS website.
Image by Tsiuwen Yeo.
Note that there is no minimum spend for NETS payments in Malaysia, nor is there a need to enable your NETS bank card for overseas usage.
The PIN authentication process ensures that your funds and NETS payments are safe and secure, making for a fuss-free shopping experience.
With NETS, you’ll also never have to worry about running out of Malaysian ringgit to spend while you’re in Malaysia again.
Happy shopping!
The author of this sponsored article by NETS looks forward to going cashless and paying with NETS in Johor Bahru.
Top image by 新山生活誌 / JB City Guide from The Five 五色餐/Facebook, HorLeong Loh from Google Maps and Michelle Chew