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Long queues and crowds snaked through a number of Kopitiam outlets in Singapore as cardholders wanted to get their full cash refunds from the stored value of their cards.

This was despite a refund period of four months, from Mar. 1 to Jun. 30, 2023, set aside for cardholders.

Cardholders can also opt to transfer the remaining stored value on their cards to the FairPrice app as Linkpoints.

The refund can be redeemed at 15 outlets across Singapore.

This comes after FairPrice Group announced the end of physical Kopitiam cards from Jun. 30 onwards.

Long queues and 20-minute wait time

Even before the cash refund booths opened at 12pm, there was already a queue forming at VivoCity’s Kopitiam on Mar. 1.

There were staff on stand-by who directed any interested customer to the kiosk machine to help customers convert their physical card stored value into LinkPoints.

One middle-aged man in the queue could be seen holding four Kopitiam cards.

Another customer in line shared that she was there to help her mother get a refund.

While there was a priority queue meant for the elderly, the booth for that queue was not open at that time.

One customer had three cards and was also helping his family get refunds.

He said he felt it was too troublesome to convert all the stored value in the physical card to LinkPoints.

He said that while he does have the FairPrice app, he does not use it, and with other adequate alternative payment methods like cash and PayNow and PayLah, he preferred to get a full cash refund on the physical cards.

He also shared that he waited for 20 minutes before he got his refund, and it was “still okay [as] a lot of people were coming and it is the first day”.

A young woman, who only wanted to be known as Min J, said she and her colleagues do not really use the card and would not use the app. Hence they opted for the full cash refund.

Min J shared that she had about S$8 to S$15 in her Kopitiam card.

At Compass One, a crowd could still be seen at Kopitiam with customers trying to get refunds and convert their points after 8pm.

Refund at Lau Pa Sat ranged from S$50 to S$0.70

At Lau Pa Sat, one staff shared that they saw quite a large crowd from 12pm to 2pm queuing to get their refunds.

While customers are strongly recommended to convert their stored value into LinkPoints, a number did not seem to want to transition to the FairPrice app.

Even though the app will grant users 10 per cent off their meals at Kopitiam outlets, many would still prefer other methods of payment.

The biggest refund the staff saw at Lau Pa Sat was over S$50, while the smallest amount was about S$0.70.

One customer had about S$37 refunded to her in small change as the cash booth did not have enough notes.

The staff at Lau Pa Sat also shared that they are expecting large crowds during the first couple of weeks, with weekends being busier.

FairPrice to fine tune how staff members guide customers

In response to Mothership's queries, Pauline Png, Head of Customer Experience and Marketing (Food services) for the FairPrice Group, said that extra manpower was deployed to "high traffic Kopitiam outlets" to assist customers, especially seniors, to download and set up FairPrice app.

Customers who saw the benefits in using the app were happy to convert their stored value to Linkpoints.

"Over the next few days, especially as we get more on-the-ground feedback from our customers, we will be looking to fine tune the guidance that our digital buddies can provide," Png said.

Png also observed that the more tech savvy seniors helped other seniors at the outlets in this transition.

"We will continue serving our customers and thank everyone, especially our brave aunties and uncles for their faith in us and their willingness to progress in their digital journey!" she added.

15 outlets with refund stations

The cash refund booths can be found at the following Kopitiam outlets:

• Northpoint
• Cantine Causeway Point
• Compass One
• Hougang One
• Hillion Mall
• Yew Tee Square
• Vivocity
• Lau Pa Sat
• Tampines One
• Tampines Mall
• Paya Lebar Quarter
• IMM
• Jurong Point
• V Hotel
• Plaza Singapura

Refund booths are open on weekdays from 12pm to 8pm, and on weekends from 10am to 8pm.

Photos by Hannah Martens