S'pore man, 40, complains about Tampines bakery not accepting cash, stall says it's for hygiene & efficiency

A 40-year-old man who recently visited a bakery in Tampines Mall complained after cash payment was allegedly refused, and he found it inconvenient to pay with his bank card.

Shin Min Daily News reported that cashless payment was implemented for hygiene and efficiency,  according to a bakery employee.

Buy bread on Sunday evening

Speaking to Shin Min, the customer, Du (transliterated), said the incident occurred at a bakery in Tampines Mall on the evening of Apr. 5, 2026.

"I bought a loaf of bread which cost a few dollars," said Du, adding that cash payment was reportedly not accepted at the counter.

Du, who paid by card, claimed there was no explanation for this, nor did he see any notice on the counter stating that cash was not accepted.

Since cash is also a payment method, Du questioned why it was refused at the counter.

Used to paying with cash

Du pointed out that though more people are gradually using electronic payment methods, there are still members of the public who are used to paying with cash.

He said this is especially for "senior citizens, who are used to using cash, and some don't even have bank cards", and felt that refusing cash could cause inconvenience for everyone.

Upon visiting the bakery, Shin Min found that there was a sign saying "we are cashless".

Hygiene, efficiency

This comes after new regulations were implemented at the end of 2025 to generally only accept "non-cash payments", a manager told Shin Min.

"When we're at the counter, we need to put the bread into bags, and it's not very hygienic to handle cash by hand," the manager said, adding that "switching to non-cash payments is more efficient at checkout".

The manager also said that some customers did express dissatisfaction, but could generally still pay with bank cards or credit cards.

Top photos via Shin Min Daily News