You can now change for 7 currencies with automated machines at 5 S’pore MRT stations

We are now in the fourth quarter of the year – in other words, travel season.

Visiting new locations can be fun, but one pain point about travelling is the need to exchange money at the right time, to catch the best rates.

So if Malaysia, Taiwan, South Korea, Indonesia, Japan, Vietnam or Thailand are on your list of travel destinations, here’s some good news.

Local remittance and money exchange company Transend has rolled out automated money exchange machines across MRT stations in Singapore, so you can now skip the queues ahead of your trip.

Think of an ATM machine, but for foreign currencies.

In light of my upcoming trip to Thailand, I decided to test out one of the machines located at Bedok MRT station to withdraw some Thai Baht. Here’s how it works:

First, I entered my desired baht sum to check out the exchange rate, which was S$1 to 25.71 baht; a rate comparable to those of the money changers found on CashChanger.

After inputting the amount for a thousand baht, a QR code was generated to be scanned with my PayNow app.

Voila.

The entire process took less than two minutes — it’s certified convenient.

Five MRT stations, seven currencies

Currently, the machines have been deployed at four stations: Bedok MRT station, Serangoon MRT station, Punggol MRT station and Woodlands North station,  home to the Singapore terminal of the upcoming Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link.

From end November onwards, you will also be able to find a kiosk at Harbourfront MRT — the closest stop to catch your ferry into Batam, Indonesia.

As they are located within MRT stations, each kiosk operates in line with Singapore’s public transport hours, typically from 5:30am to 12am.

Up to seven currencies from favourite travel hotspots can be bought at the kiosks:

• Malaysian Ringgit,
• New Taiwan Dollar,
• South Korean Won,
• Indonesian Rupiah,
• Japanese Yen,
• Vietnamese Dong and
• Thai Baht.

To make things even more convenient, payment at the machine can be made via PayNow or cash.

Making travel convenient again, one machine at a time.

This branded article by Transend made this writer want to plan for that next getaway to JB.