Reward for going cashless: LinkPoints for every $2 spent and chance to win LinkPoints at
monthly lucky draws
Greater convenience to top-up EZ-Link with loose change at Cheers stores
Singapore, 1 February 2018 – NTUC Social Enterprises and EZ-Link announced today two partnerships to make cashless transactions attractive and fuss-free in support of the Government’s call for a cashless system.
NTUC Secretary-General Chan Chun Sing who is also Minister in Prime Minister’s Office, said, “Cashless systems will become more commonplace. We know that some people may have reservations, but cashless transactions can be easy, convenient and quick. As such, we hope that this partnership between NTUC Social Enterprises and EZ-Link will not only generate greater
awareness about the benefits, but enable more people to enjoy a seamless experience when going cashless and making purchases.”
NTUC Link-EZ-Link partnership rewards cashless payment
EZ-Link1 holders who also have Plus! cards (issued by NTUC Link) can link the two to start earning LinkPoints at more than 30,000 acceptance points in Singapore2, including hawker centres. The LinkPoints can be redeemed for rewards or offset purchases at Plus! partner outlets3. This tie-up will also be progressively rolled out to concession cards for senior citizens. Information on linking the cards is in Annex A.
This partnership aims to incentivise more people to go cashless. Cashless payment is daunting for people not used to payment via credit cards or stored value cards. Yet, even the most resistant of people have been going cashless with the use of EZ-Link for public transportation for years. By making this group of people aware that they can simply tap their EZ-Link to pay for items at participating merchants, and by rewarding them with LinkPoints when they do so, EZ-Link and NTUC Link are helping people to overcome the psychological barrier to cashless payment.
To encourage people to come on board as soon as possible, every transaction made with EZ-Link, from now till July 2018 will give Plus! cardholders a chance to win LinkPoints at the monthly lucky draws. The draw is open to all EZ-Link holders with CAN number (the unique 16-digit card ID) starting with 1000. At the grand draw in July, one lucky winner stands to win 5 million LinkPoints valued at more than $30,000.
NTUC Link CEO Sandeep Bhalla said, “NTUC Link through it’s Plus! programme is excited to partner with EZ-Link to give customers more value back for their daily commute. Further through this collaboration we will promote a cashless ecosystem for Singapore by enabling customers to get LinkPoints when using their EZ-Link card to pay for purchases. The points can then be redeemed at over 140 partners on the Plus! programme.
EZ-Link CEO Nicholas Lee said, “EZ-Link has enabled Singaporeans to integrate cashless payments into their daily routines since introducing EZ-Link as a payment mode on public transport 16 years ago. We are continuously looking to provide greater convenience for our cardholders and we are excited to collaborate with NTUC Link on rewarding our users with every tap and with Cheers, a robust cashless ecosystem that will further strengthen the push for a cashless society. This is also the first time whereby EZ-Link and Plus! members are able to enjoy an integrated experience on a single digital app, to access rewards from both accounts.”
Cheers-EZ-Link partnership gives greater convenience to customers
In the second quarter of this year, customers at Cheers, the convenience arm of NTUC FairPrice, can also top-up their EZ-Link directly with the change that they receive from their purchases when they pay with cash. This gives customers more options to top-up their EZ-Link with ease and will reduce the need for cashiers to handle cash while speeding up transaction time, making it more convenient for staff as well. Details in Annex B.
Mr Seah Kian Peng, CEO, NTUC FairPrice said of the partnership: “NTUC FairPrice embraces innovation in our operations and in the services we offer. We leverage on technology to serve our customers better by enhancing the shopping experience and providing greater convenience at our Cheers stores. This partnership with EZ-Link is another step towards realising the national initiative to promote a cashless society while optimising business operations to boost
productivity.”
About NTUC Social Enterprises
NTUC Social Enterprises is a group of social enterprises set up to serve the interests of union members and the broader interest of the Singapore community. We aspire to provide a suite of integrated services to meet the needs of people at every stage of their life cycle. We do this by addressing their major concerns, namely, cost of living, ageing, health, and the fear of being left behind. Together, we serve about 2 million customers annually. The NTUC Social Enterprises, namely, NTUC FairPrice, NTUC Income, NTUC First Campus, NTUC Health, NTUC Foodfare, NTUC LearningHub, NTUC Link, and
Mercatus, are overseen by the holding co-operative, NTUC Enterprise.
About EZ-Link Pte Ltd
EZ-Link’s core business is in the sale, distribution and management of ez-link cards, as well as the clearing and settlement of all ez-link card transactions generated in transit and non-transit (retail/merchant) sectors. To date, more than 17 million new CEPAS-compliant ez-link cards have been issued. In 2015, EZLink unveiled EZ-Charms, its first non-card form factor. EZ-Link continues to set new cashless trends with the “My EZ-Link Mobile” application, the world’s first Near Field Communication (NFC) mobile application for contactless card top-ups; “EZ-Link NFC SIM”, the first NFC payment service on Singapore’s public transit; and “EZ-Pay”, Singapore’s first free card-less ERP payment service. In December 2017, EZ-Link
launched the new EZ-Link app to enable users to access EZ-Link’s functionalities and services with ease.
About NTUC Link
NTUC Link Private Limited (‘Link’) was incorporated in 1998 with the key focus on improving the lives of its members by stretching their spending dollar on their everyday expenses. The Plus! Rewards Programme (“Plus!”) is widely recognized as Singapore’s largest and most successful multi-partner loyalty programme. NTUC Link is also part of the Group of Social Enterprises, which has businesses in groceries (NTUC FairPrice), insurance (NTUC Income), cooked food (NTUC Foodfare), healthcare (NTUC Health and Unity), education for children and adults (NTUC First Campus and NTUC LearningHub) and
malls (Mercatus). Through this unique relationship, the Group (including NTUC Link) can work to nudge the behaviour and lifestyle habits of Singaporeans towards better social outcomes.
For more information on NTUC Link, visit http://www.plus.com.sg.
About Cheers
Cheers, a home grown 24-hour convenience store, caters to a diverse group of customers from different walks of life including the young and trendy, students, and working professionals who lead active and busy lifestyles. Officially launched in 1998, Cheers has since expanded to over 150 outlets of which over 20 are FairPrice Xpress, situated across Singapore at convenient locations and Esso Petrol stations.
An advocate of staying active and empowering youth, Cheers has supported various initiatives such as rallying support from the community for Singapore’s bid to host the 2010 Youth Olympic and supporting aspiring young women in achieving their goals in the Netball Super League. Cheers also does good for the community by mobilising staff volunteers to participate in various community activities such as charity car washes and shopping trips.
For more information on Cheers, please visit www.cheers.com.sg.
Annex A
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Annex B
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