There’s now an American Express card that you can use to pay for your train and bus rides in Singapore, along with your meals, gadgets and other items that a typical Amex card can pay for.
The pre-paid card, called the Imagine Card, comes with the same contactless technology that is on existing ez-link cards that commuters use to tap and pay at train stations and on buses.
At the same time, it can be used anywhere that American Express is accepted.
While such pre-paid cards are more common, say, in the United States, brands such as American Express have mainly been seen as credit card issuers in Singapore. They are not used as frequently for transit payment, as they are for online purchases, for example.
The Imagine Card, unveiled yesterday, promises the convenience of paying for a wide range of items. It also works for drivers, who can pay road toll with it, if they have new in-vehicle units that support the Singapore system known as CEPAS (Contactless E-purse Application).
Commuters who own the card can buy a “season pass” to travel more cheaply on trains here, said EZ-Link yesterday. The rates are close to student concession rates, according to the company behind most of the prepaid cards used for transit in the country.
To get the card, you can apply for it online or buy it over the counter at TransitLink ticket offices in MRT stations. To add value, you can top it up online or at AXS stations islandwide.
