KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 18 ― Singapore’s EZ-Link and Malaysia’s Touch ‘n Go launched new dual-currency contactless card. It will allow users to store both Singapore dollars (SGD) and Malaysian Ringgit (RM) in two electronic purses on the same card.
The announcement was made on the first day of the implementation of the Reciprocal Green Lane (RGL) and Periodic Commuting Arrangement (PCA) at the Singapore-Malaysia border. The RGL enables short-term cross-border travel for essential business and official purposes between both countries, whereas the PCA allows Singapore and Malaysia residents who hold valid work passes to enter both countries for work.
“The EZ-Link x Touch ’n Go Motoring Card offers motorists the convenience and flexibility of payment options in both countries. With the RGL established between Singapore and Malaysia and now in operation, motorists can look forward to a gradual and phased resumption of cross-border travel between the two countries,” said EZ-Link.
The card be used like a regular Touch ‘n Go card, like to pay highway tolls, parking fees, MRT and bus fares, as well as some retail outlets. The card can also be used in Singapore for Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) payments, checkpoint toll charges and parking fees. However, it is not for public transport and retail usage there.
The card hosts two electronic purses — an EZ-Link purse in Singapore Dollars and a Touch ‘n Go purse in Malaysian Ringgit (MYR). The fund between the two purses are not inter-changable or transferrable.
Currently, there’s no place to purchase the dual-currency card in Malaysia. But if you’re in Singapore, it currently costs S$7 (RM21) through Lazada Singapore. It will subsequently cost S$10 (inclusive of S$3 load value in the EZ-Link purse) during the full launch in September 2020.
According to Lazada Singapore listing, it cannot be used for payment for Vehicle Entry Permit (VEP) fees for foreign (like Malaysian) vehicles entering into Singapore. This means that it is more useful for Singaporeans than for Malaysians.
While the EZ-Link site provides us with lots of information about the dual-currency card, the Touch ‘n Go site doesn’t mention it at all as the card on Lazada Singapore is issued by EZ-Link. So if you’d like to purchase the Touch ‘n Go x EZ-Link card you’d have to get it through Lazada’s Singapore store, or at selected 7-Eleven outlets in September. ― SoyaCincau
