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You pay for the Singapore MRT by tapping a contactless bank card, a phone wallet, a SimplyGo EZ-Link card or a Singapore Tourist Pass on the reader at the station gate. There is no cash payment at the gates and no paper tickets, so the first thing to check before you travel to pay for the Singapore MRT is which of these four options you will use. Most visitors simply tap the same contactless Visa, Mastercard or American Express card they use for shopping, and the fare is charged to that card later.
Ways to pay for the MRT at a glance
The four options below all work at MRT and LRT gates and on buses. The table shows what each one costs to get, what you pay per trip and who it suits best.
| Payment method | Cost to get | Fare you pay | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contactless bank card (American Express, Mastercard, NETS, Visa) | Nothing to buy. Foreign Mastercard and Visa cards pay a S$0.60 admin fee per day of travel. | Regular adult distance fare | Most visitors who already have a contactless card |
| Phone wallet (Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay, Fitbit Pay, Garmin Pay) | Nothing to buy. The same S$0.60 daily fee applies if the card inside is a foreign Mastercard or Visa. | Regular adult distance fare | Visitors who prefer to pay with a phone or watch |
| SimplyGo EZ-Link card | S$10 (S$5 card cost plus S$5 travel value) | Regular adult distance fare | Longer stays and travellers without a contactless card |
| Singapore Tourist Pass | S$17 for 1 day up to S$45 for 5 days | Unlimited rides on MRT, LRT and basic bus services | Visitors making many trips every day |
Getting around Singapore? Find any station on the interactive MRT map, or save the PDF map to use offline.
Contactless bank cards and phone wallets
American Express, Mastercard, NETS and Visa cards with the contactless symbol are accepted at MRT and LRT gates and on buses. This includes cards issued outside Singapore. You do not need to register the card before your first trip. Just hold it flat on the reader when you enter and again when you leave.
Maestro and Cirrus debit cards are not accepted, so check the logos on your card before you rely on it.
The accepted mobile wallets are Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay, Fitbit Pay and Garmin Pay. Apple Pay Express Transit mode is not available, so you need to unlock or authenticate your iPhone or Apple Watch as you would for a normal payment before you tap. Doing this a few steps before you reach the gate keeps the queue moving.
Always tap in and tap out with the same card or the same device. A physical card and the same card stored in your phone wallet count as two different cards. If you tap in with your phone and out with the plastic card, the system sees two incomplete trips.
Fares on bank cards are not charged trip by trip. They are added up and billed later:
- Visa, American Express and NETS: billed daily.
- Mastercard: billed every five days or once fares reach S$15, whichever comes first.
The charges appear on your statement as BUS/MRT. If you want to see each trip and its fare, add your card to a SimplyGo account in the SimplyGo app. It shows your journeys from the last 180 days.
Bank cards are charged regular adult fares. Concession fares and concession passes do not apply to bank cards.
Using a foreign card as a tourist
Foreign-issued Mastercard and Visa cards pay a Foreign Bank Card Admin Fee of S$0.60 per day of use. It is charged once for each day you travel, not for each trip, so taking six trips in one day still costs only one S$0.60 fee. Your own bank may also add its own foreign transaction fee, so it is worth checking your card’s terms before you fly.
For a short visit this fee is small, and it saves you from buying and topping up a separate card. If you plan to travel on many days, add the daily fee to your sums when you compare options.
SimplyGo EZ-Link card
The SimplyGo EZ-Link card is a stored value card. You load money onto it and each fare is deducted from the balance. It costs S$10, made up of a S$5 card cost that is not refundable and S$5 of travel value.
Where to buy it:
- SimplyGo Ticket Offices at MRT stations and bus interchanges
- 7-Eleven, Buzz and Cheers shops
- SimplyGo vending machines
- Some retail outlets, such as Changi Recommends
Minimum balance: the card needs at least S$5 on it before you can start a trip. If your balance drops below that, top up before you tap in.
Topping up: at the machines, the minimum top up is S$2 in cash or S$10 by NETS, credit or debit card. Foreign bank cards are not accepted at the top up kiosks, so visitors usually top up with cash. You can also top up with cash at station ticket offices.
Refunds: unused travel value can be refunded at a SimplyGo Ticket Office before you leave Singapore. The S$5 card cost is not refunded.
EZ-Link cards are charged the same regular adult fares as bank cards. The main reason to choose one is to avoid the foreign card fee or because you do not have a contactless card that works.
Singapore Tourist Pass
The Singapore Tourist Pass gives unlimited rides on the MRT, LRT and basic bus services for a fixed number of days. There is no deposit, and the pass is non-returnable and non-refundable.
| Pass | Price |
|---|---|
| 1 day | S$17 |
| 2 days | S$24 |
| 3 days | S$29 |
| 4 days | S$37 |
| 5 days | S$45 |
A few rules to know before you buy:
- The days must be consecutive.
- Each day runs from your first use until the end of that day’s train and bus service. It is not a 24 hour period, so starting late in the evening uses up a whole day. Check the MRT operating hours to see when service ends.
- It is not valid on the Sentosa Express, express buses, or premium and niche bus services.
- After it expires, it works as a normal EZ-Link card that you can top up and keep using.
You can buy the pass at SimplyGo Ticket Offices at selected MRT stations, including Changi Airport Terminal 2, Bugis, Chinatown, City Hall, HarbourFront, Orchard and Raffles Place. There are also Tourist Pass kiosks at Changi Airport Terminal 2 and 3, Bugis, HarbourFront and Orchard stations.
Is the Tourist Pass worth it?
Adult card fares start at S$1.28 for a short trip and reach S$2.57 for the longest trips. A 1 day pass at S$17 would need more than 13 short trips, or about 7 of the longest trips, in one day to pay for itself. The 3 day pass at S$29 works out at under S$10 a day, which still means many rides each day.
Remember that changing between trains and buses within the transfer rules counts as one journey and one fare, so a day with several changes may cost less than you expect on a card. Most visitors will pay less by tapping a bank card or EZ-Link card, even after adding the S$0.60 daily fee for a foreign card. The pass makes sense if you plan to move around the city all day and like knowing your transport cost in advance. For a fuller breakdown, see our Tourist Pass vs EZ-Link comparison.
Which way to pay should you choose?
Not sure which station is closest to your hotel? The nearest MRT station finder shows it in one tap.
A short stopover: use your contactless bank card or phone wallet. There is nothing to buy, nothing to refund and, at most, a S$0.60 fee for each day you travel with a foreign Mastercard or Visa.
A 3 to 5 day holiday with many trips: a contactless card is still the simplest choice. Consider a Tourist Pass only if you expect to take a lot of rides every day, and compare the pass price with your likely fares first. The interactive MRT map helps you plan routes so you can estimate how many trips you will make.
A long stay: a SimplyGo EZ-Link card avoids paying the foreign card fee on every day you travel. Top it up with cash at station machines or ticket offices.
Travellers without a contactless card: buy a SimplyGo EZ-Link card or a Tourist Pass. If your card is a Maestro or Cirrus debit card, this is the option for you, as those cards are not accepted at the gates.
Cash and paper tickets
You cannot pay with cash at the MRT gates, and there are no paper tickets. The sale of standard (single trip) tickets was phased out from 1 January 2022.
Cash is still useful in one way. You can use it at station ticketing machines and ticket offices to top up a stored value card such as an EZ-Link card. If you prefer to use cash, buy an EZ-Link card and keep its balance topped up.
How much you pay and transfer rules
MRT fares are based on distance. Adult card fares, in force since 27 December 2025, range from S$1.28 for trips up to 3.2 km to S$2.57 for trips over 40.2 km. These fares apply to bank cards, phone wallets and EZ-Link cards alike. Check exact prices between any two stations with our MRT fare table and station to station fare calculator.
Early travel: tap in at an MRT or LRT station before 7.45am on a weekday that is not a public holiday and your fare is S$0.50 lower.
Fare rise: from 26 December 2026, adult card fares go up by S$0.12 for trips up to 3.2 km and by S$0.13 for longer trips. That takes the shortest trip to S$1.40 and the longest to S$2.70.
Transfers: when you change between trains and buses, your trip counts as one journey with one distance fare if:
- you tap in again within 45 minutes of tapping out,
- you make no more than 5 transfers, and
- the whole journey is completed within 2 hours.
Not tapping out: if you forget to tap out, the system cannot work out where your trip ended. You are charged a higher fare for that incomplete trip.
Tips at the gantry
- Tap in and tap out with the same card or the same device. Your phone wallet and the physical card count as different cards.
- Take your chosen card out of your wallet or phone case before tapping. With several contactless cards together, the reader may charge the wrong one or fail to read any of them.
- Keep your phone charged if you pay with it. You need it to tap out at the end of your trip.
- Unlock or authenticate your phone before you reach the gate, as Apple Pay Express Transit is not available.
- Check the screen on the gate after you tap. It confirms that your card has been read before you walk through.
Frequently asked questions
Can I pay cash for the MRT in Singapore?
Not at the gates. There are no paper tickets, and single trip tickets were phased out from 1 January 2022. You can use cash to top up an EZ-Link card at station ticketing machines and ticket offices, then tap that card.
Does Apple Pay work on the Singapore MRT?
Yes. Apple Pay works at MRT and LRT gates and on buses, as do Google Pay, Samsung Pay, Fitbit Pay and Garmin Pay. Express Transit mode is not available, so unlock or authenticate your device before you tap.
Do tourists need an EZ-Link card?
No. If you have a contactless American Express, Mastercard, NETS or Visa card, including one issued outside Singapore, you can tap it at the gate with no registration. An EZ-Link card is useful if you do not have a suitable card or want to avoid the foreign card fee.
Is there a fee for foreign cards on the MRT?
Foreign-issued Mastercard and Visa cards pay a Foreign Bank Card Admin Fee of S$0.60 per day of use, charged once per day you travel rather than per trip. Your own bank may add its own foreign transaction fee.
What happens if I forget to tap out?
The system cannot work out your trip, so you are charged a higher fare for that incomplete trip. Always tap out with the same card or device you used to tap in.
Can I use the same card for buses?
Yes. Contactless bank cards, phone wallets, EZ-Link cards and the Tourist Pass all work on buses. Changes between trains and buses count as one journey if you tap in again within 45 minutes, with up to 5 transfers and the whole journey within 2 hours. The Tourist Pass covers basic bus services only.