ERP gantry fees are a common pet peeve for every Singaporean driver. It’s no surprise that Singaporean drivers will have a cashcard in their IUs at most times to pay these ERP fees.
Besides the usual cashcard, there are six other methods of paying for your ERP fees and this can be split into: i) a stored-value card inserted into your IU or ii) a backend payment service
We explain what these methods are and how to acquire or register for them.
#i A Stored-Value Card Inserted Into Your IU
With a stored value card in your IU, the card inserted will have ERP payments immediately deducted from the card. You will need to make sure that your card has sufficient value. If you do not have enough money in your stored-value card, you will incur an ERP violation and will have to pay a fine.
#1 NETS CashCard
The only card that can both pay for ERP Fares and all car park charges, the NETS CashCard is the most well-known and familiar payment method for ERP charges among Singaporeans.
| Nets CashCard | |
| Price | $10, inclusive of $5 of stored value |
| Other Uses | The only card with access to all carparks in Singapore |
| Where to purchase | 7-Eleven Cheers FairPrice Xpress Vicom outlets Star Mart at all Caltex Petrol Stations NETS Customer Service Centre |
| Where to top up | NETS Top-Up Machines NETS Self-Service Stations Any DBS/POSB, OCBC or UOB ATM 7-Eleven* Cheers* FairPrice Xpress* *a service fee may be chargeable at these convenience stores |
| Validity Period | 5 Years from date of card encoding. |
| Refund Period | You are entitled to a full refund within two years after the validity period. If the CashCard has expired for more than two calendar years after the validity period, NETS will levy a service charge of $1 a month from the stored value until fully depleted or the 72nd calendar month (6 calendar years) |
#2 EZ-Link CEPAS Card
The standard card every Singaporean resident has for access to public transport, the EZ-Link card can also be used for ERP charges.
| EZ-Link CEPAS Card | |
| Price | $12 inclusive of $7 of stored value at TransitLink Ticket Offices, Concession Card Replacement Offices and Passenger Service Centres $10 inclusive of $5 of stored value at 7-Eleven |
| Other Uses | All public buses, MRT and LRT services SMRT and TransCab taxis Other taxis and private buses Food & Beverage outlets Shopping & Retail outlets Leisure & Entertainment outlets Government Services Community Clubs CEPAS acceptable carpark charges Self-Services like Vending Machines, photocopying and photo printing services. |
| Where to purchase | TransitLink Ticket offices and Concession Card Replacement Offices located at MRT stations and bus interchanges, Passenger Service Centres within most MRT Stations 7-Eleven stores, including those found at Shell petrol kiosks. Vending Machines (Located at Bugis Junction, Bishan Junction 8 and Westgate) – price varies across products |
| Where to top up | General Ticketing Machines at bus interchanges and train stations TransitLink Add Value Machines at selected venues TransitLink Ticket Offices 7-Eleven Convenience Stores DBS/POSB and OCBC ATMs AXS Stations Top-up machines at PA Community Clubs and Water Venture Outlet Selected Carparks with EZ-Link card payments |
| Validity Period | 5 Years |
| Refund Period | Anytime, With Expiring EZ-Link Cards having an option to be traded in for a new EZ-Link card for $3 |
#3 NETS FlashPay Card
A card also using CEPAS technology and therefore can be used on public transport, the NETS FlashPay card combines utility with convenience.
| NETS FlashPay Card | |
| Price | Each card is sold at $10 (inclusive of $5 stored value) at convenience stores and other outlets. The cost of the card is $5 and is non-refundable. |
| Other Uses | All public buses, MRT and LRT services Comfort & CityCab and SMRT taxis Food courts, convenience stores, supermarkets and selected hawker centres CEPAS acceptable car park charges Participating merchants of the Retailer Stored Value Programme (RSVP) |
| Where to purchase | NETS Customer Service Centres NETS FlashPay Online Stores TransitLink Ticket Offices 7-Eleven stores Buzz Pods Cheers FairPrice Xpress Vicom Star Mart at all Caltex Petrol Stations Travelex Moneychangers at Changi Airport UOB Moneychangers at Changi Airport Your debit/credit card may also come with a NETS FlashPay wallet, which you can activate and load. |
| Where to top up | NETS Self Service Stations NETS Top Up Machines NETS FlashPay Reader App* NETS Customer Service Centre Add Value Machine Plus (AVM+) General Ticketing Machines (GTMs) Local bank ATMs (DBS/POSB, OCBC and UOB) 7-Eleven stores Buzz Pods Cheers* FairPrice Xpress* TransitLink Ticket Office* *additional service fees may be chargeable |
| Validity Period | 5 Years |
| Refund Period | You are entitled to a full refund within two years after the validity period. If the CashCard has expired for more than two calendar years after the validity period, NETS will levy a service charge of $1 a month from the stored value until fully depleted or the 72nd calendar month (6 calendar years) |
#ii Backend Payment Services
You also have the option of using these backend payment services to connect your Credit/Debit cards to your IU, so that you will not need to make sure that your stored-value card has enough cash.
These work by connecting your IU to your credit cards or an e-wallet, and charging your card when you pass by an ERP entry only when you do not have a stored-value card in your IU. Your card will also be charged if there is insufficient money in the stored-value card in your IU.
However, do note that these three services may have different fees as well as different pre-authorisation or earmark amounts. This means that there will be set amounts of money earmarked from your account and displayed as charges, but any unused earmarked amounts will be returned to you after a set period.
#4 MotorPay
A backend payment service set up between DBS and LTA, MotorPay enables customers to pay ERP charges with their credit cards. Do note that you will need to sign up for a Telemoney or DBS ME Account before signing up for MotorPay
| MotorPay | |
| Credit/Debit Cards accepted | VISA/Mastercard Only *take note that your debit card will need to allow online payment services. Visa Election and MasterCard Electronic cards are also not accepted |
| Fees | Monthly Subscription Fee: $1.07 per month per vehicle |
| Earmarks/Pre-Authorisation amounts | Currently, $50 earmarked every Sunday. Release of the earmarked amount will be done every 7-14 days, depending on issuing bank. If 80% of the earmarked amount ($40) is used anytime during the week, there will be additional earmarking of $50 |
| Amount of Vehicles that can be registered | Up to two vehicles per Telemoney account |
#5 Virtual CashCard (vCashCard)
A service by NETS and LTA, the vCashCard is an e-wallet enabling customers to pay for their ERP charges.
| vCashCard | |
| Credit/Debit Cards accepted | All Locally Issued VISA/MasterCard only |
| Fees | $0.50 (GST Inclusive top-up fee for each vCashCard top-up You will only be able to top up $50 per transaction After the first top-up, the vCashCard will automatically be topped up when the amount in your vCashCard falls below $10 |
| Earmarks/Pre-Authorisation amounts | A $1 pre-authorisation amount when adding a vehicle into a vCashCard account |
| Amount of Vehicles that can be registered | Up to three vehicles per 1 vCashCard |
#6 EZ-Pay
A post-paid cardless payment service by EZ-Link, EZ-Pay users can pay for both ERP charges and charges at selected carparks.
| EZ-Pay | |
| Credit/Debit Cards accepted | VISA/MasterCard Credit or Debit Cards issued by Citibank and DBS only. |
| Fees | No subscription or service fees |
| Earmarks/Pre-Authorisation amounts | A $50 pre-authorisation amount. All unutilised pre-authorisation amounts will be released back into your account after the holding period, subjected to the issuing bank. If 50% of the earmarked amount ($25) is used anytime during the week, there will be additional earmarking of $50 |
| Amount of Vehicles that can be registered | Up to three vehicles per 1 vCashCard |
Common ERP Violations
You will incur an ERP Violation if you:
- Have insufficient value in your stored-value card and no registered backend payment service
- Have a defective IU
- Have an expired or improperly inserted stored-value card.
Once incurred, you will need to pay the ERP charge + an additional $10 admin fee. However, you can save $2 by paying for your violation through
- Motoring
- AXS stations,
- SAM kiosks,
- iNETS kiosks
- Electronic banking facilities such as ATMs, Mobile and internet banking
You will receive a notification of your violation within a few days after the violation and must pay the fine in 2 weeks. If you do not, you will be charged with a $70 fine and a Notice of Traffic Offence. If you do not pay after 28 days, your offence will be referred to court.
Which Card Should You Use?
If you are primarily concerned with paying for your ERP charges, you may want to consider using backend payment services (e.g. MotorPay, vCashCard or Ez-Pay).
If you want a single card that can pay all your ERP and car park charges, the ubiquitous NETS CashCard is still your best option. You just have to remember to keep your NETS CashCard topped up.
