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 Motoring Card
The NETS Motoring Card is the next-generation version of the commonly used NETS CashCard that can be used to pay for all your car parks and ERP charges. The new Motoring card is compatible with both the current dual-mode in-vehicle unit (IU) and the future on-board unit (OBU) that is meant for the next generation ERP system.
| Nets Motoring Card | |
| Price | $10, inclusive of $5 of stored value |
| Other Uses | The only card that allows you to pay at 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 NETS App via Google Play Store or Apple App Store Auto Top-Up Service |
| 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 | Sold at TransitLink Ticket Offices, Concession Card Replacement Offices, Passenger Service Centres and 7-Eleven stores for $10, inclusive of $5 of stored value |
| 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 Convenience stores like 7-Eleven, Buzz, and Cheers outlets Official EZ-Link e-commerce platforms on Shopee and Lazada Vending Machines (Located at Bugis Junction, Bishan Junction 8 and Westgate) – price varies across products |
| Where to top up | 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 | Get immediate refunds on your valid non-expired EZ-Link cards at any of the 42 TransitLink Ticket Offices and 6 Concession Card Replacement Offices located at MRT stations and bus interchanges |
#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 $12 (inclusive of $7 stored value) at convenience stores and other outlets. Alternatively, you can also purchase the card online. The cost of the card is $5 and is non-refundable. |
| Other Uses | Pay for 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 Convenience Store like 7-Eleven stores, Buzz Pods, Cheers, FairPrice Xpress 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 App via Google Play Store or Apple App Store NETS Self Service Stations NETS Top Up Machines 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 | 7 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 on 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 Virtual CashCard (vCashCard)
vCashCard is a cardless service that is jointly provided by NETS and LTA to enable customers to pay their ERP charges using their Credit/Debit cards.
| 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 *The top-up fee is waived for DBS/POSB/UOB Cards (Visa/Mastercard) until further notice |
| 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 one vCashCard account |
#5 EZ-Pay
EZ-Pay is an EZ-Link post-paid cardless payment service. Users of EZ-Pay can pay for both ERP costs and parking fees at selected car parks.
| 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 one EZ-Link Motoring Service Account |
Common ERP Violations
You will be penalised for 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 notified of the offence, you will need to pay the ERP charge + an additional $10 admin fee. However, you can save $2 off the admin fee by paying for your violation through the following channels:
- One Motoring
- AXS stations/AXS e-stations/AXS m-Station,
- SAM kiosks/Singpost Mobile App/Online
- Electronic banking facilities such as ATMs, Mobile and internet banking
If you do not, pay the fine within two weeks, you may be charged with a $70 fine and a Notice of Traffic Offence. If you continue to not pay after 28 days, your offence will be referred to the 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. vCashCard or Ez-Pay).
If you want a single card that can pay all your ERP and car park charges, the ubiquitous NETS Motoring Card is still your best option. You just have to remember to keep your NETS Motoring Card with sufficient store value.
This article was first published on 12 September 2020 and has been updated with the latest information.
Listen to our podcast, where we have in-depth discussions on finance topics that matter to you.
