Give the Public Transport Council/LTA credit - they make sure to break the news way in advance so that when the hikes kick in, what's new?
While there's really not much poor commuters can do to prevent the fare increases, you can make sure you get the most savings from your transport expenses. Here's how you can do it:
- Go ahead and apply for a HSBC Revolution card - or get a family member to do so. Why? Because you get 7% cash rebates for all your purchases on your Ezlink card
- Make sure you sign up for EZ-reload (select $50 top-up value) - it saves you the hassle of having to top-up your Ezlink card (& time)
- ***Make sure you spend $300 on the card every billing cycle*** - Otherwise, you get no rebate for the quarter. This however is not difficult, especially if you link multiple Ezlink cards of your family members to the same credit card
Tip1: Wherever you can use the Ezlink card to make purchases, use it (e.g. Cold Storage/Giant etc.) to enjoy the 7% rebate as well
Tip2: Other than rebates for your Ezlink spend, the Revolution card also gives rebates for budget airlines, online shopping, coffee and dining (see the table below)
As the saying goes:
It's Not How Much You Make - It's How Much You Save
So save away~
| Merchants | Rebate amount |
| www.tigerairways.com | 5% rebate |
| www.airasia.com | 5% rebate |
| www.jetstar.com | 5% rebate |
| www.flyscoot.com | 5% rebate |
| Ezlink Re-load | 7% rebate |
| Coffee joints Coffee Club Spinelli Starbucks The Coffee Bean and TeaLeaf The Connoisseur Concerto(TCC) | 10% rebate |
| Dining at Robertson quay and Clarke quay Click here for full listing | 10% rebate |
| Dining at Dempsey Hill and Rochester Park (Valid from 1 October 2013 to 30 June 2014) Click here for full listing | 10% rebate (Valid from 1 October 2013 to 30 June 2014) |
| Online shopping (Valid from 1 October 2013 to 30 June 2014) Agoda.com Sistic.com Zuji.com Apple.com Comgateway.com Vpost.com | 10% rebate (Valid from 1 October 2013 to 30 June 2014) |
