Spending money in Singapore — one of the world's most cashless cities

Singapore is one of the world's most cashless cities — a genuine achievement given that hawker centres, the cultural heart of Singaporean food culture, have largely adopted card and QR payment. For travellers, this is excellent news: a zero-forex card and almost no cash is all you need.

How cashless Singapore has become

Singapore's government pushed hard for cashless adoption — PayNow (QR-based bank transfer) is ubiquitous among locals, and merchants adopted it widely. The MRT and bus network accepts contactless Visa/Mastercard directly at fare gates. 7-Elevens, Fairprice supermarkets, hawker centres, taxis, Grab, food courts, and most restaurants now accept card or QR. This is one of the few destinations where you can genuinely go multiple days without cash.

Hawker centres: the exception that isn't

Singapore's hawker centres (Maxwell Road, Lau Pa Sat, Newton Food Centre, Old Airport Road) are the best eating experience in the city. Historically cash-only, they've rapidly adopted NETS (local debit network), PayNow QR, and increasingly Visa/Mastercard contactless. As a foreign visitor without a Singapore NETS card, look for the Visa/Mastercard contactless symbol or a QR code at each stall. Some older hawker stalls are still cash-only — having S$20–30 in cash covers this.

MRT, buses, and getting around

Singapore's MRT (Mass Rapid Transit) and buses accept contactless Visa and Mastercard directly at fare gates — just tap your card. The fare is calculated and charged automatically. There's no need to buy an EZ-Link travel card unless you want one for convenience. Grab is the primary ride-hailing service and is card-friendly in-app. Taxis accept card at the end of the ride. Transport in Singapore is excellent value and entirely card-compatible.

ATMs and cash in Singapore

DBS, OCBC, and UOB ATMs are widespread and accept foreign Visa/Mastercard. Most charge no foreign transaction fee or a minimal S$2–3. Changi Airport has ATMs in every terminal. The main use case for cash in Singapore is: paying at cash-only hawker stalls (increasingly rare), some local provision shops in residential areas, and tips (optional in Singapore — not customary). S$50–100 in cash is more than sufficient for a week.

Best cards for Singapore

Any zero-forex card works well. The SGD is a liquid, stable currency with minimal spread between mid-market and Mastercard/Visa rates. Starling, Wise, Monzo, and Revolut all deliver excellent rates. The MRT tap-to-pay with your Starling or Wise card is seamless. Changi Airport's money changers are actually among the best in Asia for rates — if you need SGD cash, get it at the Changi money changer, not a home-country airport.

Key takeaways