SINGAPORE – Users of the DBS PayLah app will be able to get up to $3 cashback at participating heartland shops, wet markets and hawker stalls every Saturday from Aug 1 to Dec 31, as part of a new Support Our Heartlands initiative by POSB.
The first 75,000 people who use the app on Saturdays for their purchases at more than 22,000 heartland merchants will receive the cashback.
Participating shops and stalls will display a POSB Support Our Heartland Shops wobbler – a round tag attached to a strip – and hawker stalls that are SGQR code-enabled will put up a PayLah Scan to Pay sticker.
Additionally, those shopping at Sheng Siong supermarkets can get $3 off when they buy eggs or rice, if they use their POSB debit or credit cards. This is capped at the first 50,000 redemptions for each item per month, and is valid for purchases on any day of the week.
The initiative was announced at a community event at Teck Whye Shopping Centre on July 27 by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong.
In a speech at the event, he said the Government understands Singaporeans’ concerns with the cost of living, and has rolled out many schemes to help alleviate cost pressures.
Since June 25, every Singaporean household has been able to claim $300 in CDC vouchers for spending at participating hawkers and heartland merchants as well as supermarkets. Along with the $500 worth of CDC vouchers given out in January, this means that each Singaporean household will get a total of $800 in 2024.
“The Government will continue to closely monitor the situation, and we will roll out additional programmes as and when necessary,” said Mr Gan, who added that the Government’s efforts alone are not enough.
He cited the example of working with DBS and POSB as a way to help residents cope with the cost-of-living issue. “As a society, we must come together – the Government, the people sector, as well as the private sector – to look out for one another,” he added.
“Those among us who are more able must reach out to those who are more vulnerable. This way, working together, we can nurture a more inclusive and caring society, and a better home for all of us.”
The Support Our Heartlands initiative expands on DBS’ 5 Million Hawker Meals scheme, where up to 100,000 users could get cashback of up to $3 if they used the PayLah app to pay for their meals on Fridays at more than 11,600 hawker stalls. The scheme, launched in February 2023, ended on July 26, 2024.
Over its course, it subsidised about eight million hawker meals, said POSB, which is part of the DBS Group, on July 27.
POSB noted that today, more than 70 per cent of scanned payments made via PayLah are for food and groceries from heartland shops and hawker stalls.
Among those who have used PayLah to redeem the hawker meal subsidies, 33 per cent were seniors and/or those earning less than $2,500 a month. Participating hawkers saw their weekly earnings increase by more than 15 per cent, said POSB.
DBS Singapore country head Han Kwee Juan said: “With this new cashback and discounts package, we hope to help Singaporeans and residents save more on their everyday spending, while also encouraging patronage of heartland businesses that are the cornerstone of Singapore’s culture and heritage.
“By incentivising spending at local merchants, we aim to stimulate economic activity at the grassroots level, strengthen community support for small local businesses, and enhance the vitality of our neighbourhoods.”
Over the five-month period of the new initiative, POSB will roll out 10 roadshows to boost anti-scam awareness and financial planning literacy among seniors, families and young children.
