Apple Pay Express Transit Mode Now Works in Singapore (For Train Rides)

Over the weekend, chatter across online forums pointed to Apple Pay Express Transit Mode quietly working in Singapore. This has been a feature Apple users have been able to use in a few other cities, but not in Singapore… until now.

What is Express Transit Mode?

Apple users have been able to pay for bus and train rides in Singapore with their Apple Watch or iPhone for a few years now, but we have had to double press the power button to bring up Apple Pay. On iPhone, it also meant needing to authenticate via Touch ID or Face ID which is additional friction.

With Express Mode, users just need to tap their devices against the card reader without needing to tap any button. It’s such a first-world problem to solve, but it does remove quite a bit of inconvenience when commuting.

Another advantage is that an iPhone that ran out of battery would still be usable for such payments for up to 5 hours after the battery has run out.

Works on MRT and LRT gantries, but it’s currently not working on buses

At the present moment, it should work on most (if not all) MRT and LRT gantries, but the card readers on buses do not currently support this. You will still need to continue double pressing your Apple Watch or iPhone button for bus rides.

To be fair, LTA hasn’t officially announced this feature. But the fact that it works on MRT/LRT gantries presumably means that bus support is in the works.

Regardless, getting train support is already half the battle won for those who have been emailing LTA over the years requesting for this feature. I emailed them sometime in June 2022 and got this reply back then:

How to set up

For iPhone:

• Go to Settings app
• Tap Wallet & Apple Pay
• Tap Express Transit Card
• Select your desired card

For Apple Watch:

• Go to Apple Watch app
• Tap Wallet & Apple Pay
• Tap Express Transit Card
• Select your desired card

Best cards to use for bus and MRT rides

Maximise your miles and cashback by using the right card for your bus and MRT rides:

Make sure to use the same device when tapping in or out!

Regardless whether you are using Apple Pay Express Mode, make sure to use the same device when you tap in or out train and bus rides.

Even if you charge the ride to the same card, using different devices can cause a double charge because each device uses a unique digital payment token even if they are linked to the same card. You would then have to submit a fare refund request through the SimplyGo app.

Known vulnerability with Visa cards and Express Mode

While I do not believe this to be a major issue, news outlets have reported a vulnerability that allows hackers to charge large amounts to iPhones without password or biometric authentication if they have physical access to the phone.

This is limited to iPhones using Visa cards as the Express Transit Card. Should you be worried about this, use a non-Visa card as your Express Transit Card instead. If using a Visa card as your Express Transit Card, consider imposing a limit to each transaction if this is something you are able to set.

Personally, I wouldn’t worry about this. Visa has mentioned that this is unlikely to happen in real-world environments, and in the unlikely event this does happen, cardholders are able to get refunds from Visa.

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H/T: hardwarezone and reddit

Seth Wee was a licensed financial adviser representative from 2009 to 2025, with over 16 years of experience in Singapore’s financial advisory industry.

He started Sethisfy.com in 2019 to share practical insights on credit cards, banking products, and miles strategies, helping readers identify financial products that deliver the best value. Seth has been featured in CNA, Channel 8, Today, and a host of other publications. In 2025, he was also part of a panel at CPF’s Ready For Life festival.

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