Wallet Apps For Hawkers and Dining

Now that you know what cards are great for dining, it’s time for us to talk about wallet apps that further add on to our rewards when we eat out.

GrabPay

Most should know by now Grab has severely reduced the rewards given for GrabPay and GrabPay Mastercard. Instead of a surefire 6 points per dollar which is equivalent to 1.2% in rebate, paying via GrabPay QR now gives you only a random chance at winning up to 25,000 GrabRewards points.

Update: You can only get mystery boxes with GrabPay-only QR codes (green border; does not have other wallet app logos) and only if your transaction is at least S$3. This makes GrabPay almost useless for hawker transactions since most hawkers accept Grab through the unified QR code which accepts multiple wallets.

Nevertheless, GrabPay is still relevant for two reasons. Firstly, amongst the wallet apps, Grab probably has the largest number of retail stores and eating places that accept GrabPay as a payment method. In fact, it is often the sole cashless option at many shops, leaving you little choice if you want to get at least some rewards.

Secondly, random prizes may be lame, but they’re kinda okay for small purchases since you have a chance to roll high on the mystery boxes. I got 8 points for a $1 purchase once, and 35 points for a $3.50 transaction earlier today. That’s slightly higher than the old 6 points per dollar earn rate, and while it’s entirely up to luck, you can skew this to your favour by only placing small transactions on it.

LiquidPay

Update: LiquidPay has been replaced by XNAP

If you see an SGQR code with many logos underneath the QR code (see video), you are able to use LiquidPay for your payment. LiquidPay is a lesser-known app to consumers, but from what I know, their payment network powers many popular QR payments we know and use on a daily basis.

In any case, their app allows you to pay hawkers where these SGQR codes are found and charge the payment to your favourite credit card. The MCC for such payments at hawker centres is 5814, and that unlocks rewards for many dining cards. Payments put through the app also coded as online, and should get you rewards for cards giving higher earn rates on online transactions.

There is currently no referral programme, unfortunately, but good things must share.

Seasonal promos

Nestia has been offering promotions for hawker transactions at least twice over the past year now, discounting each transaction by 50 cents. Given the relatively low transaction size of each payment you tend to make at hawker centres and coffeeshops, 50 cents can represent a very good cashback rate.

The promo has since ended, so you should subscribe to the Telegram to be notified the next time such a promotion returns.

American Express has also been giving $1 rebates on Amex Pay transactions, and the most common place you’d find accepting Amex Pay would be the same SGQR code with many logos. You need to opt in the offer by using your Amex app, and the current promo at the time of writing ends 30th November 2022. It seems that not everyone gets this promo, but if you’re lucky, you can get it on more than one card if you have multiple Amex cards.

Update: DBS PayLah! has S$3 off each Friday until 2024

Shopback

Shopback is not one of the logos under the SGQR code found at hawker centres, but the company has been hard at work. Their payment method is popping up across food courts and coffeeshops, and whenever I see one of the QR codes they are usually the best payment option. Not only does Shopback allow you to use your credit card like LiquidPay, it also gives you additional cashback for your subsequent visits to the same stall.

Shopback preserves the MCC of the place you are eating at, and hence a hawker centre transaction would count as 5814 as well as online for your credit card.

Kris+

I doubt we’d ever see Kris+ at hawker centres, but plenty of eateries and F&B outlets accept it, so it’s not just restaurants where you’d find the app accepted. Kris+ is perhaps the most generous of wallet apps right now, giving not just good earn rates, but also generous promos from time to time.

It’s also the only game in town if you want to earn extra miles instead of cashback, and just like Shopback and LiquidPay, Kris+ transactions count as online, and it preserves the underlying MCC of the place you are paying at.

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