Singaporean households can now redeem $300 CDC vouchers
SINGAPORE – Every Singaporean household can now claim $300 in CDC vouchers for its daily expenses.
The vouchers can be claimed online at go.gov.sg/cdcv, and will be split equally for spending at participating hawkers and heartland merchants, and supermarkets.
The last tranche of CDC vouchers worth $500 was launched by then Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on Jan 3, 2024. It provided households with $200 more help than the previous tranche in 2023.
The $500 given out in January, together with the $300 in June, means that each Singaporean household will get a total of $800 in 2024. This is the first time two tranches of CDC vouchers have been given out in the same calendar year.
Prime Minister Wong, who is also Finance Minister, announced at Budget 2024 in February that Singaporeans will get a mix of cash, vouchers and rebates under a $1.9 billion boost to the Assurance Package to help with cost-of-living concerns and an uncertain economic outlook.
Among the enhancements were an additional $600 in CDC vouchers – the first $300 to be disbursed in end-June in 2024, and the remaining $300 in January 2025.Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong, who is also Minister for Trade and Industry, launched the latest tranche of CDC vouchers at West Coast Community Centre on June 25. With him were National Development Minister Desmond Lee, who is also Minister-in-charge of Social Services Integration and an MP for West Coast GRC, as well as the five mayors.
DPM Gan said the total support provided in the Assurance Package is more than $10 billion. All in all, each household would have received $1,300 worth of CDC vouchers to date.
He added that about 1.3 million households have claimed the CDC vouchers disbursed in January 2024.
Of the claimed vouchers, more than $500 million has been spent at participating heartland merchants, hawkers and supermarkets. On the whole, Singaporean households have used more than $1 billion of CDC vouchers across the four tranches.
“The CDC vouchers scheme is a testament to the Government’s commitment to help Singaporeans address cost-of-living concerns,” said DPM Gan. “I want to assure Singaporeans that the Government understands your concerns and stands ready to support you when necessary.”
The CDC vouchers scheme was first introduced in June 2020 during the Covd-19 pandemic to help lower-income households defray their daily expenses, while supporting local merchants and hawkers affected by the pandemic. It was expanded to all households in December 2021 to thank Singaporeans for their solidarity during the pandemic, and to support heartland businesses as they emerged from it.
Even after the pandemic, as inflation continued to stay high as a result of persistent supply chain constraints and the war in Ukraine, many Singaporeans continued to be concerned about their daily expenses and the impact of rising prices, DPM Gan said, explaining why the Government decided to continue with the scheme and enhance the level of support given.
In a separate video posted online, PM Wong added: “With external conflicts and supply chain disruptions, countries everywhere are facing higher prices. We cannot control these external events, but we will do everything we can to help Singaporeans cope with higher cost-of-living pressures and get through this today.”
Besides the CDC vouchers, the Government is also providing assistance in various ways, DPM Gan said.
In July, eligible Singaporean households will receive U-Save and service and conservancy charge (S&CC) rebates to help offset utility bills and the S&CC. They will also get these rebates in October 2024, and again in January 2025. Singaporeans can also look forward to receiving the Budget 2024 Cost-of-Living Special Payment in September.
“Today, we live in a very uncertain and volatile world. As a small and open economy, Singapore will naturally be affected by global developments,” DPM Gan said. “But I am confident that as long as we stay united, we can overcome any challenges and succeed and emerge stronger together.”
The current fifth tranche of the vouchers has approximately 23,000 participating hawkers and heartland merchants on board. Participating hawkers and heartland merchants may benefit from a total possible spend of about $194 million in June’s CDC vouchers by households.
In addition, there are eight participating supermarkets comprising 415 outlets islandwide. They are Ang Mo Supermarket, Cold Storage, Giant Singapore, HAO Mart, FairPrice, Prime Supermarket, Sheng Siong and U Stars Supermarket. Residents can also search for participating hawkers, heartland merchants and supermarkets near them at go.gov.sg/cdcvouchers.
Since January 2024, Singaporean households have used more than $273 million of CDC vouchers for supermarket purchases, said Mayors’ Committee chairwoman Low Yen Ling.
“We want to onboard more hawkers and heartland merchants on the CDC vouchers scheme to help them attract more customers and grow their clientele base,” said Ms Low, who is Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry. “With more shops on the scheme, Singaporeans will enjoy greater options to reduce expenses using their CDC vouchers.”
Ms Low, who is also Mayor of South West District, said more than 1.27 million Singaporean households, or 97 per cent of the total number of Singaporean households, have claimed their vouchers.
Out of the $511 million spent, 47 per cent, or $238 million, was spent at participating hawkers and heartland merchants. Of this, $140 million was spent on food and beverage (F&B), $28 million at minimarts and provision shops, and $69 million on other trades and services.
Some 86 per cent of the claimed vouchers thus far for 2024 have been spent on F&B and groceries. This shows that the vouchers have achieved the policy intent of supporting Singaporeans in defraying their household expenses, Ms Low said.
Madam Maria Puteri, 48, said her January vouchers were used up within a week on groceries after they were launched.
The mother of five also owns two heartland hawker stalls participating in the CDC vouchers scheme – a fried chicken stall in a Marsiling coffee shop, and a newly launched ayam penyet stall in a Woodlands foodcourt.
“The scheme has helped both my household and my business,” she said. “For my Marsiling stall, I see $500 to $800 more sales monthly due to the vouchers.”
How to claim your CDC vouchers
From June 25, Singaporean households will receive a notification letter via mail on how to claim and spend their $300 CDC vouchers for June 2024. This process remains similar to previous tranches where only one household member is required to visit go.gov.sg/cdcv and log in with the person’s Singpass to claim the digital vouchers on behalf of the household.
Upon claiming, the applicant will receive an SMS with a unique voucher link from “RedeemSG” (before July 1) or “gov.sg” (from July 1 onwards) to the applicant’s registered mobile number, which can then be shared with other household members. The SMS links for January 2024’s CDC vouchers and June 2024’s CDC vouchers are different, and both sets of vouchers are valid until Dec 31, 2024.
Participating hawkers and heartland merchants can be identified by the teal CDC voucher decal, while participating supermarkets can be identified by the yellow CDC voucher decal. Alternatively, residents can also find the list of participating businesses near them at go.gov.sg/cdcvouchers.
Those facing difficulties with the digital claiming process can get help at community centres or clubs (CCs) and SG Digital Community Hubs. For the first two weeks after the launch, the Community Development Councils will be engaging close to 240 youth and student volunteers, who will be stationed at selected CCs, together with CDC ambassadors, to help Singaporeans with the claiming process. From June 25 to July 8, SG Digital Office ambassadors and about 50 Silver Infocomm Wellness Ambassadors will also be deployed at CCs to provide assistance for residents who need help to claim their digital vouchers.
Claiming the CDC vouchers does not require any involvement with bank applications or transactions. Those who detect any suspicious messages relating to RedeemSG or gov.sg, or CDC vouchers, can contact the People’s Association on 6225-5322, or submit the information online at www.police.gov.sg/i-witness or call 1800-2550-000 to make a police report.
To help Singaporeans stretch their dollar, FairPrice Group will distribute $4 in FairPrice return vouchers for every $50 worth of CDC vouchers spent in a single transaction at any FairPrice store till July 1, 2024.
The return vouchers will be valid for use the day after they are issued until July 31, 2024. There is no minimum spend requirement, and multiple vouchers will be permitted for use in a single transaction.
From June 25 to 30, Cold Storage, CS Fresh and Jasons Deli stores will give an $8 return voucher for a minimum spend of $80 worth of CDC vouchers. Those who spend a minimum of $60 worth of CDC vouchers in a single receipt can get a $6 return voucher at Giant outlets from June 25 to 30. The vouchers can only be redeemed the day after the date of issuance and must be used by July 16, 2024, with no minimum spend.
More information on June’s CDC voucher scheme is available at https://vouchers.cdc.gov.sg/
Fang, C. S. (2024b, June 25). Singaporean households can now redeem $300 CDC vouchers. The Straits Times. https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/s-porean-households-can-now-redeem-300-cdc-vouchers