Seniors lament cessation of Kopitiam card, citing challenges in using FairPrice app to get discount
Kan Chiz Seng (left), 75, and Choy Haw Me, 70, with their Kopitiam cards at an outlet in Yew Tee on Feb 5, 2023.
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- Senior citizens lamented the upcoming discontinuation of the Kopitiam card come June 30
- The card allows users to pay for their food and drinks at Kopitiam food courts and coffee shops, giving them an additional 10 per cent discount
- FairPrice Group, which runs the Kopitiam chain, said users can opt to pay through the FairPrice mobile app to get the 10 per cent discount
- Senior citizens told TODAY they hope this decision could be reversed as it is difficult to navigate the app, among other reasons
BY
LORAINE LEE
Published February 5, 2023Updated February 5, 2023
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SINGAPORE — Since 2015, Ms Choy Haw Me, 70, and her husband have been using Kopitiam's stored-value cards when they go to their nearby Kopitiam in Yew Tee for a meal or to eat their favourite dessert, ice kacang.
They use the card to get a 10 per cent discount at the food court. The top-up machine has become a familiar routine, with the duo remembering what to press from mostly muscle memory.
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So when they found out that the card will be discontinued come June 30, they were disappointed.
FairPrice Group, which runs the Kopitiam chain of food court, coffee shops and hawker centres, said on Thursday (Feb 2) that it will be doing away with the card. Users will be able to get a cash refund on any stored value starting March, or can transfer the amount to the FairPrice mobile application in the form of Linkpoints.
However, it is not doing away with the 10 per cent discount — users simply need to pay for their meals at Kopitiam outlets through the FairPrice mobile app.
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FairPrice added that seniors who may have difficulty using the app or do not have debit or credit cards and are under the ComCare scheme for low-income individuals and families may get the 10 per cent discount by showing their Pioneer Generation or Merdeka Generation identifier cards.
For senior citizens like Ms Choy who are not as digitally savvy, switching to the FairPrice app poses a challenge. Of the 11 seniors who spoke to TODAY on Sunday, only two were confident about learning to navigate the app.
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"There are so many applications already and I don't really know how to use my phone aside from making calls and watching some shows," said Ms Choy in Mandarin.
"I'll have to trouble my family members, but what they say sometimes I might not remember."
A woman in her 80s who declined to be named said she fears being scammed if she uses her smartphone for anything money-related.
"You have these scammers asking for your name, age, address and OTP (one-time password), I don't want to take any risk," she said.
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"I wish (FairPrice) would not do away with the card since it's easy to use it. Why not keep it?"
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She has decided that she will stop visiting the Kopitiam and opt instead for a coffeeshop near her home once the card is discontinued.
Another hurdle the elderly cited was the language barrier, as the FairPrice app is currently available only in English.
Retiree Lee Gui Heng, 75, who frequents Pasir Ris West Coast's Kopitiam about four times a week, downloaded the application after finding out on Friday that the card will be discontinued. He said it was confusing to navigate.
"Do I need to top up? What do I need to scan if I use this app? And how do I get the discount? It's much simpler to just use the card as you just need to tap once and the top-up machine is straightforward to use," he said in Mandarin, adding that his English-language skills are "not that good".
"It's easy for younger people, but for people my generation who grew up without this technology or who don't speak English, it's very difficult."
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When TODAY showed a man in his 70s the payment button located on the top right of the app, he said it was "too small" that he did not notice it earlier.
"I was already confused by all the buttons and icons, how can I find this QR code on my own? I'm just going to hog the line (trying to pay)," he said, adding that he would rather pay with cash.
Bus driver Ang Chit Teck, 65, is taking the news in stride, saying he will "figure out" how to use the app once the card gets phased out. He hopes the app will be translated into his mother tongue by then, so it will be easier for him to navigate it.
"I used to top up S$50 into my card at a time, but now I'll just top up about S$10 so that I won't have too much left in the card before it is discontinued," added Mr Ang, who goes to the Kopitiam outlet at Pasir Ris West Coast every week.
