Fares and ticketing on the Mass Rapid Transit (Singapore)

Children under the age of 4 and below the height of 0.9m travels for free. Children under the age of 7 can travel for free using a child concession card.

¹: Only for school smartcards, Diploma Student EZ-Link, and ITE Student EZ-Link Card only. Undergraduates have to pay adult fares, as more than 90% of the undergraduates are eligible voters.

Contactless smart cards fully replaced their magnetic ticket predecessors on 1 December 2002, making Singapore one of the first cities to implement contactless smart card payment on all main modes of public transportation, similar to Hong Kong.

The ticketing system uses the EZ-Link and NETS FlashPay contactless smart cards based upon the Symphony for e-Payment (SeP) system for public transit built on the Singapore Standard for Contactless ePurse Application (CEPAS) system. This system permits up to 4 card issuers to provide for the market.[12] The EZ-Link card was introduced on 13 April 2002 as a replacement to the original TransitLink farecard, while its competitor, the NETS FlashPay card, entered the smart card market on 9 October 2009.

An adult EZ-Link card may be purchased for S$12 (inclusive of a S$5 non-refundable card cost and a S$7 credit) for payment of public transportation fares in Singapore. The old CEPAS EZ-Link card (non-SimplyGo) can only be purchased outside the public transport facilities. The card may also be used for payment of goods and services at merchants displaying the "EZ-Link" logo, Electronic Road Pricing tolls and Electronic Parking System carparks.[12][13] From 15 March 2022, only SimplyGo EZ-Link card is available at TransitLink Ticket Office or Passenger Service Centre. Commuters can upgrade adult stored-value EZ-Link cards to SimplyGo, and once done, it is optional to download the EZ-Link app or the TransitLink SimplyGo app to check card balance.

The NETS FlashPay (now renamed to "NETS Prepaid") card may be purchased at all TransitLink Ticket Offices at MRT stations, retail points such as 7-Eleven stores, Cheers and Fairprice Xpress as well as iNETS Kiosks. It can be used for the payment of public transportation fares in Singapore and at merchants displaying the "NETS FlashPay" logo. From 15 March 2022, at the TransitLink Ticket Office; only SimplyGo NETS Prepaid card is available.

On 20 March 2017, LTA started a trial of the usage of contactless debit and credit MasterCard cards for fare payments on all main modes of public transport.[14] Fares are charged directly to their debit or credit cards. From 3 December 2018, the trial was expanded to NETS and Visa cards.[15] On 7 March 2019, the system was renamed to SimplyGo, and it was officially launched on 4 April 2019, starting with MasterCard holders. As of November 2019, Visa and NETS card holders are also able to utilise the system.[16] And finally, all EZ-Link cardholders (including concession) can upgrade to SimplyGo. LTA and TransitLink is still in the works of adding concession fares into bank cards and smartwatches.

A Singapore Tourist Pass and 7 Singapore Pass contactless smart card may be purchased from S$10[17] (inclusive of a S$10 refundable card deposit and a 3-day pass) for the payment of public transportation fares including sightseeing bus routes under Singapore Ducktours. The card may be purchased at selected TransitLink Ticket Offices, LTA Kiosks, Passenger Service Centres and Singapore Visitors Centres, and can be refunded at both TransitLink Ticket Offices and Passenger Service Centres.[18]

Access-control gates found in Singapore's MRT and LRT stations have evolved in design & features over the years. A few different series of gates from different manufacturers have been used in MRT and LRT stations. The two oldest generations of these gates in the MRT stations began to be removed starting from March 2010, and this was completed by October 2014.

On 22 July 2018, a hands-free ticketing technology trial was launched at 4 stations to examine the feasibility of a new hands-free fare gate that allows people with disabilities to enter and exit MRT stations without tapping their fare cards. If found to be feasible, the fare gates may be introduced to more stations. The trial lasted until November 2018.[19] A tender for a second trial was announced in February 2020, with the possibility of expanding the system to all public buses and 400 faregates should the trial be successful.[20]

Manufacturer/type	Location	Image	Features
Cubic AFC gates	North South line and East West line stations (replaced by 2014, Pioneer and Joo Koon replaced on 27 June 2017)		Magnetic fare card reader (removed by 2003) CEPAS smart card readers Retractable red flaps VFD fare information displays (Some units equipped with angled VFD displays, some of them are in analogue and some of them are in digital) Bulb-operated directional sign displays Red alarm/concession indicator
ST Electronics AFC gates	Expo (East West line) Bedok Kembangan Paya Lebar (East West line) Raffles Place Tanjong Pagar Outram Park (East West line) Dover Orchard (All phased out beginning with Orchard on 10 June 2011, then Bedok, Kembangan, Paya Lebar and Raffles Place in 2014, others were converted between July and November 2017)		Magnetic fare card reader (removed by 2003) CEPAS smart card readers Retractable red flaps Angled VFD fare information displays LED directional sign displays Red alarm/concession indicator
Cronos faregates	Bukit Panjang LRT stations
Cubic AFC turnstile faregates	Bukit Panjang LRT stations (replaced by November 2017)		Magnetic fare card reader (removed by 2003) CEPAS smart card readers Three arms tripod turnstiles Angled VFD fare information displays Bulb-operated directional sign displays
Thales AFC gates	Circle line stations		CEPAS smart card readers Retractable red flaps (Wide gate feature dual retractable flaps) 6.5" LCD fare information displays LED directional sign displays LED gate status indicators
Titan faregates	All North South Line, East West Line, North East Line, Punggol LRT, Sengkang LRT and Bukit Panjang LRT stations Bayfront		CEPAS smart card readers Retractable red flaps Angled LCD fare information displays Illuminated LED directional bar LED gate status indicators Frontal LCD Display (selected units)
Thales faregates	All Downtown line stations		CEPAS smart card readers Bidirectional swing flaps 6.5" LCD fare information displays LED directional sign displays LED gate status indicators
Cubic AFC gates	All Thomson–East Coast line stations[21]

Passenger service centres are control stations that looks after the station, and handle cash top-ups for all MRT cards. By the first half of 2018, cash top-ups at all passenger service centres were phased out.[22]

General Ticketing Machines (GTMs) (Phased out), Assisted Service Kiosks (ASKs) and Top-Up Kiosks (TUK) in the MRT station

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Add Value Machine (AVM), Top-Up Machine (TUM) and General Ticketing Machines (GTMs) were however replaced by Top-Up Kiosk (TUK). These replacement programme are as follows:

• 23 January 2020 - 15 January 2021: Circle Line and Thomson-East Coast Line
• 19 April 2021 - 19 July 2021: North South Line
• 23 July 2021 - 15 November 2021: East West Line
• 23 November 2021 - 19 February 2022: Downtown Line
• 1 March 2022 - 15 May 2022: North East Line

Subsequently; all stations were upgraded to Top-Up Kiosk with Cash Accepted (TUK-A) where cash can be accepted. Top Up Kiosks (TUK) can only accept NETS and Credit/Debit Card only together with the Assisted Service Kiosk (ASK).

EZ-Link SimplyGo ambassadors were being deployed at selected stations (previously at the heartlands) to help cardholders who face difficulties in transition, mitigate their assistance; including those who have $100 note to give change to small note ($50) and those ticketing machines need to have maintenance, they will ask commuters to move to other facilities nearby.