New PAssion Silver Concession Card for Seniors to Stay Active and Engaged in the Community

New card will benefit all Singaporeans aged 60 and above

1    A new PAssion Silver Concession Card has been launched to make it more convenient for seniors to stay active and engaged in the community. The Card was jointly launched on 4 December 2016 by Mr Gan Kim Yong, Minister for Health and Chairman of the Ministerial Committee on Ageing, Mr Chan Chun Sing, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office and Deputy Chairman of the People’s Association and Mrs Josephine Teo, Senior Minister of State, Prime Minister’s Office, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Transport.

2    An initiative under the Action Plan for Successful Ageing[1], the PAssion Silver Concession Card is spearheaded by the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Transport and People’s Association with support from the Land Transport Authority and Singapore Business Federation.

3    The PAssion Silver Concession Card merges the existing Senior Citizen Concession Card and PAssion Card, and will serve as a common identifier for the community and businesses to honour our seniors. Seniors can look forward to Senior Citizen concessionary fares on public transport, in addition to a suite of merchant benefits and privileges. They will also have access to the People’s Association’s exciting range of courses, activities and programmes such as Senior Academy and Course Xpress courses.

4    The Card will be issued free to all Singapore Citizens aged 60 years and above. Starting 5 December 2016, the PAssion Silver Concession Card will be automatically mailed in batches to the registered home addresses of Singapore Citizens who are existing Senior Citizen Concession Card holders. Eligible Singapore Citizens who do not currently hold a Senior Citizen Concession Card will receive a letter by 31 January 2017, inviting them to submit their photograph so that they can receive a PAssion Silver Concession Card. All seniors who are eligible as of 31 January 2017 will receive their cards by 31 March 2017.  Singapore Citizens who turn 60 on or after 1 February 2017 will receive their invitation letters when they turn 60.

5    Upon receiving their PAssion Silver Concession Card by mail, seniors will need to activate their Card to start enjoying concessionary fares on public transport. Seniors can bring their new PAssion Silver Concession Card, along with their NRIC or existing Senior Citizen Concession Card (if any), to any TransitLink Ticket Office or Temporary Booth.

6    At the launch of the new PAssion Silver Concession Card, Mr Gan Kim Yong, Minister for Health and Chairman of the Ministerial Committee on Ageing said, “Through the Action Plan for Successful Ageing, we have put together a comprehensive package of initiatives to encourage seniors to stay active and engaged in the community and enjoy their silver years. This card will serve as a platform to rally businesses and community partners around seniors, to honour and respect them and create more opportunities for seniors to enjoy many more years of healthy life.”

7    Mr Chan Chun Sing, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office and Deputy Chairman of the People’s Association, said, “The PAssion Silver Concession Card is a good example of how multiple government agencies are working together to better serve our senior citizens. With one card, seniors are now empowered to enrich their lives through the whole suite of programmes offered by PA such as the Senior Academy and Golden Work Series. The card also offers them transport mobility and the ability to stay socially connected. We hope these efforts will enable our seniors to age well in a cohesive and supportive environment.”

8    Mrs Josephine Teo, Senior Minister of State, Prime Minister’s Office, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Transport, said, “The PAssion Silver Concession Card will make it even more convenient for our seniors to enjoy concession fares. We hope the card will facilitate their active lifestyles by helping them get from place to place comfortably, conveniently and more affordably.”

9    Seniors with further queries on the PAssion Silver Concession Card can contact TransitLink Hotline at 1800-2255 663. The hotline operates daily, except Public Holidays, from 8.00am to 6.00pm.

Annex A:        PAssion Silver Concession Card Factsheet

Annex B:         List of TransitLink Ticket Offices and Temporary Booths

Annex A

PAssion Silver Concession Card Factsheet

Background

The PAssion Silver Concession Card programme is one of 70 initiatives under the Action Plan for Successful Ageing[2] and is spearheaded by the Ministry of Health (MOH), Ministry of Transport (MOT) and People’s Association (PA) with support from the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and Singapore Business Federation (SBF).

The Card merges the existing purple Senior Citizen Concession Card and PAssion Card programme, and will serve as a common identifier for the community and businesses to honour our seniors. With the PAssion Silver Concession Card, seniors will be able to enjoy concessionary fares on public transport, in addition to a suite of merchant benefits and privileges. By leveraging on PA’s existing PAssion Card programme, its community network and partners, the programme also enables seniors to continue to stay active, be engaged with the community and live well.

Launch and Distribution of PAssion Silver Concession Card

The PAssion Silver Concession Card was officially launched on 4 December 2016. All Singapore Citizens aged 60 and above are eligible for the PAssion Silver Concession Card. The design of the PAssion Silver Concession Card is as below:

            Starting 5 December 2016, the PAssion Silver Concession Card will be automatically mailed by TransitLink to the registered home addresses of Singapore Citizens who are existing Senior Citizen Concession Card holders. The distribution plan is as follows:

1)      Singapore Citizens 60 years old and above who are eligible as of 31 January 2017:

a)      Auto-Conversion: Singapore Citizens currently holding the purple Senior Citizen Concession Card for public transport travel (approx. 620,000 pax) will receive their PAssion Silver Concession Card by mail between December 2016 and March 2017. The new PAssion Silver Concession Card will replace their existing purple Senior Citizen Concession Card. They need not apply.

b)      Opt-In: Singapore Citizens who are not currently holding the purple Senior Citizen Concession Card for public transport travel (approx. 135,000 pax) will receive through the mail, an invitation pack to sign up for the PAssion Silver Concession Card from December 2016.

We will process and send the Cards to all currently eligible seniors by 31 March 2017.

2)      Singapore Citizens who are turning 60 on or after 1 February 2017 will receive their invitation pack in their birthday month. Upon TransitLink’s receipt of their application, the seniors will receive their PAssion Silver Concession Cards through the mail within two weeks.

Seniors who do not apply for the PAssion Silver Concession Card within the timeline stated in their invite letter will receive a PAssion Silver Card (Non-Concession), mailed to them within two months from their birthday month. This card will allow them to access all of the card programme’s benefits and privileges, with the exception of concessionary fares on public transport and activation of longer crossing time at Green Man + pedestrian crossings. The design of the PAssion Silver Card (Non-Concession) is as follows:

Activate the PAssion Silver Concession Card to Enjoy Concessionary Fares on Public Transport

Upon receiving their PAssion Silver Concession Card, seniors will need to activate their Card to start enjoying concessionary fares on public transport. Seniors who receive their PAssion Silver Concession Card by 31 March 2017 have until 31 May 2017 to activate their cards. Seniors can bring their new PAssion Silver Concession Card, along with their NRIC or existing purple Senior Citizen Concession Card (if any), to any TransitLink Ticket Office. Additional temporary booths will be set up at selected MRT stations and bus interchanges to increase convenience for seniors.  At the same time, seniors can also transfer the remaining card value and/or travel pass from their current purple Senior Citizen Concession Card to this new PAssion Silver Concession Card. The list of TransitLink Ticket Offices and temporary booths, with their operating hours, can be found in Annex B.

Even without activating their cards, seniors can use their PAssion Silver Concession Cards to enjoy merchant benefits and discounts at all participating outlets.

Benefits of the PAssion Silver Concession Card

With the PAssion Silver Concession Card, seniors will be able to enjoy concessionary fares on public transport, tap for longer crossing time at Green Man + pedestrian crossings, enjoy discounted rates at PA Community Clubs’ (CCs) courses, activities and facilities, as well as a wide variety of discounts and privileges offered by PA programme partners and merchants. Some of the benefits are listed below:

Member’s Rate and Privileges at CC and other PA Outlets

·      Cardholders will get to enjoy two new exclusive offers introduced by PA to further encourage our seniors to stay active. They are:

a)        50% off all water sports courses and $2 discount for all rentals (except facilities) at all PA Water-Venture Outlets; and

b)        $2 Course Xpress courses at participating CCs. (Usual price: $10)

·      Cardholders enjoy Member’s Rate for all CCs’ courses, activities and facilities, and privileges at other PA outlets such as the Water-Venture Outlets, The WEARHouse (PA’s costumes rental service), Chingay Parade as well as selected activities and facilities under PA;

·      Cardholders have a further 2% off Member’s Rate when the card is used for payment at CCs and Water Venture Outlets. (This is the best discount accorded to members and for members who transact online, they will also be accorded this discount); and

·      Cardholders can also take part in the various PA Wellness Programmes such as regular health screenings, physical and social interest group activities.

Concessionary Fares

·      Seniors can continue to enjoy concessionary fares on public transport (25% or more off the adult fare).

Dairy Farm Singapore (DFS) TapForMore Rewards Programme

·      Cardholders can earn and redeem TapForMore Points, a loyalty point programme at retail banners under Dairy Farm Singapore (DFS) such as Cold Storage, Market Place, Giant and Guardian Health & Beauty stores.

·      In appreciation of the contributions made by our seniors, the respective retail banners under DFS will be introducing additional benefits for this group of cardholders as follows:

a)      Cardholders will earn 5X TapForMore points any day instead of the 1:1 earn ratio when they shop at Guardian Health and Beauty stores or Guardian online;

b)      Cardholders will enjoy 3% off at all Giant outlets on Tuesdays; and

c)      Cardholders will enjoy 3% off at all Cold Storage outlets on Wednesdays.

PAssion Card - CAPITASTAR Rewards Programme

·      Cardholders earn 50% more STAR$® when they shop at participating CapitaLand Malls

·      Registration is required and can be done via the CAPITASTAR Self-Service Kiosks at the participating CapitaLand Malls, CAPITASTAR App via Apple Store or Google Play or www.capitastar.com.sg

·      In addition, cardholders enjoy other exclusive promotions.

Discounts at PAssion Merchants

·      Enjoy discounts at over 1,000 PAssion / PAssion Silver Merchant outlets.

·      Examples of PAssion Silver Merchants offering exclusive benefits to PAssion Silver cardholders include:

a)      Singapore Airlines - 5% off Singapore Airlines fares

b)      Metro - $5 or $10 Metro Gift Voucher with nett spend of $50 or $100 respectively, from Mondays to Thursdays

c)      MyCK - 10% off regular-priced Petals, Stellini & Instep items, from Fridays to Sundays

d)     OG Department Stores - 5% rebate on non-discounted merchandise

For the full listing of PAssion Silver Card privileges[3], please refer to the booklet enclosed.

National Library Board (NLB) Partner Membership

·      A 5-year NLB Partner Membership is extended to Cardholders. This entitles them to borrow up to 10 library items including 4 audio-visual materials with no additional fees. (Note: The current basic library membership only entitles users to borrow up to 8 items)

Card Top Up

·           In addition to being able to top up their cards at TransitLink Ticket Offices and General Ticketing Machines located within MRT stations, cardholders will also be able to enjoy the convenience of topping up their cards at top-up devices installed at all CCs

·           Cardholders will also be able to apply for Giro-link or Auto Top-up on their PAssion Silver Concession Cards.

For more information, please log on to www.passioncard.sg.

(Updated as at 30 November 2016)

Annex B

List of TransitLink Ticket Offices and Temporary Booths

Please note:

Timings for meal breaks for Ticket Office (TO)

*TO will be closed from 1545 to 1645hrs

+TO will be closed from 1400 to 1500hrs

~TO will be closed from 1600 to 1700hrs

^TO will be closed on Mondays

@TO will be temporarily closed from 1230 to 1300hrs (estimated) daily for changing shift

#Ticket Office will operate on Friday only, from 1230 to 2000 hrs on STC Normal Race Days and from 1230 to 2230 hrs on Night Race Days

##Ticket Office will operate from 1230 to 2000 hrs on STC Normal Race Days and from 1230 to 2230 hrs on Night Race Days

Note: Kranji Station Ticket Office will be closed at 1930 when there are no race(s).

For concession card replacement of lost, damaged or faulty EZ-Link cards, please visit any of the following locations:

Please note:

1 Somerset CCRO will be closed for meal break from 2pm – 3pm

Please note:

-          Temporary Activation counters are also set up at the above 10 Community Clubs as there are no TransitLink Ticket Offices located within the vicinity.

-          These counters can only perform transactions pertaining to activation of new PAssion Silver Concession Card and/or transfer of value from Senior Citizen Concession Card (purple) to the new PAssion Silver Concession Card.

-          These 10 temporary CC counters will be operational till 28 February 2017.

[1] Visit https://www.moh.gov.sg/content/moh_web/successfulageing.htmlfor more information on the Action Plan for Successful Ageing.

[2] Visit https://www.moh.gov.sg/content/moh_web/successfulageing.htmlfor more information on the Action Plan for Successful Ageing.

[3] Terms and conditions apply and are subject to changes without prior notice.