The vouchers are valid until Dec 31, 2025. - ST
SINGAPORE: Every Singaporean household can now claim S$300 worth of CDC vouchers to help them alleviate daily expenses.
The vouchers were officially launched on Jan 3 at Marine Parade Town Centre. Half of the vouchers can be used at supermarkets, and half at participating hawker stalls and heartland merchants. They are valid until Dec 31, 2025.
The latest tranche of vouchers is part of enhancements to the Assurance Package to help cushion the impact of cost-of-living increases. The first half – $300 in CDC vouchers – was disbursed in June 2024.
The launch was attended by Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong, together with Manpower Minister Tan See Leng, who is also Second Minister for Trade and Industry and an MP for Marine Parade GRC.
The event was hosted by the five mayors – Low Yen Ling, Denise Phua, Desmond Choo, Alex Yam and Mohd Fahmi Aliman.
In his speech, Gan, who is also Minister for Trade and Industry, said the launch of the vouchers is one of the first events in 2025 by the Community Development Councils to kick off Singapore’s diamond jubilee, or SG60, celebrations.
The CDC vouchers are one of the key initiatives in the Government’s efforts to help households manage cost-of-living challenges, he said.
The scheme was introduced during the Covid-19 pandemic to show appreciation to Singaporeans for their solidarity during those difficult times, and to support businesses. The scheme was continued post-pandemic to help Singaporeans cushion the impact of rising prices.
In 2024, each Singaporean household received a total of $800 worth of vouchers, with a tranche of $500 in January and another $300 in June.
Gan said he is heartened that almost all Singaporean households have claimed and spent their 2024 CDC vouchers.
As at Dec 31, 2024, about 97 per cent of Singaporean households have claimed the CDC vouchers for the year. Of these claimed vouchers, more than $1 billion, or 97.5 per cent, had been spent at participating hawkers, heartland merchants and supermarkets.
Overall, around $1.6 billion has been spent since the launch of the digital CDC vouchers scheme in December 2021. A total of $907 million has been spent at participating hawkers and heartland merchants, while $689 million has been spent at participating supermarkets.
“Thankfully, inflation has cooled in recent months and, barring any unforeseen circumstances, is expected to go down further,” said Gan.
He added that core inflation in 2024 is expected to average about 2.5 per cent to 3 per cent, down from more than 4 per cent in 2023. Barring unforeseen circumstances, core inflation is expected to ease further to 1.5 per cent to 2.5 per cent in 2025.
“Even though prices may not be rising as fast, we understand that Singaporeans remain concerned about cost of living,” he said.
“We have taken several measures to address these concerns, and we stand ready to do more to support Singaporeans.”
He added: “Our strong Singapore dollar enables us to mitigate increases in the costs of imported goods and services. We work with businesses to drive productivity and innovation, so that Singaporeans can continue to have good jobs with better wages.”
Various measures to cushion the pace of price increases for individuals and households have been rolled out too, he said.
For example, as part of the Assurance Package, all adult Singaporeans would have received up to $600 in cash in December 2024.
This month, eligible households will receive additional U-Save and S&CC rebates to help with their utility bills, as well as their service and conservancy charges.
Gan said the community and the private sector – including merchant and heartland associations, schools, and volunteers – have come forward to support efforts such as the CDC vouchers scheme.
Private coffee shop operators have also been included as participating merchants for the scheme, he added. They have agreed to offer affordable budget meal options, enabling residents to use their vouchers to enjoy nutritious and value-for-money options at their neighbourhood coffeeshops.
To date, there are about 600 coffeeshop stalls that provide budget meal options and accept CDC vouchers.
“The impact that the CDC vouchers scheme is a good showcase of the impact we can achieve by having the public and private sectors working together,” he said. “So as we celebrate SG60 this year, let us continue to find ways to work together – Government, community, and businesses – hand in hand to take Singapore forward in the next chapter of our Singapore story.”
To mark SG60, some participating supermarkets, heartland merchants and hawkers are offering promotions for the use of the vouchers. For example, some heartland merchants and hawkers will provide additional discounts or gifts for customers who use CDC vouchers at their stores to help Singaporeans stretch their dollar.
Supermarkets such as Cold Storage, Giant, NTUC FairPrice, and Prime Supermarket will also be running in-house promotions for customers using CDC vouchers.
Low Yen Ling, Mayor of South West District and Chairman of Mayors’ Committee, said: “This year, as we celebrate SG60, the CDC vouchers scheme reflects our shared values of care, resilience, and innovation and how far we have come as a nation.”
Human resource professional Victoria Ng, 36, said $300 is a “considerable sum” and would help families with rising costs of groceries and food.
“It’s good that more places are accepting of CDC vouchers, including hawker centres, hair salons, and neighbourhood stores,” she said. “More people will also be inclined to spend at neighbour stores, which is a win-win situation for both customers and merchants.”
How to claim your vouchers
Singaporean households will receive a notification letter by mail with instructions on how to claim and spend their CDC vouchers. Similar to previous tranches, only one household member need to visit go.gov.sg/cdcv and log in with their Singpass to claim the digital vouchers on behalf of the household.
Once the vouchers are claimed, the claimant will receive an SMS with a unique voucher link sent from “gov.sg” to their registered mobile number. This link, which is different from previous tranches, can be conveniently shared with other household members.
Those who face difficulties with the digital process can seek help at community centres or clubs (CCs) and SG Digital Community Hubs. There will be priority queues at CCs for seniors and persons with disabilities.
Assistance will also be provided for residents without smartphones or those who need help setting up Singpass accounts or resetting passwords.
Over the first two weeks of the launch, close to 450 youth and student volunteers from institutions such as ITE College Central, Republic Polytechnic, St Joseph’s Institution will assist at selected CCs alongside CDC ambassadors.
SG Digital Office’s (SDO) digital ambassadors and Silver Infocomm wellness ambassadors will be stationed at CCs to help residents claim their digital vouchers from Jan 3 to Jan 16.
Residents are reminded to stay vigilant of scams. Claiming CDC vouchers does not require any involvement with bank applications or transactions. Those who encounter any suspicious messages relating to gov.sg or CDC vouchers can contact People’s Association (PA) at 6225 5322, or submit the information online at www.police.gov.sg/i-witness or call 1800 2550 000 to make a police report.
More details on the CDC vouchers scheme 2025 (January) can be found on https://vouchers.cdc.gov.sg/ - The Straits Times/ANN
