Is your Cai Png getting too expensive at hawker centres? Here's how you can simultaneously pay, save, and earn more DBS hawker cashback via DBS PayLah!
How many of us are guilty of leaving the house with only our credit cards and phone , without a single dollar note or coin in sight? Guilty as charged. 😔🤚🏼 Most days, I don't even carry physical cards anymore; I rely heavily on mobile wallets and cashless payments like Apple Pay, Google Pay, DBS PayNow, and PayLah! – and it's not just me.
In 2022, Statista reported that 93% of people in Singapore use electronic payments. Truly, cash is out and cashless is in. So how has DBS PayLah! been transforming payments at hawker centres and coffee shops – the core tenets of our uniquely Singaporean lifestyle?
Cashback is not limited to Cashback credit cards anymore, so keep on reading to learn more on how to score DBS hawker cashback with DBS PayLah!.
Related Read: How to earn Cashback on Insurance Premium Payments
Table of contents
- What is DBS PayLah?
- Overview: DBS/POSB's 5 Million Hawker Meals initiative
- How to earn DBS hawker meal cashback?
- List of eligible hawker centres
- Other methods to earn DBS hawker meal cashback
- Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
What is DBS PayLah!
Source: DBS
In short, DBS PayLah! is a mobile payment and e-wallet service from DBS. Users can store and transfer money directly from their PayLah! e-wallet. Beyond just being an e-wallet, it also provides exclusive deals and instant rewards from DBS partner merchants.
Plus, if you're a DBS/POSB cardholder, you can manage and redeem your rewards points or Daily$ cash rebates directly within the DBS PayLah! app.
But that's just the tip of the iceberg. Here are all the useful features you can enjoy with DBS PayLah!:
- Make everyday purchases such as book rides, purchase entertainment tickets, order food delivery, pay bills, and more.
- Transfer and request money to/from anyone, including those on DBS PayNow.
- View banking eStatements.
- Use DBS PayLah! to scan and pay via QR codes at more than 180,000 acceptance points islandwide and internationally.
- Capitalise on retail deals and manage your DBS/POSB card rewards points. Offset your card spend with DBS Points or POSB Daily$ cash rebate for greater savings.
- Toggle effortlessly between DBS PayLah! and DBS digibank app.
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Manage and redeem card rewards points on the go
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Enjoy instant rewards from DBS partner merchants
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Source: DBS
See also: Complete Guide to Mobile Wallets in Singapore
Best DBS/POSB credit cards on SingSaver
5 Million Hawker Meals Initiative: How to earn DBS hawker cashback?
It's apparent that the DBS PayLah! app is incredibly useful for many in Singapore, especially with its convenient "scan and pay via QR code" feature.
This ease of payment perfectly aligns with DBS/POSB's initiative to sponsor 5 million hawker meals, encouraging PayLah! users to support local hawkers while simultaneously benefitting from cashless transactions.
But how does it work? Well, it's pretty simple.
Source: DBS
The 5 Million Hawker Meals initiative rewards the first 100,000 PayLah! users every Friday (from 6am) with up to S$3 cashback on their hawker meal, with no minimum spend required. Limited to 1 redemption per user.
While this sounds almost too good to be true, you'd be amazed at how many dedicated people there were eager to claim this cashback every week at the crack of dawn. 😱
The 5 Million Hawker Meals initiative, which originally began in February 2023 and was set to conclude in early 2024, has been a great success. In fact, it's been so successful that it's been extended till 26 July 2024.
Scan and pay via QR codes: How to earn DBS PayLah! hawker cashback?
Source: DBS
If you want to score up to S$3 DBS hawker cashback on your next hawker meal too, then follow these three easy steps:
Step #1: Identify SGQR code with PayLah! logo or PayLah! sticker
Source: DBS
DBS hawker partners will have a PayLah! QR code logo or sticker pasted on the front of their stalls.
Step #2: Scan the QR code with the PayLah! app
Source: DBS
Open up the DBS PayLah! app on your phone and locate the "Scan" button. Upon clicking on it, you'll be directed to your phone's camera to scan the QR code.
Step #3: Enjoy 100% cashback on your meal
Source: DBS
Next, sit back, relax, and wait for your DBS hawker meal cashback to roll in, capped at S$3. Hawker cashback is capped at one redemption per user and subject to availability every Friday, from 6am onwards. So it's truly a matter of fastest fingers first!
Upon successful redemption, you can refer to your transaction history to check for the cashback.
Source: DBS
Which hawker centres are eligible for DBS PayLah! cashback?
With over 10,000 participating hawker stalls islandwide, you'll be spoilt for choice deciding on your subsidised hawker meal!
However, since the DBS hawker cashback refreshes every Friday at 6am, do note that these redemptions are claimed quite quickly! So we recommend choosing hawker stalls that open by 6 or 7am to ensure you have a chance at redeeming the cashback.
For reference, here are some partner hawker stalls that open early:
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Hawker stall
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Address
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Operating hours
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Lai Hiang Pork Rib Prawn Mee
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41A Cambridge Rd, #01-41, Pek Kio Market & Food Centre, Singapore 211041
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Sat & Sun: 6am - 2pm
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Ho Heng Kway Chap
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105 Yishun Ring Rd, #01-140, Chong Pang Market & Food Centre, Singapore 760105
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Daily: 7am - 3pm
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AlRahman Kitchen
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1 Geylang Serai, #02-139, Geylang Serai Market and Food Centre, Singapore 402001
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Thurs - Tues: 5.30am - 3.30pm
Closed on Wed
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Biryani Express
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1 Geylang Serai, #02-119, Geylang Serai Market and Food Centre, Singapore 402001
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Tues - Thurs: 8am - 1pm
Fri: 8.30am - 1pm
Sat & Sun: 8am - 12pm
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63 Laksa
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20 Ghim Moh Rd, #01-20, Ghim Moh Food Centre, Singapore 270020
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Tues - Sat: 8am - 3pm
Sun: 8am - 2pm
Closed on Mon
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Adam Fishball Noodle
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2 Adam Rd, #01-25, Adam Food Centre, Singapore 289876
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Thurs - Mon: 8am - 8pm
Closed on Tues & Wed
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Of course, this is a non-exhaustive list of early-morning hawker stalls. We encourage you to explore Singapore and discover your favourite breakfast hawker spots. 😉🍽️
The full list of eligible hawker stalls can be found here.
Alternative methods to earn cashback at hawker stalls
While this DBS hawker cashback initiative is enticing, not all of us want to wake up at 5am or 6am every Friday just to save S$3 on our breakfast. Heck, some of us don't even eat breakfast! So, are there other ways to enjoy cashback on our favourite hawker meals?
Well, if you're like me and mostly only eat lunch and dinner, cashback credit cards will be your best friends – even after DBS/POSB's 5 Million Hawker Meals initiative ends after July! Here are our top cashback cards to help you save on your dining:
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Cashback credit card
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Cashback / Cash rebate rate
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Minimum spend requirement
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POSB Everyday Card
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10% cash rebates on online food delivery from foodpanda and Deliveroo
3% cash rebates on other dining spend
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S$800 spend per month
Capped at Daily$15 per month
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OCBC 365 Card
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5% cashback on dining worldwide and online food delivery from Deliveroo, foodpanda, and GrabFood
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S$800 or S$1,600 spend per month
Capped at combined S$80 or S$160 respectively per month
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UOB EVOL Card
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8% cashback on eligible
online and mobile contactless payments
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S$600 spend per month
Capped at combined S$60 per month
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Citi Cash Back Card
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6% cashback on dining worldwide
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S$800 spend per month
Capped at combined S$80 per month
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CIMB World Mastercard
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2% unlimited cashback on dining and online food delivery
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S$1,000 spend per month
No cap on cashback earned
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Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
Q: Do I need a DBS/POSB bank account to get the subsidies hawker meal?
No, the DBS PayLah! account and DBS PayNow account are different. To reiterate, DBS PayLah! is an e-wallet service that entitles anyone with a SingPass account to sign up for it. You do not need an actual DBS or POSB account to qualify for DBS PayLah!
Q: How do I know if the hawker meal cashback is fully redeemed for the day?
To check for subsidy availability, refer to the top of your DBS PayLah! app's homepage. A banner reflecting "FULLY REDEEMED" will be shown if all the hawker meals have been fully redeemed.
Source: DBS
Q: Can I keep redeeming DBS hawker meal cashback every week?
Yes, every DBS PayLah! user can redeem a subsidised hawker meal every Friday if you're among the first 100,000 redemptions from 6am onwards.
Read these next:
8 Best Cashback Credit Cards to Help With Inflation in Singapore
How to Maximise ShopBack Pay and PayLater Cashback?
How to Redeem Citibank Cash Back?
Best Unlimited Cashback Credit Cards in Singapore
Team Cashback vs Team Miles: Which Credit Card Side Do You Belong To?
Cashback or Rewards Credit Cards: Which is Better?
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