4 Types Of Things You Cannot Buy Using Your CDC Vouchers At Supermarkets

Something to celebrate this new year – receiving free $300 Community Development Council (CDC) vouchers.

Last month, every Singaporean household received notification letters in letterboxes on how to claim and spend their $300 CDC vouchers. Half of the vouchers ($150) can be spent at supermarkets while the other half ($150) at participating heartland merchants and hawkers.

The vouchers are given by the Singapore government to help offset cost-of-living expenses, the Goods and Services Tax (GST) hike, and a buffer for any inflationary pressures on groceries.

This is the first time since the scheme was introduced that CDC vouchers can be used at supermarkets. To cash in on the scheme, some supermarkets are incentivising Singaporeans to spend their CDC vouchers with them (when you spend a minimum amount) by offering additional return vouchers.

Read Also: Assurance Package For GST: How Much Will Singaporean Households Be Getting Over The Next 5 Years?

Recap: What Are CDC Vouchers

The CDC vouchers are part of efforts from authorities to help Singaporeans cushion the effects of higher prices and the GST rate increase to 8%. The new 2023 vouchers, announced under the Assurance Package and the $1.5 billion Support Package in October 2022, will expire on 31 Dec, 2023.

For this tranche, the value of the vouchers is allocated equally to be spent at supermarkets and participating heartland merchants and hawkers. There are over 20,600 participating hawkers and heartland merchants and residents can find the participants here.

The vouchers are in fixed denominations $2, $5, and $10. Only 1 member representing the household needs to make the claim digitally.

2 sets of vouchers ($100 worth of vouchers per set) were dispensed previously by the government to offset cost-of-living expenses for 2021 and 2022. As of December 2022, 97% of Singaporean households have claimed those vouchers.

Which Supermarkets Accept CDC vouchers?

Currently, 7 supermarket chains accept CDC vouchers as payment – HAO Mart, NTUC FairPrice, Prime Supermarket, Sheng Siong, U Stars Supermarket, Giant Singapore, and Ang Mo Supermarket.

Together, the supermarket chains provide over 360 outlets for residents to spend their CDC vouchers.

The vouchers cannot be used for e-commerce or online transactions.

What Are The Items I Cannot Buy Using CDC Vouchers At Supermarkets?

The digital vouchers (expressed in Singapore dollars) are not valid for the purchase of the following items in supermarkets:

CDC vouchers:
– Not valid for the purchase of alcohol
– Not valid for the purchase of cigarettes
– Not valid for the purchase of lottery products – This means you cannot use the vouchers to buy Toto, 4D, Big Sweep, or scratch cards.
– Not valid for resale/exchangeable for cash or gift vouchers

Read Also: Step By Step Guide To Redeeming Your CDC Vouchers

How Many Vouchers Can I Use Each Time At The Supermarkets, Are They Refundable?

If you have a household that spends quite a fair bit on groceries every month then you are in luck, as you can stack multiple vouchers in a single transaction. The vouchers that are used are not refundable.

According to the CDC website, there is no limit to the number you can spend per purchase but you can only use a maximum of 15 digital vouchers per QR code to ensure that the QR code is scannable by merchants.

Do purchase items that are of higher dollar value than the vouchers and do a mental sum of the total price of the items before you check out.

For example, if you plan to use $55 worth of vouchers, be sure to add to your cart more than $55 of items. If the total cost of your items is $54.50 and you redeem $55 CDC vouchers, you won’t get any change for that.

E.g. Total cost of grocery items: $54.50

Value of vouchers used (in $2, $5, and $10 denominations)	Unused amount/Value
$55.00	No change will be issued by merchant
$54.00	Resident to top-up the difference of $0.50 using cash

How To Redeem/Apply For The CDC Vouchers And When Do They Expire

Here are the steps to claim your CDC vouchers:

1) Visit go.gov.sg/cdcv and click on the “claim” button under CDC Vouchers 2023.

2) Log in with your Singpass to confirm your details to get the vouchers. (Only 1 household member needs to do this on behalf of the household).

3) You will get an SMS from RedeemSG with a unique link.

4) You can now access and redeem the vouchers by clicking on the link.

Select the voucher(s) and show the QR code to the shop staff. They will scan it to complete your payment.

You can share the vouchers with household members by clicking on the unique redemption link. The vouchers are not renewable upon expiry and the expiry date is final.

Spent vouchers will be marked as “Redeemed” on your voucher link. You can also view your transaction history on the main vouchers landing page.

I Don’t Need The Vouchers, Can I Donate Them?

Currently, there is no donation option for the CDC Vouchers 2023 as they are designed to help Singaporean households cushion the impact of the GST increase. Even if you are feeling generous, you are encouraged to use the vouchers to offset your living expenses instead.

Featured Image Credit: Angela Teng

Read Also: Struggling To Cope With Inflation: 5 Things To Be Avoiding, And What We Should Do Instead

This article was first published on 10 Jan 2023 and updated to reflect the latest list of supermarkets accepting CDC vouchers.

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