Mix of Denominations in CDC Vouchers
Ministry of Culture, Community and YouthSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns whether the Government will review the no-change policy or provide more flexible CDC voucher denominations as proposed by MP Ms Mariam Jaafar. Minister Edwin Tong Chun Fai clarified that fixed denominations of $2, $5, and $10 minimize payment errors for seniors while allowing digital stacking of up to 15 vouchers for easy payment. He noted that smaller denominations are intended for heartland merchants and hawkers, while larger denominations like $10 and $20 are designated for higher-value supermarket purchases. The Minister stated that these denominations were chosen based on user experience testing to ensure ease of use and confidence for less digital-savvy residents. From December 2021 to July 2025, Singaporean households spent $2.3 billion using the vouchers, with $1.26 billion spent at heartland merchants and $1.04 billion at supermarkets.
Transcript
87 Ms Mariam Jaafar asked the Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth whether the Government will review the no change policy for CDC vouchers or provide more flexibility on the mix of denominations for all or certain segments of households, such as senior-only households, for future tranches of CDC vouchers.
Mr Edwin Tong Chun Fai: Mr Speaker, I am answering in my capacity as the Minister charged with the responsibility for the People's Association. The Community Development Council (CDC) vouchers are in fixed denominations of $2, $5 and $10 precisely because they give Singaporean households the flexibility to spend their money easily. Up to 15 vouchers can be stacked together for payment if used digitally.
But it is also precisely for this reason that we have designed the system so that the less digital-savvy residents, especially the seniors whom Ms Mariam Jaafar spoke about, can use the vouchers with confidence.
With fixed denomination, it will help reduce the chance of errors when residents pay for their goods and service using their CDC vouchers. In fact, we have conducted user experience before deciding on the denominations.
For the CDC vouchers to be used at hawkers and heartland merchants, the fixed denominations of $2, $5 and $10 allow residents to make purchases at different hawkers and heartland shops. For example, residents may patronise minimarts or mom-and-pop shops, to purchase groceries or other essential household items, and services, such as dental clinics or hair salons.
For the CDC vouchers to be used at supermarkets, the larger denominations of $10, or $20 for SG60 Vouchers, will come in handy as the purchase amounts are typically larger due to the nature of goods sold at supermarkets.
Singaporean households spent around $2.3 billion between the launch of the digital CDC Vouchers Scheme in December 2021 and July 2025 – $1.26 billion at participating hawkers and heartland merchants, and $1.04 billion at participating supermarkets.