Singapore Tourist Pass vs EZ-Link card: which is better for your trip?
Singapore: Go City explorer pass — choose 2 to 7 attractions
Should I get the Singapore Tourist Pass or an EZ-Link card?
For most visitors, an EZ-Link card (SGD 10 including SGD 5 credit, ~SGD 1.20–2.10 per MRT trip) is better value than the Tourist Pass (SGD 17–45 for unlimited rides). The Tourist Pass (SGD 17 for 1 day, up to SGD 45 for 5 days, non-refundable) only pays off on very active days with roughly 10+ MRT/bus trips. Most visitors doing 4–6 trips/day will spend far less on EZ-Link. Contactless bank cards (Visa/Mastercard) via SimplyGo work at MRT without any card purchase at all.
| Best for most visitors | EZ-Link card or SimplyGo (contactless bank card) |
| EZ-Link cost | SGD 10 (SGD 5 credit + SGD 5 non-refundable fee) |
| Tourist Pass cost | SGD 17–45 for 1–5 days (no deposit, non-refundable) |
| Break-even for Tourist Pass | Roughly 10–13 MRT/bus trips per day |
| Where to buy | MRT stations, 7-Eleven, TransitLink offices |
The three ways to pay for Singapore public transport
Before comparing Tourist Pass to EZ-Link, it helps to understand that Singapore has three main options for public transport payment:
1. Singapore Tourist Pass — unlimited bus and train rides for a set number of days. Purchased specifically for tourist use.
2. EZ-Link card — Singapore’s standard contactless transit card used by residents and visitors alike. You load credit and pay per trip.
3. SimplyGo (contactless bank card/phone) — tap your Visa, Mastercard, Apple Pay, or Google Pay directly at MRT gates. Same fare as EZ-Link, no card needed.
Paper tickets were phased out. Cash payments on buses were eliminated. You must use one of the three above options.
Singapore Tourist Pass: the honest breakdown
The Tourist Pass sounds appealing — unlimited MRT and bus rides for a flat daily rate. But “unlimited” only has value if you actually ride enough to exceed what you would have paid individually.
Official prices (non-refundable, no deposit):
| Pass | Price | Price per day |
|---|---|---|
| 1 day | SGD 17 | SGD 17 |
| 2 day | SGD 24 | SGD 12 |
| 3 day | SGD 29 | SGD 9.67 |
| 4 day | SGD 37 | SGD 9.25 |
| 5 day | SGD 45 | SGD 9 |
There is no deposit and no card-return refund: what you pay is what the pass costs. Each pass day runs from first use until the end of transport service that day, and the pass covers buses and trains only.
To break even on the 1-day Tourist Pass: you need SGD 17 worth of EZ-Link fares in one day. At an average fare of SGD 1.30 per trip, that means approximately 13 trips. At SGD 1.60 average (moderate-distance trips), break-even is about 10–11 trips. On a 5-day pass (SGD 9/day), you still need roughly 6–7 trips every single day just to match EZ-Link.
EZ-Link: per-trip cost reality
Singapore MRT fares are distance-based. The range:
- Minimum fare (1–2 stations): approximately SGD 0.83
- Average cross-city fare: approximately SGD 1.30–1.80
- Maximum fare (Changi Airport to Jurong): approximately SGD 2.16
Typical tourist day trip count and EZ-Link cost:
Compact day (staying near Marina Bay, walking between nearby attractions):
- Hotel MRT station → Orchard: SGD 1.50
- Orchard → Chinatown: SGD 1.10
- Chinatown → Marina Bay Sands: SGD 0.90
- MBS → Gardens by the Bay: walk/free
- Gardens → Hotel: SGD 1.00
- Total: ~SGD 4.50 — well under the 1-day Tourist Pass price of SGD 17
Active day (visiting spread-out areas):
- Hotel → Changi Jewel: SGD 1.80
- Changi → Mandai Zoo: SGD 2.10 (MRT + shuttle)
- Mandai → Little India: SGD 1.80
- Little India → Clarke Quay: SGD 1.20
- Clarke Quay → Hotel: SGD 1.40
- Total: ~SGD 8.30 — still about SGD 8.70 below the 1-day Tourist Pass price
Heavy transit day (multiple long journeys):
- Multiple cross-island trips including Sentosa, Mandai, Changi in one day
- Could reach SGD 12–15 in fares
- Only at the top of this range does the 1-day Tourist Pass (SGD 17) roughly break even; it rarely saves more than a few dollars
Honest assessment: Most tourist days involve 4–6 MRT trips at average distances. At these numbers, EZ-Link costs approximately SGD 5–9/day, well below the Tourist Pass at SGD 9–17/day. The Tourist Pass rarely offers savings for typical tourist behaviour.
SimplyGo: the cleanest option for many travellers
If you have a contactless Visa or Mastercard bank card, you can tap directly at any MRT gate or bus reader without buying any Singapore transit card. The fare is debited to your bank account at the same rate as EZ-Link.
Advantages of SimplyGo with bank card:
- No card purchase, no queue at the machine
- No card fee (EZ-Link charges SGD 5 non-refundable card fee)
- Works immediately on arrival at Changi Airport
- No upfront pass price: you only pay for the rides you take
Disadvantages:
- Foreign bank card transaction fees may apply (1–3% on some cards)
- Less convenient if your card does not have contactless or if it fails at the gate
- Cannot be used for Sentosa Express monorail (EZ-Link required there)
For many Western travellers with Revolut, Wise, or similar fee-free travel cards: SimplyGo via bank card is unquestionably the best option — no Singapore card to buy, no fee, same fare.
Who the Tourist Pass actually benefits
The Tourist Pass makes financial sense for a fairly specific type of visitor:
- You are doing a packed day with 10+ MRT/bus trips — perhaps hitting Mandai, Sentosa, Chinatown, Marina Bay, and Little India all in one marathon day
- You have young children who generate extra transit legs (trips back to the hotel for rest, back out again)
- You dislike top-up logistics and want to pay once and not think about transit costs
- You are buying multiple Tourist Passes and want to bundle convenience for a group
For most solo travellers and couples on moderate-paced itineraries: EZ-Link or SimplyGo will be cheaper and simpler.
Singapore: Go City explorer pass — choose 2 to 7 attractionsWhen Grab beats any transit card
For some legs, a Grab or taxi is simply the better choice regardless of which transit card you carry. Late-night travel (after MRT closes around 11 pm–midnight, or between stations with no direct line), journeys with heavy luggage, or trips with more than 2–3 people can make Grab cost-competitive or even cheaper per person than multiple individual MRT fares. See the Grab and taxis in Singapore guide for typical fares and how they compare to transit costs on specific routes. A sensible strategy for most visitors is EZ-Link or SimplyGo for daytime MRT trips, with Grab reserved for late nights, luggage days, and group travel.
Group and family travel: card logistics
Families and groups add complexity that the individual cost comparison above does not capture. Each traveller needs their own EZ-Link card or their own contactless bank card for SimplyGo — cards cannot be shared for simultaneous tap-ins. For families with young children who ride free or at reduced fares (children under 0.9m ride free; taller children pay child fares with a concession card), factor this into your per-person calculation, as it shifts the Tourist Pass economics since children’s passes are also discounted.
Groups making many short trips together sometimes find the psychological simplicity of “everyone has a Tourist Pass, nobody worries about balances” worth a small premium over the theoretically cheaper EZ-Link option — this is a legitimate reason to choose the pass even outside the strict break-even math. For the full family cost picture beyond transport, see Singapore travel costs and Singapore on a budget.
The Changi Airport situation
From Changi Airport T2/T3, the MRT East-West Line runs directly to City Hall and beyond. This is the cheapest airport transfer (~SGD 2 by MRT versus SGD 25–40 by Grab).
Tourist Pass for airport day: If you arrive at Changi on Day 1 and immediately buy a Tourist Pass, you start the clock on your pass day. Make sure the day count suits your actual visit duration. A 3-day Tourist Pass purchased on arrival gives you Days 1–3 of unlimited transport — calculate whether this matches your actual departure logistics.
Simplest Changi arrival option: Have a contactless bank card ready and tap through the MRT gates via SimplyGo immediately. No queue, no card purchase.
See Changi Airport to the city for the full airport transfer options.
For a closer technical look at how SimplyGo differs from a physical EZ-Link card, see EZ-Link vs SimplyGo. If you have already decided the Tourist Pass suits your trip, the Singapore Tourist Pass guide covers where to buy it in more detail.
Matching your card to your itinerary
The right choice depends less on the card than on the shape of your days. If you plan to stay in one or two areas and walk between sights, the per-trip fare adds up slowly and EZ-Link or SimplyGo wins easily. Neighbourhoods that sit close together, such as Chinatown and Marina Bay, are a good example of days where you will tap in only a handful of times.
Days that spread across the island are where the maths starts to tilt. A morning at Mandai followed by an evening in Little India means long rides in opposite directions, and it is on days like this that a pass can start to look reasonable. If you are still sketching your plan, the 3-day Singapore itinerary shows how a typical first visit groups areas together, which tells you quickly how many transit legs you are really signing up for.
Sentosa deserves its own thought, because the island has its own transport rules and a different feel from the rest of the city. Read getting to Sentosa before you decide, since the way you reach the island affects whether a pass earns its keep on that day.
Singapore: Sentosa Island express passPractical recommendation
Use SimplyGo (contactless bank card) if:
- You have a Visa or Mastercard with NFC/contactless that does not charge foreign transaction fees
- You want zero admin on arrival
Buy EZ-Link if:
- Your bank card charges foreign fees
- You prefer the psychological certainty of a local transit card
- You want to use vending machines, 7-Eleven, or store purchases that accept EZ-Link (some convenience stores accept it as payment)
Buy Tourist Pass if:
- Your daily trip count will genuinely reach 10+ trips/day
- You value fixed costs over per-trip calculation
- You are travelling in a group and want simple management
If transport spending is part of a wider cost worry, Singapore for first-timers pulls the basics together in one place. For further transport detail, see Getting around Singapore and Singapore MRT guide: how to use it, pay for it, and love it.
Frequently asked questions about Tourist Pass vs EZ-Link
Can I get a refund on an EZ-Link card at the end of my visit?
Yes. You can refund residual EZ-Link balance at any MRT station TransitLink office. There is a SGD 0.50 administrative fee for refunds. If you have less than SGD 1 left, the balance is not refunded. Alternatively, leave it as future Singapore visit credit — EZ-Link cards do not expire.
Do Tourist Pass and EZ-Link cards work on buses?
Yes, both work on all SBS Transit and SMRT buses in Singapore. The same tap-in/tap-out system applies. Tourist Pass gives unlimited bus rides within its validity; EZ-Link deducts distance-based fares.
Does the Tourist Pass cover the Sentosa Express monorail?
The official Tourist Pass covers buses and trains only, so do not count on it for the Sentosa Express monorail (SGD 4 entry per trip for EZ-Link users). Check the current terms before relying on it for Sentosa trips.
Can I top up my EZ-Link card at Changi Airport?
Yes. There are EZ-Link top-up machines (GTMs — General Ticketing Machines) throughout Changi Airport, including before MRT entry. You can also buy a new EZ-Link card at the TransitLink office in Changi Airport Arrival Hall.
What happens if my EZ-Link card runs out of credit on the MRT?
If your balance is too low to cover a trip, you cannot exit the MRT station turnstile. You will need to add value at an add-value machine (GTM) inside the station. EZ-Link cards have a default minimum balance requirement of SGD 0.10.
Is there a Singapore Tourist Pass for airport transfers?
The Tourist Pass covers MRT including the Changi Airport MRT connection. It does not cover taxis, private hire (Grab), or the Changi airport shuttle services. The airport MRT fare is simply included in the unlimited rides of the Tourist Pass.
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