In an interview with The Star earlier this year, Touch ‘n Go Group’s Chief Executive Officer said that the Touch ‘n Go Card would bring two changes, namely a surcharge waiver for parking fees and the ability for the Touch ‘n Go eWallet to recharge the Touch ‘n Go Card.
The first change has already been introduced, which means that users will no longer have to pay a surcharge when using their Touch ‘n Go Card to pay for parking. The second reform, which allows users to recharge their Touch ‘n Go Card directly from the Touch ‘n Go eWallet, has not yet been officially launched.
Currently, the Touch ‘n Go Card can only be reloaded through Kiosk or over the counter, which causes a lot of inconvenience to users. If Touch ‘n Go does launch the Touch ‘n Go eWallet for Touch ‘n Go Card recharge as expected, it will be a big breakthrough for the Touch ‘n Go Group, and it will solve the user’s troubles in recharging.
Why can’t Touch ‘n Go eWallet recharge Touch ‘n Go Card directly? The Touch ‘n Go card is a smart card with a built-in microchip, so transactions and top-ups can only be done through a card reader. If Touch ‘n Go eWallet is to be introduced to recharge the Touch ‘n Go card directly, then a new Touch ‘n Go card may need to be introduced.
Referring to the Octopus model in Hong Kong, users must use an NFC-enabled phone to recharge their Octopus and then place their Octopus card on the back of the phone. This model is equivalent to treating the phone as a card reader.
Hopefully, Touch ‘n Go will soon be available as an e-purse for Touch ‘n Go card top-ups.
