Free Money: How to cash out most of your $100 NS55 credit

What are NS55 credits?

To celebrate 55 years of National Service (NS55), the Ministry of Defence and Ministry of Home Affairs is giving out an NS55 Recognition Package to thank past and present national servicemen for their contributions to Singapore’s defence and security.

The NS55 Recognition Package consists of $100 worth of credits that will be digitally disbursed via the LifeSG mobile application, and can be spent at any online/physical merchant accepting payment by “Scan and Pay” via PayNow UEN and/or NETS QR.

NEW: Transfer your entire NS55 credit to YouTrip

Still have not cashed out your NS55 credit? Mothership.sg shared today that you can transfer the entire $100 credit to YouTrip, without any fees!

You may then use your YouTrip card to pay for anything, including groceries and phone/utility bills.

Here’s how you do it:

1. On your YouTrip mobile app, tap on Top Up
2. Change the Top Up Method to PayNow
3. Enter the amount that you would like to transfer to YouTrip (e.g. $100)
4. Tap on Generate QR Code
5. Tap on Save to Photos
6. Open your LifeSG app and view NS55 credit
7. Tap on Scan QR code to pay
8. Open your saved QR code image and complete the top-up

That’s it!

If you had cashed out $90 through the Sheng Siong method, you can transfer the remaining $9.80 to YouTrip using this method too.

How to cash out your NS55 credit (via Sheng Siong)

I was alerted by a Suitesmile reader of a viral TikTok video that shared how this credit can be withdrawn in cold hard cash, at least most of it.

Here’s how to do it:

1) Check if you have been credited

Download the LifeSG app from Apple App Store or Google Play Store, log in using your SingPass account and check if you have been credited (see image below). If you are eligible, you should receive it by the end of July 2022.

2) Look for a $tm near you

Most, if not all, Sheng Siong supermarkets have $tm machines that allow cash withdrawals. Visit this page to look for an outlet near you.

3) Tap on PayNow

4) Enter the withdrawal amount

Sheng Siong charges $0.20 “convenience fee” for this service. For that reason, you will not be able to withdraw $100 as there will be a $0.20 shortage.

As the machine can only dispense $10 and $50 denominations, the next best option will be to withdraw $90 in cash.

To do this, tap on “other amounts”, key in “90” and tap on “With Receipt”.

5) Scan the QR code

Open your LifeSG app and tap on the “Scan QR code to pay” button on the LifeSG app. Then, scan the code that you see on the machine (see images below).

6) Collect your cash

Once you have scanned the QR code, it can take about 20 to 30 seconds for the cash to be dispensed. Do not panic!

Once the withdrawal is complete, you will have a balance of $9.80 shown in the LifeSG app, which you can, of course, use for other spending at a participating merchant.

Bottom line

It requires a little bit of work but it is fairly easy for eligible national servicemen to cash out these credits. Enjoy!