Getting older doesn’t mean getting less awesome. In fact, if you live in Singapore, becoming a senior citizen means you suddenly gain access to a whole bunch of discounts that make it easier to enjoy life while stretching your retirement savings and CPF payouts.
Some of these discounts are available for seniors who have turned 55, but the most of them set the minimum age at 60 years old.
Senior citizen discounts and benefits in Singapore 2019
| Category | Minimum age | Senior citizen discount |
| Supermarkets | 60 | 2% or 3% off at NTUC, Giant, Sheng Siong, Cold Storage |
| Pharmacies | 50 | 5% at Watsons, Guardian |
| Attractions | 60 | Discounted fees at Singapore Zoo, Night Safari, Bird Park, Gardens by the Bay, RWS, Singapore Flyer, ArtScience Museum, Wild Wild Wet |
| Cinemas | 55 | $4 or $5 movie tickets at Shaw, GV, Cathay, Filmgarde, WE Cinemas |
| Restaurants | 55 / 60 | 1-for-1 / discounts / special buffet prices |
| Fitness | 55 | Discounted entry / membership rates |
| Learning | 50 | Discounted courses at PA / National Silver Academy |
| Telcos | 55 / 60 | Freebies / discounts at M1, Starhub, Singtel |
| Public transport | 60 | $60 concession pass |
| Health / wellness | 60 | Various for PAssion Silver Card holders |
| Travel | 60 | Various for PAssion Silver Card holders |
2% to 3% off groceries at NTUC FairPrice, Giant & Sheng Siong
Everybody’s got to eat, no matter their age and budget. So you’ll be pleased to know that all 4 major supermarket chains in Singapore — NTUC FairPrice, Giant, Sheng Siong and even Cold Storage — all offer senior citizen discounts.
| Supermarket | Minimum age | Discount |
| NTUC FairPrice | 70 in 2019 | 3% off on Mondays and Wednesdays |
| NTUC FairPrice | 60 in 2019 | 2% off on Tuesdays |
| Giant | 60 | 3% off on Tuesdays |
| Sheng Siong | 60 | 3% off on Wednesdays |
| Cold Storage | 60 | 3% off on Wednesdays |
At FairPrice, Pioneer Generation members (ie. those aged 70 and above in 2019 who obtained Singapore citizenship on or before 31 December 1986) enjoy 3% discount every Monday and Wednesday. Meanwhile, all seniors aged 60 and above get 2% discount on Tuesdays.
At all other chains, senior citizens aged 60 and above get 3% off groceries. Go to Giant on Tuesdays, and Sheng Siong or Cold Storage on Wednesdays.
See this article for full details on the different supermarket promotions for senior citizens.
Up to 10% discount at Watsons, Guardian & Unity Pharmacy
| Pharmacy | Minimum age | Discount |
| Unity | 70 in 2019 | 3% off on Mondays and Wednesdays |
| Unity | 60 in 2019 | 2% off on Wednesdays |
| Watsons | 50 | 5% off storewide + 10% off prescription and pharmacy products |
| Guardian | 50 | 5% off with Guardian Golden Senior Card |
Every Tuesday is Senior Tuesday at Unity Pharmacy, where customers aged 60 and above enjoy 2% discount on their purchases. Meanwhile, Pioneer Generation seniors also get 3% discount on Mondays and Thursdays. All senior discounts are valid for purchases of up to $200.
You don’t need to be a member to enjoy the discounts at Unity. However, if you’re a loyal customer at Watsons or Guardian, you can consider signing up as a member to get greater discounts.=
If you are at least 50 years old, you qualify for the Watsons Jubilee Card and the Guardian Golden Senior Card. There is a one-time sign-up fee of $5 each, but these cards let you get quite a decent discount storewide.
At least 25% off tickets to Singapore Zoo, Night Safari, Gardens by the Bay & more
Now you have an excuse to take your grandkids to the zoo. All the Wildlife Reserves Parks — namely, Singapore Zoo, Night Safari, River Safari and Jurong Bird Park — offer senior citizens over 60 generous discounts.
In fact, so do most attractions in Singapore:
| Attraction | Minimum age | Senior citizen ticket prices |
| ArtScience Museum | 60 | $12 (1 exhibition) / $20 (2 exhibitions) / $24 (all access) |
| Gardens by the Bay | 60 | $8 (1 conservatory) / $15 (2 conservatories) |
| Jurong Bird Park | 60 | $9.80 w/ PAssion Silver card |
| Night Safari | 60 | $14.70 w/ PAssion Silver card |
| RWS SEA Aquarium | 60 | $20 / $26 (U.P. $30 / $36 for adults) |
| RWS Universal Studios Singapore | 60 | $41 (U.P. $75 for adults) |
| Singapore Flyer | 60 | $24 (U.P. $33 for adults) |
| Singapore Zoo / River Safari | 60 | $11.20 w/ PAssion Silver card |
| Wild Wild Wet | 55 | $18 (weekdays) / $24 (weekends) |
| Wild Wild Wet | 70 (Pioneer) | Free |
For instance, at the Singapore Zoo, you pay $17 instead of $37, which amounts to a 54% discount, while the Night Safari costs $21 instead of the usual $49, a 57% discount.
You get even further discounts at Wildlife Reserves Singapore with a PAssion card until 31 March 2020, which will enable you to enter the zoo for just $11.90 and the Jurong Bird Park for just $9.80. Shiok!
Meanwhile, at Gardens by the Bay, senior citizens get 25% discount on admission to the two conservatories, the Cloud Forest and Flower Dome, paying $8/$15 for to entry one/two conservatories instead of $12/$20.
Finally, if you’re accompanying the grandkids on a big day out at Resorts World Sentosa, their many attractions also offer deep discounts if you’re 60 or older. We’ve highlighted the admission prices for RWS’ Universal Studios and SEA Aquarium above.
$4 to $5 movies for senior citizens at Golden Village, Shaw & Cathay Cineplexes
Going to the cinema in the afternoon while everyone else is at work is now more satisfying than ever, thanks to the many senior citizen cinema discounts for those aged 55 and above.
| Cinema | Senior citizen movie ticket price | When |
| Shaw | $4 | Mon to Fri before 6pm |
| Cathay | $4 (Wed) / $5 | Wed all day / Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri before 6pm |
| WE Cinemas | $4.50 | Mon to Fri before 6pm |
| Filmgarde | $5 | Mon to Fri before 6pm |
| Golden Village | $5 | Mon to Fri before 6pm |
| The Projector | $11.50 | Anytime |
At Shaw Theatres, seniors aged 55 and above pay $4 for regular tickets on Mondays to Fridays before 6pm, while Golden Village charges $5.
Our favourite one is Cathay Cineplexes though — seniors aged 55 and above pay $4 for movie tickets all day on Wednesdays, and you can also get hot tea or coffee for $1 with every ticket. (On other weekdays, it’s $5 before 6pm.)
Plus, Cathay is now running a $1 movie ticket promotion for their classic Chinese movie screenings throughout the month of August.
Senior citizen dining discounts up to 50% off!
Lots of restaurants and cafes in Singapore offer senior dining deals, including the following:
- Pizza Hut: 50% off on weekdays from 1:30pm to 5pm (55 and above)
- Straits Cafe: 50% off lunch and dinner buffet from Sun to Thu (60 and above)
- 18 Chefs: $2 off main courses (55 and above)
- Tiffany Café & Restaurant: $25 nett buffet lunch and $30 nett buffet dinner on Mon and Tue; weekend high tea at $22 nett (60 and above)
- Café Oriental at Amara Hotel: 50% off main course on weekends (60 and above)
- Buffet Town: $25 nett senior lunch special on weekdays, public holidays and eve of public holidays excluded (60 and above)
For the full list of 27(!) senior citizen dining discounts (including lots of cheap buffets) head over here.
Discounted rates at public & private gyms
Keeping fit as a retiree isn’t limited to just the elderly fitness corner — if you’re looking to spice up your fitness routine, seniors can get really cheap rates at public ActiveSG facilities.
If you’re 55 years old and above, it costs just $1.50 to enter and work out at the ActiveSG gym, while entry to one of the public swimming pools costs just $0.50 to $1 depending on which pool you go to on which day.
Even private gym GymmBoxx has a special membership rate for seniors who want to work on strength training — monthly membership (good for unlimited entry and use of facilities) ranges from $40 to $60 a month depending on how long you commit to the membership.
Affordable lifelong learning for age 50 & up
The government has been pumping in a lot of support (read: money) into lifelong learning opportunities for seniors. As long as you’re at least 50 years old, you can pick up new skills at the National Silver Academy or PA’s Senior Academy.
The National Silver Academy has a wide range of short courses (3 to 12 weeks) covering all kinds of topics, such as business, technology, health and the arts. Course fees vary, but as the government subsidises 50% of course fees for seniors aged 50 and up, they’re very affordable. You can use your SkillsFuture credits to pay for the rest of the fees.
PA’s Senior Academy is also a very interesting programme where you can take mini-courses ($10 each) on things like how to use WeChat and how to start a business. Take 10 courses and you get a cert + invitation to a convocation ceremony.
Special senior plans from Singtel & StarHub
As a senior, you might not exactly be uploading pictures onto Snapchat, but paying cheaper phone bills is still something to celebrate.
Singtel Silver Combo Plans are mobile data plans that are discounted from regular data plans considering what you get, and you can qualify if you are aged at least 60. Meanwhile, StarHub’s Active Stars offers seniors aged 55 and above 25% more credit when topping up a Happy Prepaid SIM card.
But, although they’re a nice gesture, they’re actually nothing to shout about. It might actually be better for most seniors to get a SIM-only phone plan instead.
Public transport concession passes at $60 per month
Seniors aged 60 and up already enjoy concessionary rates on public transport, as long as they use their Senior Citizen Concession Card / PAssion Silver card.
However, if you have not retired yet and frequently take public transport to work, you can opt for the Hybrid Concession Pass, which offers unlimited rides on basic bus and MRT/LRT services.
This costs $60 a month for seniors aged 60 and up, which is also half the price of the Adult Monthly Travel Pass.
Health & wellness discounts with PAssion Silver card
Once you get a PAssion Silver card at the age of 60, you’re entitled to a whole bunch of benefits and discounts at PAssion merchants. We’ve covered some of the dining and recreation ones above, but you can also get discounts at health and wellness merchants.
For example, a PAssion Silver card lets you get a $30 full-body massage or a facelift at LifeSpa. You can also get modest discounts at TCM shops like Eu Yan Sang and Yue Hwa.
Special rates for travel bookings & packages
The golden years are a wonderful time for travel. Some tour operators, cruise/ferry operators and hotels offer discretionary discounts if you can show that you’re a senior citizen, typically above the age of 55 or 60. For example, Royal Caribbean has special rates for those aged 55 and up.
If you have a PAssion Silver card, even better. You can get $20 to $80 off tours with Chan Brothers, Dynasty Travel and SA Tours, and up to 50% off ferry rides to Batam with BatamFast, Majestic Fast and Sindo Ferry.
Do you know of any other senior citizen discounts in Singapore? Share them in the comments!
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