65 and 70. Those are the numbers every Singapore worker in their 50s and 60s should know, now that the Government is bringing its retirement and re-employment age hikes forward by a year. More focused on this month's bills? FairPrice has a deal that rewards your next big grocery run, but don't wait too long. Travelling soon? One local bank now lets you score overseas deals without leaving its app. And if you're shopping for a car, the latest COE quota may not swing in your favour. Here's what you need to know this week.
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Retirement age to rise to 65 and re-employment age to 70 from 2029
Planning to keep working past your early 60s? You'll soon have more runway. Singapore will raise the retirement age to 65 and the re-employment age to 70 on 1 January 2029, a year ahead of the original target. The ages rose to 64 and 69 in July 2026.
The changes come from the Tripartite Workgroup on Senior Employment, whose 6 recommendations the Government has accepted:
- Flexi-load work: A new programme and office to help employers create roles with flexible workloads and pay to match, replacing the Part-Time Re-employment Grant
- Lower taxes: Enhanced earned income relief for seniors who work beyond the retirement and re-employment ages
- Updated EAP: Minimum and maximum Employment Assistance Payment amounts revised for wage growth, for workers who aren't re-employed
- New Re-Employment Credit: Replaces the Senior Employment Credit, which expires at the end of 2027
- Lower-wage support: An enhanced Workfare Income Supplement and an updated Progressive Wage Credit Scheme
More details will be shared during the Committee of Supply debates in the first half of 2027.
ALSO READ: Best Retirement Savings Plans in Singapore
FairPrice is giving out $5 return vouchers for every $50 spent until 9 November 2026
Planning a big grocery run before the year-end festivities? Time it right. FairPrice shoppers can get a $5 return voucher for every $50 spent in a single transaction from 29 October to 9 November 2026.
Here's how it works:
- Where to earn: FairPrice, FairPrice Finest, FairPrice Xtra, and Unity stores
- How much: $5 per $50 spent in 1 transaction, capped at 4 vouchers ($20) per transaction
- Where to use: All FairPrice supermarkets and Unity pharmacies, with no minimum spend
- When to use: From the day after they're issued until 30 November 2026
This is FairPrice's 6th round of return vouchers in 2026, part of its push to help households manage grocery bills ahead of Deepavali and Christmas.
It's not the only deal around. CHAS Blue and Orange cardholders get 6% off groceries (up from 3%) until 1 January 2027 (on Thursdays and Fridays respectively), on up to $200 of purchases a day. Selected chicken and egg products are also cheaper at more than 100 FairPrice supermarkets until 31 December 2026.
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- savings on groceries and food
- Up to 21%
- petrol savings (on Caltex and Esso)
- Up to 20%
- FX Fees
- 0%
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Golden chance to win up to S$8K cashback!
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ALSO READ: Trust Freedom Credit Card Review (2026)—Singapore's First Credit Card Offering Stockback
OCBC launches Alipay+ Travel Treat for in-app overseas deals and vouchers
Image: OCBC
Scanning QR codes to pay overseas? OCBC wants to make it pay you back. It's now the first bank in Singapore to let customers redeem travel vouchers on overseas QR payments, via Alipay+ Travel Treat in its app.
Skip the separate apps and loyalty sign-ups. Claim vouchers before your trip, and they're automatically applied when you scan to pay at participating merchants.
- Merchants: 200+ at launch, including Shake Shack, Don Quijote, 7-Eleven, and Suria KLCC
- Destinations: Mainland China, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Macau, Malaysia, and Thailand, with more to come
- How to claim: Tap Rewards in the OCBC app, select Alipay+ Travel Treat, and claim your vouchers
Scan-to-pay is booming among OCBC travellers. In the first 8 months of 2026, the number of OCBC app users paying Alipay+ merchants overseas, and how much they spent, more than doubled year-on-year, led by trips to mainland China, Japan, and South Korea.
Paying by card instead? Compare the best credit cards for overseas spending to find one that rewards your travels.
- on Agoda accommodations worldwide
- S$1 = Up to 7 Miles
- on Foreign Currency spend
- S$1 = 2.1 Miles
- on Local spend
- S$1 = 1.3 Miles
Get $200 Cash or 3,000 SmartPoints (enough to redeem an AirPods 5 worth S$219) when you apply and spend a min. of S$400 within 30 days! T&Cs apply.
COE quota for luxury cars up 3.3%, unchanged for mainstream cars
Eyeing a new car before the year ends? Don't count on more mainstream COEs. The COE quota for November 2026 to January 2027 will rise 1.1% overall to 19,298, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) announced on 26 October 2026. But most of the extra supply goes to luxury cars.
There'll also be no "cut and fill" additions for cars this round. Introduced in May 2023, this policy brings forward guaranteed de-registrations, such as vehicles renewed with 5-year COEs, to boost supply. Cat A got 200 such additions last quarter, while Cat B got none.
LTA added that this quota won't be affected by the ongoing review of COE categories for cars.
ALSO READ: Best Affordable Electric Cars in Singapore
That's it for this week! Stay tuned for next week's What's Happening This Week to keep up with the latest in finance, business, and beyond.
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