Yes. International payments by Visa and Mastercard are accepted in almost every supermarket, shop and restaurant in Singapore. Most large retailers (supermarkets, department stores, hotels, chain restaurants, etc.) also accept American Express cards.

Be advised that most card machines in Singapore do not support chip and pin payments. Unlike in the UK, the majority of payments in Singapore are made by swiping your card’s magetic strip and signing the receipt. You need to be aware that many British cards don’t support swiping payments unless the feature is activitated beforehand.

In shops that have the newest type of card readers, contactless payments are accepted for purchases of up to $100 SGD. Singaporean contactless smart card like EZ-link and NETS Flashpay are very popular with the locals. Contactless payments can be used for public transport and taxis. They are also widely accepted in food courts, convenience stores, supermarkets and selected hawker centres.

Be aware of currency conversion fees: British banks may charge heavily for international card payments made in Singapore. In addition, your bank’s SGD to GBP exchange rate may not be so good. This is how banks make money. Before using your bank card for payments in Singapore, it’s certainly a good idea to contact your bank. This will avoid your card becoming blocked due to international transactions that your bank may find suspicious.

It’s recommended that you take Singapore Dollar cash with you on your trip to Singapore.

Cash is a popular means of payment in Singapore and it’s a great fallback option. In addition you will be able to spend money without having to worry about the exchange rate fees charged by your bank or card provider.

Coffee in a hawker centre, also known as Kopitiam, costs $1.20 SGD to $1.90 SGD. For a three-course dinner in a mid-range restaurant the bill will be in the area of $40 SGD to $60 SGD, including a 10% service charge.

The overall cost of living in Singapore is around 25% higher than the cost of living in the UK.

Tipping is not common practice in Singapore. A 10% service charge is usually already added to the bill. Just paying the bill, including service charge, is fine.