Some 5% of NETS' terminal network has been unable to perform QR, tap and PIN transaction since the morning of Sept 23, the Singaporean electronic payment service provider confirmed to The Edge Singapore at around 5.30pm on Sept 23.
According to NETS, customers are advised to use SGQR or pay by cash in the meantime. "The issue was discovered this morning. We are working to restore the service as soon as possible and apologise for the inconvenience caused," reads NETS' statement to The Edge Singapore.
NETS had said in a Facebook post at 10.12am that some NETS terminals have been unable to perform certain transactions. According to NETS, users have reported issues with debit card, credit card, QR, tap and PIN transactions.
“Customers are advised to use SGQR or pay by cash in the meantime,” reads the Facebook post by NETS. “We are working to restore the service as soon as possible and apologise for the inconvenience caused.”
In an update to the same Facebook post at 10.50pm on Sept 23, NETS says some terminals are "still experiencing partial unavailability".
Channel checks by The Edge Singapore on the morning of Sept 23 found that some Sheng Siong supermarket outlets could not accept DBS D05 and POSB card payments, but were able to accept transactions via United Overseas Bank U11 (UOB) and Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation (OCBC) O39 cards.
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DBS shared an update on its Facebook page at 1.28pm, saying it had been informed by NETS that “payment transactions, such as QR, credit/debit and NETS card transactions via some NETS terminals” were “temporarily unavailable”.
Instead, DBS advised its customers to use DBS/POSB digibank and PayLah! to scan and pay SGQR codes. “You can also make payment via PayNow,” says the bank.
Meanwhile, OCBC and UOB have not shared any updates on their respective social media pages. Representatives from OCBC and UOB say they have not received reports of issues from their users.
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The Edge Singapore has reached out to Sheng Siong for comment.
On Sept 23, shares in DBS closed 46 cents higher, or 1.18% up, at $39.46; while shares in OCBC closed 17 cents higher, or 1.1% up, at $15.64; and shares in UOB closed 31 cents higher, or 0.94% up, at $33.25.
Meanwhile, shares in Sheng Siong closed 1 cent lower, or 0.66% down, at $1.50 on Sept 23.