Yahoo Finance 5 Things Singaporeans Can Do With Their $100 ActiveSG Credit
Singaporeans complain the government doesn’t give them enough welfare, but when they do get free money to participate in the ActiveSG or SkillsFuture intiatives, nobody bothers to find out how to use it.
In case you haven’t heard, all Singapore citizens and PRs who have signed up for a free ActiveSG membership get $100 worth of ActiveSG credits. Apparently Singaporeans are getting too fat, sedentary and diabetic, and this is the government’s way of pushing people to get moving.
If you signed up in 2015, your credits will be valid till 31 December 2016, and you just need to make one transaction to have it extended for another year.
Sounds like a pretty good deal, but not a single person I know has actually bothered to use their ActiveSG credits, and 90% have no idea how to use it or that it even exists. Here are 5 things you can do with yours.
1. Gain admission to public swimming pools
It’s time to stop complaining about not being able to afford a condo complete with swimming pool. Your ActiveSG credits get you free admission to Singapore public pools. At $1 to $2 per entry, you can go every week and still not use up your credits within a year. If you swim a lot, purchase a MyActiveSWIM pass instead of single entry tickets to get a bulk discount.
2. Work out at the gym for free
It’s time to cancel that expensive gym membership. Your ActiveSG credits give you free entry to ClubFITT gyms, which cost $2.50 per entry. If you’re fairly disciplined and go to the gym several times a week in the morning, you can use your ActiveSG credits to buy a MyActiveGym membership, which costs $80 and gives you an unlimited pass to the gym before 4pm every day.
3. Book courts for racquet sports
I’m pretty much hopeless at anything that requires eye-hand coordination, but even I am fairly proficient at badminton, as are 99% of Singaporeans. Your credits can be used to book facilities all over Singapore. There are badminton courts at school halls in most neighbourhoods, tennis courts at ten tennis centres, squash courts at five squash centres and table tennis courts at twelve sports halls.
4. Book playing grounds for team sports
If the idea of twenty people running after one ball makes you want to start running after the ball yourself rather than hide out in the air conditioned area away all the commotion, you’re probably the kind of person who actually likes team sports. You can book fields, pitches and courts for soccer, volleyball, futsal, basketball, netball and hockey if you’re part of a team that wants to pulverise another team for free.
5. Get a 30% discount on sports programmes
For the less sports-inclined amongst us, attempting a new sport alone is a recipe for broken bones. Much safer to take an exercise class in the presence of a teacher who can call an ambulance should you make a near-fatal mistake while attempting a new yoga pose.
ActiveSG actually runs a bunch of programmes which include zumba and KpopX fitness so you can unleash your inner auntie and ah lian respectively as well as bizarre-sounding exercise programmes like CardioMIX and PILOXING.
Then there are inline skating workshops for people who are afraid to fall, kickboxing for people with repressed aggression, archery for Legolas/Katniss wannabes and workshops in less outlandish sports like tennis, badminton and volleyball. These courses aren’t free, but you can use your ActiveSG credits to offset up to 30% of the price.
How do you use your ActiveSG credit?
No, a government representative is not going to show up at your home and hand you the $100 in cash, glorious cash. If the whole Singpass setup makes you want to claw your eyeballs out, you might not be pleased to know that the government is once again attempting to use technological wizardry to reach out to the masses.
First, you need to download the ActiveSG mobile app to your smartphone and register as a member or sign in if you’ve already done so. Then you’ll be able to view your credit balance, browse available facilities and programmes and make bookings on the app.
How do you plan to use your ActiveSG credit? Tell us in the comments!
Image Credits:
Jeremy Hui
The post 5 Things Singaporeans Can Do With Their $100 ActiveSG Credit appeared first on the MoneySmart blog.
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