7 types of senior citizen discounts in Singapore from groceries to phone plans (2019)

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'S DISCOUNTS AND BENEFITS IN SINGAPORE 2019

2 PER CENT TO 3 PER CENT OFF GROCERIES AT NTUC FAIRPRICE, GIANT AND SHENG SIONG

Everybody's got to eat, no matter their age and budget. So you'll be pleased to know that NTUC FairPrice, Giant and Sheng Siong all offer senior citizen discounts.

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 per cent discount every Monday and Thursday. Meanwhile, all seniors aged 60 and above get 2 per cent discount on Tuesdays.

Meanwhile, at Giant, senior citizens aged 60 and above get 3 per cent off groceries on Tuesdays.

And at Sheng Siong, senior citizens aged 60 and above get 3 per cent discount, subject to a $200 cap.

AT LEAST 25 PER CENT OFF TICKETS TO WILDLIFE RESERVES SINGAPORE GROUP AND GARDENS BY THE BAY

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.

For instance, at the zoo, you pay $17 instead of $37, which amounts to a 54 per cent discount, while the Night Safari costs $21 instead of the usual $49, a 57 per cent 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 per cent 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.

$4 TO $5 MOVIES FOR SENIOR CITIZENS AT GOLDEN VILLAGE, SHAW AND 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.

At Golden Village, seniors aged 55 and above pay $5 per movie ticket all year round on Mondays to Fridays before 6pm.

At Shaw Theatres, seniors aged 55 and above pay $4 for regular tickets, $12 for IMAX digital tickets and $14 for IMAX 3D tickets on Mondays to Fridays before 6pm.

At Cathay Cineplexes, seniors aged 55 and above pay $5 for movie tickets before 6pm every day except Wednesday, and just $4 on Wednesdays before 6pm. On Wednesdays, you also get hot tea or coffee for $1 with your movie ticket.

The discounts are not valid on public holidays and eves of public holidays.

UP TO 10 PER CENT DISCOUNT AT UNITY PHARMACY AND WATSON'S

Every Tuesday is Senior Tuesday at Unity Pharmacy, where customers aged 60 and above enjoy 2 per cent discount on their purchases. Meanwhile, Pioneer Generation seniors also get 3 per cent discount on Mondays and Thursdays. All senior discounts are valid for purchases of up to $200.

Meanwhile, at Watson's, Jubilee Card members aged 50 and above get 10 per cent off all prescription and pharmacy products, 5 per cent off other products and 10 per cent off all products in their birthday month.

CHEAPER PHONE BILLS WITH SENIOR PLANS FROM M1, SINGTEL AND STARHUB

As a senior, you might not exactly be uploading pictures onto Snapchat, but paying cheaper phone bills is still something to celebrate.

M1's Senior Plans and Singtel's Silver 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 55 (for M1) or 60 (for Singtel).

They're nothing really to shout with these traditional postpaid plans. I don't know about you, but senior citizens these days are proficient in social media and consume tons of content online so the 100 MB to 3 GB worth of data offered by these postpaid plans will hardly be enough.

M1 SENIOR PLANS

M1 senior plans are at the same prices as the regular postpaid plans, but senior plans have unlimited free calls to 5 M1 numbers and an additional 1GB data. You also get a promotional waiver of first month's subscription for Caller ID if you're a new customer.

SINGTEL SILVER COMBO PLANS

Singtel Silver Combo Plans are clearly targeted at people who like to talk a lot on the phone. But at $55.12, even the discounted price is a little steep.

A good alternative to this plan, say if you really need the talktime, would be the MyRepublic Uno 18 plan. At $18 you get 1GB of data, 1000 minutes of talktime and it even comes with no contract.

Starhub senior citizen benefits

Meanwhile, StarHub's Active Stars offers seniors aged 55 and above 25 per cent more credit when topping up a Happy Prepaid SIM card.

SENIOR DINING DEALS UP TO 50 PER CENT OFF!

Lots of restaurants and cafes in Singapore offer senior dining deals, including the following:

-Pizza Hut: 50 per cent off on weekdays from 1:30pm to 5pm (55 and above)

-Straits Cafe: 50 per cent off lunch and dinner buffet from Sun to Thu (60 and above)

-18 Chefs: $2 off main courses (55 and above)

-Tiffany Cafe & Restaurant: $25 nett buffet lunch and $30 nett buffet dinner on Mon and Tue; weekend high tea at $22 nett (60 and above)

-Cafe Oriental at Amara Hotel: 50 per cent 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)

PUBLIC TRANSPORT CONCESSION PASSES AT $60 PER MONTH

The Hybrid Concession Pass, which offers unlimited rides on basic bus and MRT/LRT services, costs just $60 once you get your Senior Citizen Concession Card at the age of 60.

If you have not retired yet and usually take public transport to work, this will definitely lower your monthly transport costs. It is also half the price of the Adult Monthly Travel Pass.

And if you're retired, that also means you'll be able to take public transport at leisure, consciously avoiding peak hour.

This article was first published in MoneySmart.