A woman was recently accused of being "embarrassing" after she used her CDC vouchers to pay for a $100 meal during a date — prompting fresh debate over the intended use of the government-issued vouchers.
In a now-viral TikTok post, the woman shared that she had offered to pay for dinner since she was the one who invited her date out. Upon realising the restaurant accepted CDC vouchers, she decided to use them.
"Any normal person would be happy. I didn't even know restaurants can use CDC vouchers... so I used la."
But the mood quickly soured. As she was leaving the car, her date remarked: "Why did you use CDC vouchers to pay? It's kinda embarrassing, eh."
The incident sparked a flurry of responses online, with many criticising the man's attitude.
"More embarrassing that she wasted her CDC voucher on him," one commenter said. Others pointed out that the vouchers were still a form of money, and praised her for using them wisely.
"CDC is still considered money bruh," one said. "You dodged a bullet with a CDC voucher," another user added.
Some even shared their own stories. "We celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary eating my favourite chilli crabs, and were happy to pay with CDC vouchers," said one commenter.
Still, not everyone agreed. One commenter argued that the vouchers were meant to support households, not individuals. "She just used it without her parents' permission," one commenter wrote.
The CDC Vouchers Scheme was first launched in December 2021 to thank Singaporeans for their sense of solidarity during the Covid-19 pandemic and to support local businesses at HDB estates and hawkers.
The discussion was already heating up in May after another woman posted a TikTok showing how she offset $290 from the cost of a 1TB iPhone 15 Pro Max using CDC vouchers at Mister Mobile.
In her video, she said she was surprised the vouchers could be used that way. Joy, 32, told MS News that although she is not a Singaporean, she received the vouchers through her husband and combined them from previous and current batches.
"I thought I got a really good deal," she said.
Her video drew mixed reactions. Some commenters said the vouchers were intended to offset inflation-related expenses, not luxury goods.
Others pointed to a deeper issue — whether the current distribution of vouchers, which allocates the same amount to all households, remains fair.
"Why do all households get the same amount? Our fellow citizens living in landed homes are getting the same amount as someone in a rental flat," a commenter pointed out.
However, many defended the practice, pointing out that there are no restrictions on what can be bought — only that CDC vouchers must be used at participating hawker stalls, heartland shops, and supermarkets.
"Why do people care what others use their CDC vouchers for?" one said.
