SINGAPORE — In a breakthrough for the adoption of Near Field Communication (NFC) payments in Singapore, commuters will be able to tap their smartphones to make payments for all public bus and train fares, though iPhone users are not included just yet.

In a joint release, the Land Transport Authority (LTA), Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA), and EZ-Link said the mode of payment is available — after the purchase of an NFC SIM card — to 19 Android models from three mobile phone makers, Samsung, LG and Sony.

Apple iPhones are excluded for now because they are currently not compatible with the NFC Contactless e-Purse Application payment platform, said an LTA spokesperson, in response to TODAY’s queries. iPhone users made up around 38 per cent of the market here, based on data from market research firm IDC last August.

The LTA spokesperson added: “We are happy to work together with EZ-Link, the mobile network operators and mobile phone manufacturers, including Apple, to certify more NFC-enabled mobile phones in future.”

Apple did not respond to queries by press time.

To use their smartphones to pay for public transport fares, commuters holding the selected NFC-enabled devices need to first get a new SIM card, priced at S$37.45 by all three telcos.

M1 started making the NFC SIM card available from Tuesday (March 30), saying it will waive the S$9.10 activation fee for sign-ups until the end of April.

StarHub said its customers can get the SIM cards from Saturday. Existing subscribers will be charged S$26.75 for replacement SIM cards.

Singtel, the biggest telco, will offer the NFC SIM cards from late next month. It will be waiving the S$5 EZ-Link registration fee for a limited time.

After installing the SIM cards, users need to turn on the NFC function on their mobile phones. Topping up the purse can be done through the same way as for EZ-Link cards at Add Value Machines or using the EZ-Link app, available on the Google Play Store. The app allows users to check their EZ-Link purse balance and transaction history.

All in, there are now more than 30,000 places where these users of NFC-enabled smartphones can make payments, including retail, food and beverage outlets, and on taxis.

Before this, the authorities had tested NFC payments for public transport in a trial from August 2014 to last month involving 15 mobile phone models. About 1,000 users clocked more than 30,000 transactions in that period.

iPhone user Zara Kettler, a graphic designer, said she would consider switching to the NFC SIM card if it becomes available on Apple devices. “I won’t have to take out my EZ-Link card when I get on the bus. It is easier when I can do everything on my phone,” said the 25-year-old.

Homemaker Huang Li Qi, however, said she would stick to using her EZ-Link card. “If I switch to paying using my phone, then I have to download an app and check the balance; it is too troublesome,” said the 55-year-old.

In their joint statement, LTA chief executive officer Chew Men Leong described the use of NFC technology in public transit in Singapore as a “milestone”.

IDA’s executive deputy chairman Steve Leonard added that Singapore is one of the first countries in the world to have nationwide deployment of mobile NFC services.

Barcelona and Seoul are among the cities that offer NFC payment on their public transport network currently.