It's no secret Covid-19 made life very different and difficult the past few years, but thank goodness Chinese New Year is back in full swing for the Year of the Rabbit. While social gathering restrictions now seem like a distant memory, the popular e-ang baos trend is something we'd like to stick with, and for good reason.
Ang baos are traditionally passed from hand to hand, but this makes them a likely transmission vehicle for germs and bacteria, especially in a post-Covid era. Besides that, getting fresh new notes from the bank usually involves standing in line and interacting with other individuals, which takes some time and plenty of pre-planning.
While e-ang baos and its completely contact-less technology was well-loved for its reduced risk of Covid transmission, we now think of it as an efficient, cashless method to distribute ang baos. What’s more, you get to give totally auspicious amounts like $88.88 without worrying about coins or annoying loose change.
Who can gift and receive e-angbaos?
Anyone with a Singaporean bank account can give or receive an e-angbao. So get ready to send your loved ones money through the applications! If you bank with DBS, you would need the PayLah! app for this, while those with bank accounts under Citibank, UOB, OCBC, Maybank, or Standard Chartered would require the PayNow app.
DBS users
Those with DBS bank accounts can use the PayLah! app to send eGifts to any recipient who also has PayLah! Simply log in, search for ‘Pay’ and ‘eGift’, then enter the amount you wish to send. You can also add a personalised little greeting and a cute animation. The recipient will receive a notification when the eGift arrives, and obtain the amount in their PayLah! wallet.
DBS bankers can also give DBS QR Gifts to preserve the tradition of passing on a physical red packet (even if there are no banknotes within it). DBS QR Gifts are red cards that come with a QR Code embedded in the back, which can be scanned by any smartphone camera. Go to any DBS/POSB branch or DBS Treasures Centre to pick up these red cards for free, then scan the QR Code with your camera phone to load the virtual angbao amount of your choice onto it.
Upon reception of the DBS QR Gift card, the recipient will then scan the same QR Code to claim their angbao amount. DBS QR Gift cards can be redeemed either with PayLah!, or PayNow. As such, they can be gifted even to non-DBS users.
For more information, please refer to this video by DBS bank.
Citibank, UOB, OCBC, Maybank, or Standard Chartered users
The PayNow platform now offers e-angbaos as well, so anyone with a bank account from any of the following banks can send and receive these gifts. Customisable messages and greetings are also available here.
To send someone an e-angbao using PayNow, you would need either their mobile number or NRIC/FIN (depending on which their PayNow account is linked to). Log into your own PayNow app, add your recipient's identifying number, choose your desired angbao amount, and then send it off with a festive background. PayNow's e-angbaos also work for children’s bank accounts, so parents who hold a Joint Savings Account or a Child Development Account (CDA) can use them for their children.
The redeemer will receive a notification on their PayNow app when the e-angbao has arrived and will have the amount credited to their linked bank account when they open it. To make matters easier, recipients can also generate a PayNow QR Code from their mobile. That way, a sender can scan this QR code in order to make a direct e-angbao contribution to that account.
