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Singapore food delivery rider rejects coins as payment

A customer in Singapore was upset after a food delivery rider rejected her coins as payment, leading her to record the exchange and post it online.

The video has since made its rounds on social media and sparked widespread discussion about who was in the wrong.

In the footage, a woman who had ordered on the Grab app was trying to pay for her food upon delivery.

However, the GrabFood delivery rider told her that coins were not accepted.

“According to local currency laws, we can’t use more than 10 coins of the same denomination in a single transaction, so I don’t accept coins,” he said.

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He then instructed the customer to inform Grab via the app that she could not make the payment as she had no cash.

In response, she told the rider that there is no such requirement on the app, and that she had the cash with her — just that the amount was in coins.

“I will check later if such a law exists, and I will also report this matter to Grab,” added the customer, who only later learned about the legal tender limit.

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In Singapore, a vendor can reject any payment exceeding the limit of 20 coins per denomination for each transaction.

However, the customer insisted her coins were of different denominations.

Delivery riders typically avoid coin payments

The president of the National Delivery Champions Association (NDCA), 34-year-old Huang Yanbo (name transliterated), said in an interview with Shin Min Daily News that he encounters such incidents once or twice a year.

The worst case was when a customer gave him S$60 worth of coins weighing two to three kilograms.

“I can only quickly count the money and then spend it later, because depositing it would incur a fee,” added Mr Huang.

He also said that coins amounting to under S$10 are still acceptable, but anything over S$20 becomes very troublesome.

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“If delivery riders have disabilities, counting and carrying heavy coins make their job harder. But if customers face difficulties, we understand. Both should show mutual understanding and avoid causing trouble,” said Mr Huang.

Another delivery rider, Zeng Guoshun (name transliterated), 52, said he usually does not accept coins to avoid delaying his next order.

“These types of customers are rare; usually, customers pay with a mix of coins and bills,” he noted.

For Mr Zeng, he is more bothered when customers leave cash on the floor or under mats, as he finds it disrespectful.

Netizens empathise with delivery riders

Netizens urged customers to be empathetic and avoid paying with heavy coins that may delay the already busy delivery riders.

A commenter shared that they supported the GrabFood delivery rider in this particular scenario.

Source: Instagram

Another netizen empathised how coins can be “troublesome and heavy to carry”, as well as time-consuming to count.

Source: Instagram

A Grab spokesperson told MS News that they are aware of the incident.

“According to the Currency Act, there is a limit to the number of coins that can be used in a single transaction. No more than 20 coins of each denomination are allowed, and any excess will not be considered legal tender,” they added.

Grab said they understand the rider’s actions, as carrying many coins can be inconvenient for those constantly on the move.

They also encourage mutual respect and suggest that customers use various payment options such as cards, GrabPay, or PayLater, on top of cash.

Also read: Man in GrabFood uniform impresses crowd with public piano performance at Tanjong Pagar MRT

Man in GrabFood uniform impresses crowd with public piano performance at Tanjong Pagar MRT

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