Singapore cash cards are a normal part of life. A cash card looks like a credit card, only it has no name or value until you load cash into the chip. Once loaded, it functions the same as cash, widely accepted and without a name to its owner. Cash cards have two primary uses. First, when you go through a toll gantry, a cash card slotted into your IU (identification unit) on your vehicle ensures you pay. Second, when you exit a public car park.
A car IU is inside. Presuming the car is locked, your cash card can be left inside the IU and you can be sure it will be there on your return. With a motorcycle, it is different! The IU is mounted on the bike or scooter. When you park, leaving your cash card in the IU is equivalent to leaving cash on the dashboard of an unlocked car. It is an invitation to steal.
In the past eight years, I have “lost” two or three cash cards. The first time I kicked myself. The second time there was fifty plus dollars on the card, I vowed I would never ever forget again!
One still forgets. What is interesting is the fact that as many times as I have left the cash card, the IU lid open and card exposed, recently it is always there when I returned!
Last night as I returned to my bike parked on a busy street, card exposed, I realized my view of Singapore has changed. This experience has led me to see the average citizen as honorable, trustworthy, and in her/his heart, caring! While there are exceptions, smiles are returned without hesitation and cash cards are still there even on a crowded street.
Unless I get more disciplined, it is likely that I will lose another card. I have only myself to blame. Regardless, to Singaporeans I would say, when I realize I have left my cash card exposed, “when I was upset and beside myself, you calmed me down and cheered me up.” (Psalm 94.19)
