Soon, the Penang Bridge will accept toll payments via VISA and Mastercard

PLUS RFID pilot users will soon be able to link their accounts directly to their VISA or Mastercard credit, prepaid and debit cards to pay for tolls on the Penang Bridge, Butterworth-Kulim Expressway (also known as BKE) and Jitra highway. PLUS hopes this will lead to lesser congestion at the toll plazas by minimising delays caused by insufficient balance or failure to top up.

The PLUS RFID tag, which is directly linked to drivers’ credit and debit card accounts, will be given free to Malaysian drivers participating in the public pilot programme at Penang Bridge, BKE and Jitra which kicks off 15 December 2018.

Speaking at the launch of the pilot programme, Visa Country Manager for Malaysia, Ng Kong Boon said, “We are working closely with PLUS to ensure the process is easy for cardholders to add their Visa card as the primary payment method.”

According to the Visa Consumer Payment Attitude Survey 2018, four out of five drivers (80 per cent) would consider using their credit or debit cards to pay for toll charges, with almost half of them (43 per cent) saying they would use their credit or debit cards as their primary mode for toll payments. Seven out of 10 drivers say that paying directly using their credit/ debit card for toll payments is a more convenient payment method.

Meanwhile, Mastercard said that the collaboration with PLUS is part of its commitment to support the country’s move to become a cashless society. In addition to PLUS RFID, Mastercard will also expand its contactless payment reach to the Dengkil Southbound Rest and Service Area (RSA).

PLUS is giving out 10,000 free PLUS RFID tags for drivers who fequently use the Penang Bridge, BKE and Jitra thoroughfares.

If you would like to participate in the public pilot programme, you can register at plusmiles.com.my/rfid. Upon registration, drivers will be advised to visit designated PLUS RFID Fitment Centres at Penang Bridge and BKE starting from 15 December onwards. The pilot program is opened for Malaysian drivers only at the moment.

In case you’re wondering, although the technology is the same, PLUS RFID is different from Touch ‘n Go RFID, the two systems use different apps and accept different payments methods. As far as we can tell Touch ‘n Go RFID is more widely accepted compared to PLUS RFID. You can use Touch ‘n Go RFID at all Touch ‘n Go RFID lanes as well as PLUS RFID lanes. In comparison, PLUS RFID is only accepted on the Penang Bridge, BKE and Jitra Highway.

In case you missed it, Touch ‘n Go is opening up more slots for its second phase of Public Pilot program in the Klang Valley.