Although has the same name “Dollar”, the Singapore dollars has the different value from other countries. Pick up some useful information about the currency to prepare for a Singapore shore excursion.
Due to different periods throughout the history, Singapore issued a wide range of currencies including Straits dollar (1845 – 1939), Malayan dollar (1953), Malayan and British Borneo dollar (1953-1967) and finally, Singapore dollar which was introduced by the Board of Commissioners of Currency on April 7th, 1967 has been the official currency of Singapore. Currently, Singapore’s monetary system consists of 2 types: coin and banknotes.
To be more specific, coin has 4 denominations: 5 cents, 10 cents, 20 cents, 50 cents and 1 dollar on which various local landmarks of Singapore are depicted.
5 cents (Brass-plated steel): Coat of arms of Singapore, “Singapore” in 4 official languages (obverse) and Value and The Esplanade (reverse).
10 cents (Nickel-plated steel): Coat of arms of Singapore, “Singapore” in 4 official languages (observe) and Value and Public Housing and Value and Public Housing (reverse).
20 cents (Nickel-plated steel): Coat of arms of Singapore, “Singapore” in 4 official languages (obverse) and Value and Changi International Airport (reverse)
50 cents (Nickel-plated steel): Coat of arms of Singapore, “Singapore” in 4 official languages (obverse) and Value and Port of Singapore (reverse).
1 dollar (Bi-metallic plating consisting of a brass-plated ring with a nickel-plated centre plug): Coat of arms of Singapore, “Singapore” in 4 official languages (obverse) and Value, The Merlion and a laser mark micro engraving of the Vanda Miss Joaquim (reserve).
Besides, banknotes have 7 denominations: 2 dollars, 5 dollars, 10 dollars, 50 dollars, 100 dollars, 1,000 dollars and 10,000 dollars in which the image of President Yusof bin Ishak is stamped on the front; many themes and the par value of the note are stamped on the back.
S$2 (violet): President Yusof bin Ishak, Money Cowrie (obverse) and Education (reverse).
S$5 (green): President Yusof bin Ishak, Money Cowrie (obverse) and Garden City (reverse).
S$10 (red): President Yusof bin Ishak, Money Cowrie (obverse) and Sports (reverse).
S$50 (blue): President Yusof bin Ishak, Money Cowrie (obverse) and Arts (reverse).
S$100 (orange): President Yusof bin Ishak, Money Cowrie (obverse) and Youth (reverse).
S$1,000 (purple): President Yusof bin Ishak, Money Cowrie (obverse) and Government (reverse).
S$10,000 (brown): President Yusof bin Ishak, Money Cowrie (obverse) and Economics (reverse).
Regarding Singapore dollar currency exchange rate, 1 Singapore dollar has equaled to 0.745 U.S. dollars (September 2nd, 2016), thus, do not mistake Singapore dollar for U.S. dollar. Furthermore, tourists should exchange the currency for Singapore dollars prior to a visit to this country for convenience. When buying goods in the supermarket, it is necessary to take the price into consideration as the supermarkets usually sell goods at different prices. Do not forget to choose the products carefully and bargain over their prices. Additionally, always put 1 dollar, 2 dollar, 5 dollar bills in the wallet to use the mass rapid transit to get around Singapore. Even cruise ship passengers who go on a shore excursion should take these tips into consideration. Singapore is considered as the heaven of shopping, hence, if you have a chance to get there, discover Bugis, Chinatown and Lucky Plaza (Orchard Road) to go shopping. However, do not exchange your money for Singapore dollars in Orchard or other shopping marts due to the extremely high currency exchange fee.
