SG50 commemorative notes unveiled yesterday at face value at branches of nine major retail banks. Have you gotten yours? The set of commemorative notes includes a S$50 polymer note and five S$10 polymer notes. With the request from mummy love, I braved the
long waiting hours and went to join the queue at the bank for the notes at Great World City. As many may have known, everyone will be entitled to a quota of five sets of notes per transaction. But I managed to get 10 sets of notes with folders. Find out how I managed to do it.
I went to Great World City to get my notes exchanged. My first stop was DBS Bank. There is a sms queuing system available. Simply sms “Q” to
91842293 and select 1 when they replied. You get a queue number from there. My queue number was 1137 and there was 106 customers ahead of me. Thus I decided to check out other banks around the premises while waiting. However, do note that the estimated time might not be too accurate. I sms-ed at 10.56am and at 12.37pm I received a sms reminder that there were 4 customers ahead of me and requested me to be at the branch to wait for my turn. Unfortunately I didn’t make it back in time thus another sms was sent at 12.44pm to request me to re-queue again.
As mentioned eariler I went to other banks around the premise. I went to UOB to get a queue number and walked over to CITI bank to take a look. Although there is no number queue system or sms queue system available at CITI Bank, the queue line was not too long thus I have decided to join the queue. There was a priority queue for CITIGold members (the one on the right) while general public can queue on the left.
The average waiting time for your turn is about 30 to 45 minutes. As 2 folders will be given for every 5 sets of notes changed (across all the banks), I have queued and re-queued 4 times to get 8 sets of the notes. Yes I know I am kiasu but I am changing for my family and for J and J’s parents mah. Overall, it took me about 2 hours to get the 8 sets.
Before I went to CITI bank, I have gotten a queue number from UOB. But when I went back at 1.43pm, the queue number was only at 9094. Thus I went to have my lunch before going back again. Finally at 2.40 pm, I managed to change my notes. The overall waiting time at UOB was closed to 4 hours. However, as there was a queue system, you can always shop around the vicinity while waiting for your turn to arrive. UOB customers can also reserve their commemorative notes
online and collect them later at a pre-determined branch of their choice. Like DBS/POSB Bank, there is a priority given to the elderly and pioneer citizens.
The folder for the SG50 Commemorative Notes comes in a red box with a preface by Prime Minister Mr Lee Hsien Loong in 4 different languages (English, Malay, Chinese and Indian). There is also a small booklet containing commemorative details on the SG50 notes.
The $50 note highlights Singapore’s history, transformation and future. It has an unique see-through feature on the security strip with image movement effects of our first Prime Minister Mr Lee Kuan Yew shouting “Merdeka!” – the rallying cry of our independence struggle.
The front design feature MR Yusof Ishak, our first President and the children represent multiracialism, something which I am very thankful for. Cheers to multiracialism and all the good food that comes with it! The back of the notes feature our first National Day Parade in 1966 and our latest new town, Punggol. They symbolise the resolve of our new nation and the continuing renewal of our homes and communities.
The $10 notes have a theme of ‘Vibrant Nation, Endearing Home’ and the front of all the five $10 notes show Singapore’s first President, Mr Yusof Ishak, Singapore’s National Flower, the Vanda Miss Joaquim orchid, the Singapore Coat of Arms, the years ‘1965’ & ‘2015’ and the SG50 logo.
For the back of the $10 notes, there are 5 different designs that reflect Singapore’s values and aspirations:
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| ‘Safe and Secure’ |
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| ‘…regardless of race, language or religion…’ |
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| ‘Opportunities for All’ |
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| ‘Strong Families’ |
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| ‘Caring Community, Active Citizenry’ |
The commemorative notes are issued by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and designed by four local artists and designers: Mr Chua Mia Tee, Mr Eng Siak Loy, Mr Weng Ziyan, and Mr Fabian Lim. Singaporean can exchange the SG50 commemorative notes at face value at branches of nine major retail banks. They include DBS Bank/POSB, Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation, United Overseas Bank, Citibank, Standard Chartered Bank, Bank of China, HSBC, Malayan Banking Berhad, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China. From Oct 1 onwards, the SG50 notes will be made available to non-Singaporeans. DBS Bank/POSB will be extending the opening hours of its branches till 8pm on weekdays for the next two weeks while a total of 26 UOB branches located in heartland areas and key town centres are also extending their banking hours to 7pm on weekdays during the first week of the exchange period.
I hope that the information will be useful for peeps who are interested to get the SG50 Commemorative Notes. Cheers! Have a great weekend ahead!
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