PLUS has hinted that it will soon include debit and credit cards as additional payment options for motorists travelling along the North-South Highway (PLUS). This is on top of existing methods, including the Touch ‘n Go (TNG) RFID, PayDirect, TNG card, and SmartTAG – although the latter two are set to be gradually phased out in the future.

According to the dedicated PLUS RFID website, the debit and credit card payment method is currently being tested at selected toll plazas. However, it did not name these specific trial spots, so you may just stumble upon them during your travels. Additionally, PLUS did not share any launch dates, merely stating that it is “coming soon”.

If PLUS successfully rolls out this debit and credit card payment method, motorists will doubtless be able to enjoy more payment alternatives and much better convenience when passing through toll plazas. Currently, drivers using RFID and PayDirect to pay their toll fees must ensure that their TNG eWallet are always topped up to avoid any mishaps (although you can also activate the Auto-Reload feature). This preparation applies to SmartTAG as well. With debit and credit card payments activated in the future, you can avoid such hassle.

To note, PLUS had actually attempted to introduce debit and credit card payments for highway tolls once before, by linking them to the TNG RFID. However, the plan eventually fell through, and motorists are currently allowed to only link their RFID to the TNG eWallet as the sole source of fund.

Aside from this, PLUS also reiterated that toll transactions using RFID technology for Class 1 vehicles will be implemented along the North-South Expressway route starting from 15 January 2022 from 10pm. With this, motorists travelling along the Juru toll plaza (Penang) to the Skudai toll plaza (Johor) will be able to pay their toll fares using the TNG RFID.

(Sources: RFID, Amanz)

• TAGS:
• North-South Highway
• PLUS
• PLUS RFID
• SmartTAG
• Toll Payments
• Tolls
• Touch 'n Go
• Touch 'n Go Card
• Touch 'n Go eWallet
• Touch 'n Go PayDirect
• Touch 'n Go RFID