Singapore Post launched a public trial for digital stamps on Oct 8, allowing consumers across Singapore to send domestic mail using unique codes purchased through its mobile app.
Postage costs 62 cents for standard regular mail and 90 cents for standard large envelopes, sold in minimum purchases of five stamps valid for 24 months. Users no longer need physical stamps or labels.
How the digital code system works
Buyers purchase stamps in the app and write the generated alphanumeric code on the top-right corner of standard envelopes or postcards. They can drop the mail into any street posting box, post office counter, or residential letterbox return slot.
For the trial running until April 6, 2027, SingPost is discounting five-stamp regular sets to $1 from $3.10. Five-stamp sets for large mail cost $1.50 during the promotional window. Accounts are limited to one discounted purchase each.
Sorting automation and optical recognition
Handling handwritten codes shifts operational pressure onto sorting centers. The trial tests optical character recognition scanners on live mail volumes. SingPost will calibrate sorting accuracy across different handwriting styles.
Gan Heng, head of customer experience at SingPost, said:
“Digital stamps remove that barrier entirely.”
Digital postage applies strictly to domestic basic mail, including letters, postcards, and printed paper items. Alongside the scanning trial, SingPost added collectible digital graphics to the app. Users unlock commemorative designs, such as a 61st National Day theme and a Fullerton Building graphic, every 15 purchases.
Network adjustments across residential hubs
This trial links with the operator’s residential collection rollout completed in September. Dubbed SingPost@MyBlock, that project converted letterbox return slots across more than 20,000 residential buildings into collection points for outbound letters and small parcels.
Postal operators across the Asia-Pacific region face declining letter volumes as corporate billing and consumer correspondence move online. SingPost cuts the overhead of running stamp vending machines and retail counter queues by digitising postage, while keeping its collection network active.
Next steps in the rollout
Neighborhood infrastructure expanded after first-quarter operating profit rose 55.2 per cent to $4.1 million on cost cuts in core delivery units. Connecting app payments to automated sorting machinery forms the next stage of the overhaul.
A four-day public show at SingPost Centre in Paya Lebar runs through Oct 11 to demonstrate the scanning workflows. The trial will gather consumer feedback through the mobile application until the test period closes on April 6, 2027.
