The government introduced the e-Tunai Rakyat Program during Belanjawan 2020 (or Budget 2020), which was announced back in October 2019. It's a programme to accelerate the greater use and adoption of e-wallets and digital payments.


I'm not sure about you, but Belanjawan 2020 felt quite underwhelming if you were expecting goodies. Nevertheless, the e-Tunai Rakyat is one of the most "enticing" things presented this year as 15 million eligible Malaysians will receive a one-off payment of RM30 via their e-wallet.

Now in December, we've finally gotten more details on how eligible Malaysians are able to claim their share of RM30.

Here are some important information you should know:

1. Who is eligible for the e-Tunai Rakyat 2020? You are eligible if you:

  • Are a Malaysian citizen with NRIC.
  • Are 18 years and above in 2020.
  • Have an annual income of less than RM100,000.

2. When can you start claiming your free RM30 incentive?
Beginning 15th January 2020, users can submit their application. The programme will end on 14th March 2020.

3. How do you claim the e-Tunai Rakyat RM30 incentive?
You can claim the RM30 incentive through either Boost, GrabPay, or Touch ‘n Go eWallet. These three e-wallet service providers are the only partners chosen. You just need to download the app and verify your identity and account once (if you haven't already). The process may vary for the different e-wallets, but all should take no more than 3 steps. This verification process usually involves you taking a photo of your NRIC and a selfie.

Some basic background info of these service providers:

  • Boost is the e-wallet developed by Axiata Digital Services Sdn Bhd,  the digital services arm of Axiata Group Bhd (known for Celcom telco).
  • GrabPay is the e-wallet developed by Grab, famously known for its ride-hailing services.
  • Touch ‘n Go eWallet is the e-wallet developed by TNG Digital, a joint venture between Touch ’n Go Sdn Bhd and Alibaba’s mobile payment giant Ant Financial Group (formerly known as Alipay).

4. Can we claim or redeem this RM30 incentive from only one e-wallet or from all three?
You can only claim this RM30 incentive once from the e-wallet service provider (Boost, GrabPay, or Touch n' Go eWallet) of your choice.

5. Since the purpose of this programme is to promote the usage of e-wallets, users will not be able to withdraw, cash out, or transfer the RM30 incentive. So... just spend the money ;)

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Coincidentally, I've been using these e-wallets from time-to-time, so I thought I'd share some info based on my personal experience. This is probably a useless information but Boost was actually the first one to send me a push notification about e-Tunai.


Here are some reasons for using (or choosing) the following e-wallets: 

 1. Boost 
  • BoostUp, Boost's loyalty programme, lets you shake and earn rewards with every transaction. More info on BoostUp here.
  • CashUp (Boost's cashback for online shopping - similar to ShopBack)
2. Grab 
  • Grab rides (e-hailing)
  • GrabFood (food delivery services) 
  • GrabRewards, Grab's loyalty programme. Each GrabPay transaction earns you points under GrabRewards which can be used to redeem deals. More info on GrabRewards here.
3. Touch n' Go eWallet 
  • Toll rebates, RFID, and PayDirect (pass through tolls as usual with your added Touch 'n Go Card(s), but toll fares will be deducted directly from your eWallet).
  • Lazada purchases 

Common usage: Payment for street parkings, prepaid mobile credit reload or top up, movies, flights, utilities, bills (like Astro and Indah Water), and groceries.
Merchants database: Boost (125,000 merchants), Touch n' Go eWallet (110,000 merchants).

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Sign up for Boost here. Use my Invite Code 'tantadm'. Get RM5 reward when you upgrade to Premium Wallet and spend RM10 in a single transaction.
Sign up for Touch n' Go e-wallet here. Use my Referral Code 'rhcv3j' and register for the Touch 'n Go eWallet to get 100% Toll Rebates. You get 3x rebates right away.

Disclaimer: By signing up and using the code above, you're helping me too!

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More information can be obtained here:
1. Boost
2. GrabPay
3. Touch n' Go

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Last but not least, do leave a comment if you have any question or if I missed out anything. If you have additional information and would like to share with others, let me know! I'll add those info to this post and credit to you as well.

I'll also be updating this post from time to time to make this piece as informational and useful, so do come back for more!