Uncollected loyalty program rewards from Taipei’s MRT metropolitan railway system that were due between May and July amid a nationwide level 3 COVID-19 alert can be collected until the end of this year, the Taipei Rapid Transit Corp said.
The company last year substituted a 20 percent discount for EasyCard users for a loyalty reward program offering cash rewards when a rider swipes their card at an MRT gate.
People who take the MRT 11 to 20 times per month receive 10 percent of their paid fees as a reward, and every 10 additional rides increases the reward by 5 percentage points. The maximum reward is 30 percent.
Photo: Peter Lo, Taipei Times
Unclaimed rewards based on rides during the level 3 alert would be added to EasyCards at the start of the next month, when riders swipe their cards at an MRT gate.
During the level 3 alert, ridership declined sharply, leading to many cardholders missing out on their rewards, the MRT operator said.
Unclaimed rewards stand at about NT$3.8 million (US$136,514), it added.
People can inquire about the rewards at MRT stations’ help desks, the company said, adding that those who have registered their cards through the Taipei Metro Go app would be eligible for cash rewards.
According to company policy, people who do not claim their rewards for one year see their rewards expire.
Taipei City Councilor Hsu Chia-pei (許家蓓) has said that as of last month, 192,000 users’ rewards totaling NT$12.99 million had expired, and additional methods for people to claim their rewards should be implemented.
The company might add new methods, including converting rewards into online points that could be used on various platforms, the operator said.
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