SINGAPORE: Is it just us, or are Chinese New Year surcharges coming earlier than ever?
On Jan 6, a netizen took to the Complaint Singapore Facebook group to upload a photo of a receipt that showed that a Chinese New Year surcharge had already been applied to the bill for his meal. S$1 had been added to his order of chicken curry and otah.
While such surcharges, though they hardly make Singaporeans happy, are nothing new, some have pointed out that, since the actual date of the holiday is not until Feb 17, nearly a month away, it’s too early to charge extra in the name of the Lunar New Year.
When a man visited a hair salon at Plantation Plaza in Tengah on Jan 18 (Sunday), he was surprised to be charged an additional S$2 for his haircut. He told Stomp that no one told him about the charge before the haircut began, and neither were there any signs around the establishment informing clients about the surcharge.
As the procedure was about to begin, he decided to go through with the haircut anyway, even though he found the surcharge to be unreasonable, given that the Chinese New Year is some weeks away.
When Shin Min Daily News visited the salon in question, Minna Haircare Studio, the person in charge said that it was common for business establishments to impose Chinese New Year surcharges to cover labour and operating costs.
The hair salon begins imposing these charges one month ahead of the festivities.
She added that these charges are explained to clients, who have the freedom to walk away if they are dissatisfied with paying extra. Shin Min Daily News reported seeing signage that indicated a Chinese New Year surcharge was in effect.
It is within businesses’ rights to impose surcharges during the festive season, given possible higher prices for raw materials as well as a heavier demand for labour.
Below are samples of Chinese New Year surcharges that Singaporeans have encountered in the past few years.
However, the Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE) has said that merchants must be transparent about higher prices during Chinese New Year. CASE noted last year that in 2022, there had only been four complaints about these surcharges. This number rose to six in 2023, and then nine in 2024, CNA reported.
In January 2025, a man was surprised when a non-Chinese eatery imposed a S$1 Chinese New Year surcharge for main dishes, S$0.30 for sides and S$0.20 for drinks.
At around the same time, another man expressed dismay at being charged an additional S$1 after he ordered just one more piece of tau kwa.Â
/TISG
