SINGAPORE - DBS PayLah app users faced delays in receiving their cashback on Friday when they made payments in hopes of claiming a $3 meal subsidy offered by the bank.

The delays were caused by a high volume of log-ins, DBS Bank said in a statement on Friday, adding that the issue was resolved by the early afternoon.

DBS said: “We are aware that some customers who had earlier made eligible transactions under the DBS 5 Million Hawker Meals scheme did not instantly receive their cashback. Please be assured that we have credited the cashback to your PayLah wallet.

“We apologise for the inconvenience caused.”

Users were initially told that they would have to wait till Monday to receive their cashback, and to expect delays logging into the app, according to screenshots of notices on the PayLah app.

A 54-year-old man, who declined to be named, said he was confused by the delay and the app message after buying a bowl of noodles from a participating stall in Upper Boon Keng Road on Friday morning.

“The cashback was glitch-free on March 3, 10 and 17, but there was no cashback this morning. But I had ordered the noodles already, so I couldn’t cancel. I hope DBS can sort out the glitch,” he said.

He received his money at 3.30pm.

DBS said on its website that users can expect “100 per cent instant cashback” of up to $3 as part of its 5 Million Hawker Meals initiative that runs from Feb 10 to Jan 19, 2024. There is no minimum spend required.

The campaign, which aims to subsidise five million meals over a year, is offered to the first 100,000 PayLah app users each Friday, and is meant to help customers cut back on spending amid rising expenses.

Users will be informed on the app when all 100,000 meals have been redeemed each Friday.

At least 11,600 hawker stalls with QR codes islandwide have signed up for the campaign.

Some netizens have also taken to Reddit to complain that their cashback had been delayed.

Redditor Lexie52 posted on March 17 that he did not receive cashback despite scanning a QR code at a participating hawker stall. Most Redditors who commented on the thread said that they had received their cashback, although some said they faced delays.

Hawker food price inflation rose to a 14-year high of 8.1 per cent from a year earlier, according to the Singapore Department of Statistics.

To check a list of participating stalls, visit this website.