For many tourists, the most lasting impression they have about Singapore is probably how clean and green the island is.

Card-aholics

Bettina Ng, 31, civil servant (above) Discount cards: About 13, including Eu Yan Sang, Charles & Keith, Fancl, Pet Lovers Centre, Kinokuniya, Topshop, Pazzion, Borders, VivoCity, Haagen-Dazs, Scrapaholics, Ministry of Food and People's Association Passion card. Discounts: 5 to 10 per cent What that saves her: About $30 a month. 'I don't sign up for membership cards unless the savings outweigh the cost. Sometimes, I let my friends tag along on my shopping trips so that they can enjoy the discounts, too.'

Angela Loh, 41, director of a marketing communications company Discount cards: About 20, including SaSa, Brooks Brothers, bYSI, Mango, Goldheart, TianPo Jewellery, Origins, Charles & Keith, Sakae Sushi, Ikea, Make Up Store, Crabtree & Evelyn, Nature's Farm, Times Bookstore, Elizabeth Arden, Cha shop, That CD Shop, Far East Flora and Home-Fix. Discounts: 5 to 15 per cent What that saves her: More than $10 per shopping trip. 'I don't tell anyone I have so many of these cards. But when I know my relatives or friends want to buy something from those shops, I will volunteer to lend them my card.'

Not Australian waitress Cynthia Kiely. What struck her most was how so many Singaporeans seemed to own such 'big, fat wallets'.

'I would be standing in line at the cashier and everyone around me would be clutching huge wallets that look as if they were ready to burst,' says the 28-year-old from Sydney.

A Singaporean friend explained the reason for the whopper wallets. Ms Kiely recalls: 'She had loads of VIP cards. She told me she hardly used them but kept them 'just in case'.'

No wonder Singaporeans are crazy for the cards: VIP cards, along with loyalty and membership ones, entitle holders to discounts of usually 5 to 20 per cent.

In addition, they get extra discounts on their birthdays and are often invited to special previews during sales.

The snag is, to own one you generally pay an annual fee, though some retailers offer one if you accumulate a certain amount on your receipts.

For some discount card fans such as Ms Rachel Ng, 29, having such cards means they end up spending more.

'I may save, say, 50 cents on a cup of coffee which costs me $4 at a major chain using my loyalty card. But I could have saved more by simply buying a cup for 80 cents at a coffee shop,' she says. 'That's the whole irony of owning discount cards.'

Still, some stores dangle a carrot by throwing in a free dining or shopping voucher that can be worth more than the membership fee.

Kinokuniya Book Stores corporate relations manager Chua Gek Huay notes that card schemes increase customers' purchasing power and boost sales at the same time.

The Japanese book giant launched its Kinokuniya Privilege Card loyalty programme in August 2004 and there has been a fivefold increase in the number of members since then, but it declined to reveal the exact figure.

The card - $21.40 for a year and $55.60 for three years - entitles members to a 10 per cent discount. They enjoy as much as a 20 per cent discount during promotions.

Over at Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, its loyalty card launched four years ago has attracted 80,000 members. Such a VIP card scheme 'encourages repeat and multiple visits to our stores', notes general manager Michael de Jong.

No one can say for sure how many discount cards there are in the market, but Singaporeans sure love flashing their plastic.

Training consultant Ivan Pang, 30, has about 20. The number has been growing so quickly that he got a new cardholder last year as his wallet was 'overflowing'. He even arranges his cards in alphabetical order. 'Sometimes when I forget to carry my cardholder, I'd rather not spend at all as I feel I'm losing out on savings.'

This article was first published in The Sunday Times on Jun 8, 2008.