NTUC says SMSes with clickable links about OCBC card cancellation were ‘service announcement’

IN AN effort to inform OCBC Plus! Visa cardholders about a change in partner bank for its Link Rewards loyalty programme, NTUC’s FairPrice Group sent out SMSes with clickable links on Thursday (Sep 1).

These SMSes, which were sent out under the “LinkRewards” sender ID, told customers their OCBC Plus! cards would be cancelled by Jan 31, and included a link to the NTUC Link website.

The messages highlight a disparity between the treatment of bank partners and banks, as the latter have agreed, following consultation with the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), to remove all clickable links in emails or SMSes sent to retail customers.