Seven bookshops worth the trip, from Kinokuniya's Takashimaya flagship to a 452 sq ft Chinese indie in Joo Chiat, with the member discounts, delivery thresholds and SG Culture Pass rules for each. Checked on every shop's own site on 26 October 2026.
Your S$100 SG Culture Pass now buys books, and most people still have all of it.
> Quick view: best range is Books Kinokuniya (10% off with a S$24 Privilege Card); most outlets is POPULAR (code 10MEMBER online); six of these seven shops take Culture Pass credits on SingLit, in store only.
WHY IT LEADS: the Takashimaya main store is the biggest general bookshop in Singapore, and the most reliable place for Japanese-import manga, light novels, art books and English titles you will not find at a mall chain. It is also the official Singapore retailer for Studio Ghibli merchandise.STORES: Takashimaya Shopping Centre #04-20 (main store), Bugis Junction #03-10 and Raffles City #03-22/23; hours vary by store.MEMBERSHIP: the Kinokuniya Privilege Card gives 10% off at all three stores, the webstore and NBC Stationery & Gifts, now including stationery. It costs S$24 for 1 year, S$42 for 2 years or S$58 for 3, so it pays for itself at about S$240 of books a year.CULTURE PASS: all three stores accept SG Culture Pass credits on eligible SingLit titles.FINE PRINT: the What's On page lists author talks and short category promos rather than a storewide sale, so the card is the dependable discount.BEST FOR: big shopping lists, manga and imported titles.
Privilege Card: 10% off books and stationery at all 3 stores and the webstore, from S$24 a year; SG Culture Pass accepted on SingLit in store to 31 Dec 2028
Valid till 31 Dec 2028
WHY IT'S HERE: the bookshop nearest most HDB towns, with English and Chinese books, assessment books, stationery and gadgets in one place, and more participating Culture Pass outlets than anyone else (lists put it at 26 to 28 stores).THE DEAL: members get 10% off storewide online with code 10MEMBER, a standing offer on popular.com.sg. Selected assessment books also run a members' special of 25% off when you buy 3 or more.TEXTBOOKS: pre-orders for the 2027 school year close 20 December 2026: members get 5% off textbooks, a $5 reward on $120 nett spend, and free store pickup (pay on collection) or $9.90 home delivery.CULTURE PASS: SingLit titles at participating outlets can be paid with credits in store.BEST FOR: parents, students and anyone who wants a bookshop in their own mall.
Members: 10% off storewide online with code 10MEMBER; textbook pre-order 5% off for members + $5 reward on $120 nett, closes 20 Dec 2026
Code: 10MEMBER
Valid till 20 Dec 2026
WHY IT'S HERE: an independent shop since 2009 that specialises in picture books and illustrated books, with middle-grade novels, activity kits and wooden toys alongside. Staff picks are the draw, and the shelves lean towards beautifully made books rather than licensed tie-ins.STORES: Katong, 206 East Coast Road; New Bahru, 46 Kim Yam Road #03-06; and the younger-readers spin-off Books Ahoy! at Forum The Shopping Mall #02-03. Hours differ by shop, so check the map links on its Physical Stores page.CULTURE PASS: credits work on eligible SingLit books at the physical stores only, and Singapore titles carry a Culture Pass sticker.DELIVERY: free local delivery from $60.BEST FOR: gifts for under-12s and parents building a home library.
SG Culture Pass credits accepted on eligible SingLit books in store, to 31 Dec 2028; free local delivery from $60
Valid till 31 Dec 2028
WHY IT'S HERE: a bookstore and café run by a bookseller and a book lover, strong on Asian and Singaporean writing, picture books and middle-grade, with author launches through the year. WHERE: 57 Duxton Road (Tanjong Pagar MRT). HOURS: Mon-Thu 9.30am-7pm, Fri-Sat 9.30am-10pm, Sun 9.30am-6pm. CAFÉ PRICES: espresso $4.50, white coffee $6.50 hot / $7.50 iced, Ette tea $6.50, sandwiches $11.90-$15.90, cinnamon French toast $9.90.CULTURE PASS: credits accepted in the physical store on SingLit, from picture books to poetry and adult novels.BEST FOR: a slow Saturday with a book and a flat white, or a Friday evening when most shops have shut.
SG Culture Pass credits accepted on SingLit in the Duxton Road store, to 31 Dec 2028
Valid till 31 Dec 2028
WHY IT'S HERE: a Kampong Glam institution for Islamic thought, Sufism, Malay and Southeast Asian history, Palestine and the Middle East, with a growing Singapore Lit shelf. On our visit to its site, the homepage was pushing Mind the Gap by Ratna Damayanti Taha, winner of the 2026 Epigram Books Fiction Prize. WHERE: 58 Bussorah Street (Bugis MRT). HOURS: Mon-Thu 10am-9pm, Fri 10am-10pm, Sat 9am-10pm, Sun 9am-9pm, the latest of any shop here.LOYALTY: a free rewards programme with Bronze, Silver and Gold tiers; Silver unlocks after $300 of spend in a calendar year and is kept to the end of the following year.CULTURE PASS: credits accepted on SingLit in the physical store; look for the label.DELIVERY: free local delivery from $100.BEST FOR: after-dinner browsing around Kampong Glam, and book clubs.
SG Culture Pass credits accepted on eligible books at 58 Bussorah St, to 31 Dec 2028; free loyalty programme, Silver tier from $300 a year
Valid till 31 Dec 2028
WHY IT'S HERE: an independent Chinese-language bookshop and publisher founded on 9 December 2014 by Tan Wan Jing, who worked at the old Grassroots Book Room before opening her own. The shelves lean towards Singapore and Malaysian Chinese literature, history and social commentary, plus Hong Kong and Taiwan titles and a smaller English SingLit section (Alfian Sa'at, Jeremy Tiang, Cherian George). It publishes local writers itself and runs readings and a book club. WHERE: 387 Joo Chiat Road, #03-02 The Modules, a 452 sq ft room it moved into in 2022 after leaving North Bridge Road. HOURS: listed as Wed-Mon 11am-6pm (closed Tuesdays) in March 2026 guides; message ahead on a public holiday.CULTURE PASS: a participating bookstore for SingLit credits.DELIVERY: free shipping in Singapore from $40.BEST FOR: Chinese readers and anyone hunting for local literature in translation.
SG Culture Pass credits accepted on SingLit in store, to 31 Dec 2028; free Singapore shipping from $40 online
Valid till 31 Dec 2028
WHY IT'S HERE: a roaming children's bookstore founded in 2013 by Denise Tan and Kelvin Ng, best known for school book fairs and author visits, with an online shop sorted by reading level (picture books, emerging readers, junior fiction, middle grade). Its chat button connects you to a real bookseller for recommendations.NO SHOPFRONT: the Ubi address is an office, so this is an order-online pick.THE DEAL: free local shipping on orders from $30, the lowest threshold here. On 26 October its homepage led with a Hidden in Plain Sight bag of surprise books at $60 (was $80), sharing its name with the Singapore Writers Festival theme (13-22 Nov 2026); no end date is printed.CULTURE PASS: not on the participating list, so pay with cash or card.BEST FOR: parents who want a curated pile delivered, and teachers.
Hidden in Plain Sight surprise book bag $60 (was $80); free local shipping from $30
| Shop | Best for | Where | Culture Pass | Standing perk | Free delivery |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Books Kinokuniya | Range, manga, imports | Takashimaya, Bugis Junction, Raffles City | Yes, in store | Privilege Card 10% off (S$24/yr) | Webstore terms vary |
| POPULAR | School books, convenience | 26-28 participating outlets | Yes, in store | Members 10% off online (10MEMBER) | Store pickup free |
| Woods in the Books | Picture books, under-12s | Katong, New Bahru, Forum (Books Ahoy!) | Yes, in store | Bundle deals | From $60 |
| Book Bar | Café, Asian writing | 57 Duxton Road | Yes, in store | None printed | N/A |
| Wardah Books | Islamic, SEA history | 58 Bussorah Street | Yes, in store | Free loyalty tiers | From $100 |
| City Book Room | Chinese literature | 387 Joo Chiat Road #03-02 | Yes, in store | None printed | From $40 |
| Closetful of Books | Kids, online | Online only | No | Surprise bag $60 (was $80) | From $30 |
Every Singapore Citizen who was 18 or older in 2025 has S$100 in SG Culture Pass credits, valid to 31 December 2028. Since 1 March 2026 they can be spent on physical SingLit books (fiction, poetry, plays and literary essays in English, Chinese, Malay or Tamil by a Singapore Citizen or PR) at participating bookshops. MCCY says about S$2.9 million of credits had gone on books by 31 August 2026.
Credits cannot be used online, cannot be transferred to family, and do not cover cookbooks (MCCY confirmed this in Parliament on 6 August 2026).
The participating list also includes Maha Yu Yi (#03-07, #03-11 and #02-15) and Union Book Co (#03-01), both in Bras Basah Complex and both strong on Chinese titles. Reports say they take CDC vouchers too. Neither runs a website we could verify, so they are not ranked here, but they are worth a stop if you are already at Bras Basah. Lingzi in Toh Guan Road East is also on the list.
Every shop list, price and perk was read on 26 October 2026 from each shop's own website: Woods in the Books' store and Culture Pass pages, Book Bar's contact, menu and Culture Pass pages, Wardah Books' homepage banners and loyalty FAQ, City Book Room's homepage and About page, Closetful of Books' homepage and contact page, and POPULAR's online store. Kinokuniya's site would not load for us on the day, so its card uses figures we read from its What's On and membership pages on 20 October 2026. Store hours for Wardah and City Book Room come from March 2026 guides to the Culture Pass bookshops, and the participating list comes from those guides and the shops' own announcements. We dropped one design bookshop whose own homepage now shows emptied shelves.
For range, Books Kinokuniya at Takashimaya, with branches at Bugis Junction and Raffles City; its S$24 Privilege Card takes 10% off. For convenience, POPULAR, with outlets in most heartland malls. The best independents are Woods in the Books for children, Book Bar for a bookshop café, Wardah Books for Islamic and Southeast Asian titles, and City Book Room for Chinese literature.
Nine bookshops take part: Books Kinokuniya, POPULAR, Woods in the Books, Book Bar, Wardah Books, City Book Room, Maha Yu Yi, Union Book Co and Lingzi. Credits work only in the physical store and only on eligible SingLit books, which carry an SG Culture Pass label. The live list is at sgculturepass.gov.sg/bookstores.
No. Book purchases must be made in person at a participating store, where you generate a QR code on the SG Culture Pass site and the cashier scans it. The credits also cannot be transferred to family members, and cookbooks are not eligible. Credits expire on 31 December 2028.
Yes. POPULAR members get 10% off storewide online with code 10MEMBER, a standing offer on popular.com.sg. For school books, the 2027 textbook pre-order gives members 5% off and a $5 reward on $120 nett spend, and it closes on 20 December 2026.
Of the shops here, Wardah Books on Bussorah Street keeps the longest hours: 10am to 9pm Monday to Thursday, 10am to 10pm on Friday, 9am to 10pm on Saturday and 9am to 9pm on Sunday. Book Bar on Duxton Road also stays open to 10pm on Fridays and Saturdays.
