Gotta tap ’em all: Touch ‘n Go deals Pokémon blind packs

Touch ‘n Go is tapping into Pokémon nostalgia with its first blind-pack release, turning its enhanced payment cards into collectible items through a limited-edition collaboration celebrating the 30th anniversaries of both brands.

The Malaysian payments brand has launched a series of Pokémon 30th Anniversary NFC cards, with each individual pack containing one randomly selected, sealed design. Buyers can also opt for a box set of eight packs, which contains all eight designs without duplicates.

Seven of the designs feature Generation 1 Pokémon: Pikachu, Bulbasaur, Venusaur, Charmander, Charizard, Squirtle and Blastoise. The eighth remains a mystery, giving collectors an additional reason to seek out the complete set.

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The cards retain their everyday functionality as enhanced Touch ‘n Go cards, allowing users to pay highway tolls, public transit fares and parking fees. Users can also check their balance or top up by tapping the card against an NFC-enabled smartphone through the Touch ‘n Go eWallet app.

The packs are available through the Touch ‘n Go Official eShop, the eShop section of the eWallet app, the Touch ‘n Go Hub at Bangsar South, and participating 7-Eleven and Jaya Grocer outlets across Peninsular Malaysia.

A+M has reached out for more.

The launch taps into continued interest in Pokémon collectibles in Malaysia. The first Pokémon Center Pop Up Store in the country opened at Ombak KLCC in September, bringing the franchise's merchandise to local fans.

Touch 'n Go itself has previously collaborated with Pokémon, which included cards featuring Lucario, Mimikyu, Gengar and Pikachu LED designs.

The blind-pack format builds on a longer-running strategy of turning a functional payment card into a collectible for Touch 'n Go. Praba Sangarajoo, chief executive officer of Touch ‘n Go, previously told A+M that the first intellectual property collaboration changed how the company saw its cards.

“What surprised us was seeing consumers buy cards as collectibles rather than purely for use,” he said. “That insight opened an exciting opportunity for us to reposition the Touch ‘n Go card as something aspirational.”

The company doubled down in 2025 with limited-edition releases spanning global franchises such as Pokémon and SPY x FAMILY, alongside local artists and creators including Quirky Qing, Nekojin and Wonders of Eqa.

It also experimented with transparent cards, LED-powered cards that light up on tapping, extendable charms and themed RFID tags.

Many buyers never used the cards to pay, Sangarajoo said, which is a point that bears on a sealed blind pack. “We realised consumers were collecting them and keeping them unopened,” he said. “That showed us people now see Touch ‘n Go cards as more than just a payment tool.”

The aim, he said, is to “bring delight into daily journeys”, moving the brand’s relationship with consumers from transactional to emotional. “When consumers start seeing a Touch ‘n Go card or charm not just as a payment tool, but as something they’re proud to own, collect, or gift then that’s when we know we’ve delivered on our brand promise.”

More and more brands want to tap into this phenomenon. In September, Montigo teamed up with Touch ‘n Go on a 3D bottle charm, a miniature of its Ace Medium bottle. It was the first time Touch ‘n Go had created a 3D version of its product as a collectible charm. The NFC-enabled charm sold out online within two days of launch, was then stocked at selected Montigo stores and is now sold out nationwide.

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