The four decay modes D0→ϕπ0, D0→ϕη, D+→ϕπ+, and D+→ϕK+ are studied by using a data sample taken at the centre-of-mass energy s=3.773 GeV with the BESIII detector, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 2.93 fb−1. The branching fractions of the first three decay modes are measured to be B(D0→ϕπ0)=(1.168±0.028±0.028)×10−3, B(D0→ϕη)=(1.81±0.46±0.06)×10−4, and B(D+→ϕπ+)=(5.70±0.05±0.13)×10−3, respectively, where the first uncertainties are statistical and the second are systematic. In addition, the upper limit of the branching fraction for D+→ϕK+ is given to be 2.1×10−5 at the 90% confidence level. The ratio of B(D0→ϕπ0) to B(D+→ϕπ+) is calculated to be (20.49±0.50±0.45)%, which is consistent with the theoretical prediction based on isospin symmetry between these two decay modes. © 2019 The Author(s)