T-money Card Guide for Tourists

Last checked: October 2026

A T-money card is a rechargeable transit card. You tap it on subway gates, buses, and taxis, and you can also pay with it at convenience stores. In Seoul it is the simplest way to get around, and many buses no longer take cash.

Card price

About 3,000–5,000 won

Top up with

Korean won cash

Subway fare

1,550 won with card

Refund fee

500 won

Quick answer

1. Buy a card at any convenience store (GS25, CU, 7-Eleven, emart24) for about 3,000–5,000 won.
2. Top it up with Korean won cash at the counter or at a machine in any subway station.
3. Tap the card when you get on and when you get off, on both the subway and buses.
4. Before you fly home, spend the balance or get it refunded (500 won fee).

Cash or card? (October 2026)

The short version: a regular T-money card runs on cash. Foreign cards work only for some Seoul tickets and for T-money on an iPhone.

• T-money itself says: don't assume a foreign credit card can top up a physical T-money card, and carry Korean won.
• On Android, T-money points foreign-card users to its separate "Mobile Korea Tour Card" app.
• Foreign card payments at the new machines may carry a fee from your card issuer.

Where to buy a T-money card

Exact spots by place: Incheon Airport T1, Incheon Airport T2, Seoul Station.

• Convenience stores: GS25, CU, 7-Eleven, emart24, MINISTOP and others. Look for the T-money logo near the counter.
• Incheon Airport: convenience stores in the arrivals area and the airport bus ticket office.
• Tmoney Town, T-money's service center by Seoul Station Exit 10.

The card itself costs about 3,000–5,000 won depending on the design, and this price is not refunded. The card starts with no balance, so top it up right after you buy it.

How to top up

At a convenience store

Hand the card and cash to the staff and say the amount. See what to say below.

At a subway station machine

1. Find the machine marked "Card Top-up" or "Transportation Card" near the gates and tap English.
2. Choose the T-money top-up option and place your card on the reader.
3. Choose an amount and insert cash.
4. Leave the card on the reader until the screen says it is done.

Top-up is cash only. A regular T-money card can't be topped up with a foreign card. Bring some won from the airport.

• Top-ups are 1,000–90,000 won at a time, in 1,000 won units. The maximum balance is 500,000 won.

Other cities

The same card works across Korea, including on Busan's metro, buses, and light rail. You don't need a new card for each city. The Climate Card pass is the exception: it works in Seoul only. See getting around Busan.

Seoul fares

• The subway adds 100 won for every 5 km beyond 10 km.
• Before 6:30 a.m. the subway is 20% cheaper with a card.
• Transfers are free or discounted between subway and bus if you use a card, tap off when you get off, and board the next ride within 30 minutes (60 minutes between 9 p.m. and 7 a.m.).

Climate Card: unlimited rides for tourists

The Climate Card (기후동행카드) short-term pass gives unlimited rides on Seoul's subway and city buses for a set number of days. If you ride four or more times a day, it usually costs less than T-money.

• The physical card costs 3,000 won more.
• Where to buy: ticket machines in Seoul subway stations (Lines 1–8), convenience stores near stations, Seoul Tourist Plaza, and the Myeongdong Tourist Information Center.
• Since March 17, 2026, the 440 newer ticket machines in 273 stations on Lines 1–8 accept foreign Visa and Mastercard cards for this pass and for single tickets.
• The pass starts on the day you load it and that day counts as day 1, so don't load a 1-day pass in the evening.
• Covered: Seoul subway, Seoul city, village, and late-night buses, and AREX between Seoul Station and Gimpo Airport. You can also get off (but not board) at Incheon Airport.
• Not covered: the Shinbundang Line, subway sections outside Seoul, red express buses, airport buses, Gyeonggi and Incheon buses, KORAIL, and GTX. If you exit at a station that isn't covered, you pay the fare to the staff.
• Tap out every time you get off. The pass requires it.

The 30-day Climate Card for residents ended on October 1, 2026. The 1–7 day tourist passes continue.

Other tourist cards

Side-by-side comparison: T-money vs WOWPASS vs Climate Card vs iPhone T-money.

• WOWPASS: a prepaid card that also works as T-money. You top it up with foreign cash at its kiosks or with a foreign credit card in its app, and you can pay at shops with it. Its transit balance is loaded separately from its shopping balance.
• Apple Pay T-money (iPhone): since March 2026, the Tmoney app has a "Foreigner" option for topping up a T-money card with Mastercard, Amex, or UnionPay and adding it to Apple Wallet. Visa isn't supported, and Apple's own Wallet top-up still takes only Korean Hyundai cards.
• Korea Tour Card: no longer sold.
• Tapping a foreign credit card directly at gates isn't possible yet. Seoul plans to add it to subway gates from 2027.

What to say at the counter

The pattern is simple: [amount] + 충전해 주세요 (chungjeonhae juseyo, "please top up").

Korean counts money in units of 10,000 (만, man), so 10,000 won is 만 원, 20,000 won is 이만 원 ("two man won"), and 5,000 won is 오천 원.

Too shy to say it? Show the phrase full screen from the T-money phrase cards.

Taxis

• Seoul taxis take cash, credit cards (including most foreign cards), and T-money. To pay with T-money, the balance has to cover the whole fare.
• The base fare for a regular Seoul taxi is 4,800 won. Fares rise late at night, roughly 10 p.m.–4 a.m.
• To book a taxi in English with a foreign card, use k.ride (from Kakao Mobility). In Kakao T, foreign cards often fail to register, so choose to pay the driver directly.

Getting your balance back

• Convenience stores and most refund points keep a 500 won fee; Tmoney Town refunds without it (up to 500,000 won a month). The card price isn't refunded.
• Convenience stores only refund small balances: up to 20,000 won at GS25 and 7-Eleven, and up to 30,000 won at CU and emart24.
• For larger balances, go to Tmoney Town, on the 1st floor of Seoul City Tower near Seoul Station Exit 10.
• Without a Korean bank account, it is easier to spend the balance before you leave. Convenience stores accept T-money.

Common mistakes

• Not tapping off the bus, so you lose the transfer discount.
• Arriving with no Korean won. Most top-up points only take cash.
• Using a Climate Card on the Shinbundang Line or on airport buses.
• Choosing your home currency on a card terminal. Pick won to avoid the conversion markup.

Sources

• Tmoney – guide for foreigners
• Tmoney – Climate Card for foreigners
• Seoul Metropolitan Government – subway fares
• Visit Seoul – buses
• VisitKorea – transportation cards
• Tmoney – convenience store guide (October 2026)
• Seoul Metropolitan Government – cards that can be topped up by credit card
• Herald Economy – foreign cards on Seoul subway machines (April 2026)
• SBS Biz – mobile T-money with foreign cards (March 2026)
• JoongAng Daily – T-money on iPhone for foreigners (March 19, 2026)