The 30-second answer
Buy a T-money card at a participating convenience store or designated subway sales point, then load Korean won. The Korea Tourism Organization (KTO)’s 2026 visitor guide says overseas-issued cards are not accepted for ordinary T-money purchase or top-up, so carrying cash is the safest baseline. Use the card only where the T-money logo or current operator guidance confirms acceptance. The card itself costs 3,000 won (visitor editions 4,000 to 6,000 won) and that price is never refunded. Before you fly home, a CU or emart24 store refunds a balance of up to 30,000 won in cash minus a 500-won fee, so try to end your trip with about that much or less on the card.
The practical rule is: do not rely on tapping an overseas bank card on an ordinary city-bus reader. KTO's 2026 guide directs visitors to a regular transportation card and notes only limited exceptions on selected services.
What T-money actually covers
| Where | Works? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Participating subway and metro systems | Check the T-money/operator logo | Tap in and out; transfer rules depend on the operator and timing |
| Participating city buses | Check the operator | Tap when boarding and, where instructed, when getting off |
| Participating taxis | Common | Confirm the T-money logo before the ride or keep another payment method |
| Affiliated stores | Check the T-money logo | Acceptance is not the same as every convenience-store branch |
| AREX All Stop train | Yes | The Express train needs a separate ticket |
| Intercity/KTX trains | No | Buy tickets separately (Korail app, station counters) |
Buying the card: step by step
- Look for the T-money logo at a convenience store or use a designated subway sales point. Ask "티머니 카드 주세요"; stock and supported card types can differ by branch.
- Pay for the card itself — this is the price of the plastic, not stored value. A basic card costs 3,000 won and visitor editions cost 4,000 to 6,000 won (price table below).
- Top it up immediately (next section). A brand-new card holds zero balance.
- Check the terms for the exact card product. A basic unregistered card may not offer balance protection after loss, while tourist or app-linked products can have different registration rules.
Where to buy at the airport: convenience stores inside the arrivals area sell T-money before you reach the trains — buy it there so your very first tap is at the AREX gate. See the airport-to-Seoul guide.
Which card to buy, and what it costs
These are the prices on T-money’s own card pages, checked on 30 September 2026. You pay for the plastic; a new card holds a zero balance.
| Card | Price | Where it is sold |
|---|---|---|
| Basic T-money card (several designs) | 3,000 won | 7-Eleven, emart24 and street kiosks; GS25 and CU sell their own 3,000-won designs |
| Line Friends hanbok design | 5,000 won | AREX (Airport Railroad) |
| Tmoney Travel Card (visitor edition) | 4,000 won | Convenience stores and the staffed bus ticket counters inside Incheon Airport |
| WOWPASS | 6,000 won | Convenience stores |
The visitor editions pay fares exactly like a basic card. The extra 1,000 to 3,000 won buys partner-shop discounts with the Travel Card, or, with WOWPASS, the option to load money through its app or exchange kiosks and withdraw won at the machine. The older Korea Tour Card is no longer sold. If you only need buses, subways and taxis, the 3,000-won basic card is enough.
Recharging: step by step
- Convenience store: hand the card and cash to the clerk and say "충전해 주세요" with the amount. Round numbers (10,000 / 20,000 won) keep it simple.
- Subway station machine: tap the English button, place the card on the reader tray, insert cash, and wait for the confirmation screen before lifting the card.
- Check your balance any time: every tap at a gate shows the remaining balance on the reader display, and machines have a balance-check menu.
Do not count on topping up with an overseas-issued card. Keep enough Korean won for the top-up and wait for the machine or clerk's confirmation before leaving.
Getting your balance refunded before you fly home
- Small balances: GS25 refunds under 20,000 won, 7-Eleven up to 20,000 won, CU and emart24 up to 30,000 won, each keeping a 500-won fee.
- Balances above 50,000 won go to T-money Town on the 1st floor of Seoul City Tower, where 100,000 won or more is paid into a bank account the next working day.
- The card price itself is not refunded — only the loaded balance.
- Practical alternative: if an affiliated shop accepts the card, spend a small remaining balance before departure and avoid relying on a last-minute refund.
Refund limits by counter, with the math
T-money’s refund guide splits refunds by where you ask. None of these counters returns the price of the card itself.
| Where | Largest balance it refunds | Fee and how you are paid |
|---|---|---|
| GS25 | Under 20,000 won | 500 won; the rest in cash |
| 7-Eleven, independent shops, some street kiosks | 20,000 won or less | 500 won; the rest in cash |
| CU, emart24 | 30,000 won or less | 500 won; the rest in cash |
| Customer service desks in Seoul-area subway stations | Up to 50,000 won; partial refunds of 10,000 to 50,000 won in 10,000-won steps | 500 won service fee |
| T-money Town (Seoul City Tower, 1st floor) | Up to 500,000 won per person per day | No fee up to 500,000 won a month. ID check from 50,000 won; 100,000 won or more is paid into a bank account after 18:00 the next working day, so bring ID and a bankbook copy |
Bank ATMs that refund T-money pay only into your own account at that bank, so they are not an option without a Korean account.
How the limits play out (example balances):
- 18,000 won left: any convenience store above. You leave with 17,500 won.
- 26,000 won left: GS25 and 7-Eleven cannot process it, CU or emart24 can. You get 25,500 won.
- 42,000 won left: too much for a convenience store. A subway customer service desk refunds it; after the fee you get 41,500 won.
- 120,000 won left: only T-money Town handles it, and the money arrives in a bank account the next working day. A visitor flying out that evening should not load this much in the first place.
The practical ceiling for a short trip is therefore about 30,000 won on the card near the end of your stay: small enough for a CU or emart24 on the way to the airport. T-money’s call center is 1644-0088 (weekdays 09:00 to 18:00); for English help, call 120 and press 9.
When things go wrong
- Gate shows an error / insufficient balance mid-journey: use the top-up machine inside the paid area or at the station and re-tap. Staff at the wide gate can let you through to the machines if you gesture at the card.
- You forgot to tap out of a bus: you may be charged as if you rode further, and you lose the transfer discount for the next leg. Nothing to fix afterwards — just tap out next time.
- Card stops working entirely: cards do occasionally fail. Buy a replacement and refund the dead card's balance at the T-money service center (convenience stores cannot read a dead card).
- You are leaving from the airport and the refund queue is long: spend the balance at an airport convenience store instead — the goal is not leaving money on the card, not the refund ritual itself.
Korean phrases to show
| Korean | Romanization | When to show it |
|---|---|---|
| 티머니 카드 하나 주세요. | Timeoni kadeu hana juseyo. | One T-money card, please |
| 만원 충전해 주세요. | Manwon chungjeonhae juseyo. | Top up 10,000 won, please |
| 잔액 환불해 주세요. | Janaek hwanbulhae juseyo. | Please refund the balance |
| 잔액이 얼마예요? | Janaegi eolmayeyo? | How much is left on it? |
| 이 카드 여기서 쓸 수 있나요? | I kadeu yeogiseo sseul su innayo? | Can I use this card here? |
Seoul’s Climate Card after 1 October 2026
A notice T-money posted on 31 July 2026 says the Climate Card (기후동행카드) stops operating on 1 October 2026. The prepaid 30-day pass could be charged until 31 August and used until 29 September 2026. The same notice says the Climate Card short-term passes stay usable inside Seoul. Seoul’s own transport site lists the short-term passes as 1 day 5,000 won, 2 days 8,000 won, 3 days 10,000 won, 5 days 15,000 won and 7 days 20,000 won. They do not cover Ttareungyi bikes or the Hangang Bus, and the pass starts on the day you charge it, so you cannot load it in advance. The physical card is sold from the new-type ticket machines in Seoul Metro Line 1–8 stations and at convenience stores near Line 9, Ui-Sinseol and Sillim line stations.
What replaced the 30-day card is the Climate Pass (기후동행패스), a Seoul add-on to the national 모두의카드 (K-Pass) refund scheme. It is only for residents whose registered address is in Seoul and who are 19 or older, so it is not a visitor product. For a visitor, the choice is simple: a short-term pass if your whole trip stays in Seoul and you ride a lot, otherwise a pay-per-ride T-money card. The Korean-language background is in our Climate Card transition guide.
FAQ
Can two people share one card?
No. Each rider taps their own card — the gate and the bus reader register one fare per tap, and transfer discounts are calculated per card.
Can I top up or check the card with my phone?
Korean residents use phone-based T-money, but for visitors with foreign phones and cards, the physical card plus cash remains the dependable path. NFC top-up apps generally require Korean payment methods.
What about children's fares?
Children under 6 travelling with a paying adult ride Seoul subways and buses free, up to three per adult. For older children, Seoul’s fare page says the child or youth discount works only after you buy a card and register it as a child or youth card, following T-money’s registration guide. We could not find an official page saying a convenience-store clerk can do that registration for a visitor, so ask T-money’s call center (1644-0088, or 120 then 9 for English) before you load money on a child’s card.
Official sources
- T-money (official): https://www.t-money.co.kr/ (새 창 / opens in a new window)
- Seoul Metro (English): https://www.seoulmetro.co.kr/en/ (새 창 / opens in a new window)
- Incheon International Airport (English): https://www.airport.kr/ap_lp/en/index.do (새 창 / opens in a new window)
- Korea Tourism Organization — Visit Korea: https://english.visitkorea.or.kr/ (새 창 / opens in a new window)
Last verified: 2026-09-30. Card products, purchase locations, fees, refund channels, and fares change; the official pages above are the final word.