T-money Card Guide for Visitors: Buy, Top Up, Ride and Refund

What is T-money and where can I use it?

T-money is a prepaid, reloadable transit card. You put money on it, then tap it on a reader each time you ride. It works on virtually all public transport in Korea: the subway in Seoul and other cities such as Busan, city buses, intercity and express buses, most taxis and some trains. You can also pay with it at convenience stores and shops that display the T-money logo.

For a visitor, the main benefits are simple: you skip the ticket machine on every ride, you pay less than with a single-journey ticket, and you get transfer discounts between subway and bus.

Where do I buy a T-money card?

• Convenience stores such as GS25, CU and 7-Eleven, all over the country. This is the easiest option.
• Seoul Metro information centers on subway Lines 1–8.
• Incheon Airport, at card machines near the railway station and in the airport's convenience stores.

A plain card costs about ₩3,000–5,000. Character and limited-edition designs cost more. The card comes with no balance on it, so top it up before your first ride. Keep in mind that the price of the card itself is not refundable later.

How do I top up a T-money card?

At a subway station machine: choose English on the screen, select the top-up (recharge) option, place the card on the pad and insert cash. Seoul subway machines add money in steps of ₩1,000 or ₩10,000. For a regular prepaid T-money card, these machines accept cash only.

At a convenience store: hand over the card and the cash and tell the cashier the amount, for example "T-money charge, ten thousand won." Convenience store top-ups are generally cash too.

A card can hold up to ₩500,000, but there is no reason to load anywhere near that much.

What about foreign credit cards? Since March 2026, newer machines at Seoul Metro stations accept overseas cards, but only for single-journey tickets and the Climate Card pass, not for adding money to a regular T-money card. iPhone users have one more option: since spring 2026 the official mobile T-money app has a foreigner mode that loads a virtual card in Apple Wallet with Apple Pay. Card brand support is limited (as of September 2026, Mastercard, Amex, UnionPay and JCB, but not Visa), so check the app before you rely on it.

How much does a ride cost?

Adult fares in Seoul with a transit card, as of October 2026:

Longer subway trips add a distance surcharge: ₩100 for every 5 km between 10 and 50 km, then ₩100 for every 8 km beyond that. If your first ride of the day (subway or bus) starts before 06:30, its base fare is 20% cheaper with a card.

Fares change from time to time. The Seoul subway fare last went up in June 2025, so check the official fare page if you are reading this much later.

How do transfers work?

In Seoul and the surrounding capital area, a T-money card gives you a transfer discount between subway and buses:

• Board the next ride within 30 minutes of getting off (60 minutes between 21:00 and 07:00).
• You can transfer up to four times in a row (five rides).
• You pay the highest base fare among your rides, plus any distance surcharge, instead of a new base fare every time.
• Always tap your card when you get off a bus. If you forget, the transfer chain breaks and the next ride is charged as a new trip.
• Re-boarding the same bus route does not count as a transfer.

Since March 2026 there is one more reason to tap out properly: if you leave the subway without tapping your prepaid card, the base fare is charged automatically the next time you board.

How much money should I load?

A rough way to plan: a day with four subway rides costs ₩6,200 in base fares, plus distance surcharges on longer trips, and less if some of those rides count as transfers. ₩10,000 covers about six base-fare subway rides, which makes it a convenient amount to add at a time.

Because you pay a fee to refund leftover money and the card price never comes back, it is better to top up a little at a time than to load a lot at the start. You need at least the base fare on the card to enter the subway, and if you come up short at the exit, the fare adjustment machine by the gates lets you pay the difference.

The simplest habit is to check the balance before you top up. See How to check your T-money balance for every method, including reading the card with your phone.

How do I get a refund when I leave Korea?

You can get the remaining balance back, minus a fee (usually ₩500):

• Convenience stores handle smaller amounts.
• Larger amounts go through T-money's own service center, T-money Town near Seoul Station. According to the Korea Tourism Organization, refunds over ₩50,000 are handled only there.

Limits differ by place, so ask before you count on it. The card's purchase price is not refunded.

If you plan to come back, simply keep the card. Cards from earlier trips usually still work. We explain how to check an old card in Several T-money cards on one trip.

T-money or the Climate Card pass?

Seoul also sells a short-term unlimited pass on its Climate Card. Here is how the two compare:

The pass pays off if you ride a lot within Seoul. If you are also going to Gyeonggi, Incheon, Busan or taking taxis, you will still want a T-money card.

Do kids and teens pay less?

Yes. Children (6–12) and teens (13–18) pay reduced fares, but only if the card is registered as a child or teen card. Visitors can usually do this at a convenience store or when buying the card, by showing the child's passport so the date of birth can be entered. An unregistered card charges the adult fare. Children under 6 ride free with an adult.

Keep track of your balance with your phone

The one thing a T-money card does not tell you is how much is left, until you tap it at a gate or a machine. TapSeoul reads a physical prepaid T-money card's balance with your phone's NFC, saves each card under a nickname, and keeps a history of its balance readings on your phone. It is read-only and needs no account.

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