Tmoney Card in Korea: Buy It, Load It, Get Your Money Back

You reach a subway gate in Seoul, and everyone in front of you taps a card and walks through. A Tmoney card (also written T-money) is that card: a reloadable prepaid card for the subway, buses, taxis, and shops that show the Tmoney logo. With it, a basic Seoul subway ride costs 1,550 won. Without it, you pay 1,650 won for a single-journey ticket, plus a 500 won deposit you get back from a machine.

The plastic card costs a few thousand won at a convenience store, and you load it with cash. The harder part is your phone: Apple Wallet will not take a US card for Tmoney, and routes and transfer times are easier to check with mobile data.

In short:

  • Buy a plastic Tmoney card at GS25, CU, 7-Eleven, or Emart24, or at a subway station. VisitKorea lists it at 3,000 to 5,000 won.
  • Load it with cash. Tmoney's own guide says not to count on a foreign credit card.
  • Apple Wallet needs a South Korea-issued card to buy or top up Tmoney, so most US visitors should carry the plastic card.
  • A Seoul subway ride costs 1,550 won by card since June 28, 2025. A Climate Card pass starts at 5,000 won a day.
South Korea eSIM from $4Install at home, connect when you land.See plans

Moosetrip sells eSIMs, so keep that in mind. We have not used these cards ourselves, and everything below comes from the sources at the end. Tmoney's main website did not open for us, so we used its official blog instead.

Where a Tmoney card works

VisitKorea lists public transport, stores with the Tmoney logo, expressway toll gates, and subway vending machines and photo booths. Its FAQ adds taxis, intercity buses, and trains.

Seoul's 2026 guidebook says foreign tourists can use a T-money card, and Tmoney says a standard card needs no ID or sign-up. A card bought in Seoul also works in Busan and on Jeju.

A few limits:

  • The card works only with at least 250 won on it.
  • In stores, acceptance depends on the shop's terminal.
  • Taxis take Tmoney if the car has a card reader.

Seoul fares with a Tmoney card

Adult fares. The subway fare took effect on June 28, 2025, per the Seoul city government. Bus fares come from the city's 2026 guidebook.

RideCardCard before 6:30 a.m.Cash or single ticket
Subway, first 10 km1,550 won1,240 won1,650 won
Blue or green bus1,500 won1,200 won1,500 won
Yellow circular bus1,400 won1,120 won1,400 won
Red metropolitan bus3,000 won2,400 won3,000 won
Night "N" bus2,500 wonnone2,500 won

Past 10 km, the fare rises by 100 won for every 5 km.

The bigger saving is transfers. Tap your card when you get off the bus or leave the subway, then board the next ride within 30 minutes (1 hour from 9:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.). You get a transfer discount instead of a second full fare. Seoul's guide caps it at four transfers, five rides in all. A bus with the same number does not count, and if you forget to tap off, you may pay extra.

One card can pay for a group on a bus: tell the driver how many people, then tap. Seoul's guide describes this for buses only, so plan one card per person on the subway.

How much to load? Tmoney estimates about 10,000 won a day for 4 to 5 rides, and 30,000 to 40,000 won for a 3-night, 4-day trip.

Where to buy a Tmoney card at Incheon Airport

Tmoney's arrivals guide says you buy the card at an airport convenience store or ticket machine.

Incheon's directory for Terminal 1 lists 24-hour CU stores on 1F, the arrivals floor, near Exit 2, Exit 5, and Exit 13, plus one near Exit 11 with no hours shown. The directory does not say what each store sells, and its default view did not show Terminal 2, so ask at the register.

Tmoney also sells the Tmoney Travel Card, a visitor version with partner discounts, for about 4,000 won at the Incheon Airport bus ticket counter.

Need a SIM too? Our Incheon Airport SIM card guide lists the carrier counters and hours.

Where to buy in the city, and the price

VisitKorea lists convenience stores nationwide and the information centers at Seoul subway stations on Lines 1 to 8. Seoul's guide adds stations on Lines 1 to 9.

Sources differ on price. VisitKorea (August 2026) says 3,000 to 5,000 won. Tmoney (September 2026) says about 3,000 won, more for special designs. Seoul's 2026 guidebook says 4,000 to 8,000 won. The card price is not refunded.

How to top up a Tmoney card

  1. Convenience store. Hand the card to the cashier and say how much to add.
  2. Subway machine. Every station has recharge machines with an English menu. One reload can be up to 500,000 won.

Pay with cash. Tmoney calls cash the most reliable option at stores and many stations, warns against assuming a foreign credit card will work for a standard card, and says some subway machines take cash only. Seoul's guidebook says the machines also take debit and credit cards, but it is written for residents, and we could not confirm that a US card works.

Tmoney on Apple Wallet and phone apps

Tmoney is in Apple Wallet, but it is built for people with Korean bank cards.

  • Apple's support page, published February 4, 2026, says a South Korea-issued credit or debit card is required to buy or top up Tmoney from Apple Wallet. Tmoney's guide names a Hyundai Card added to Apple Pay.
  • The Mobile Tmoney app offers bank transfer, KakaoPay, Naver Pay, Tmileage, or another card. We found no official source saying a US card works there.
  • Tmoney in Apple Pay is for transit only, not convenience stores or online shopping.
  • Refunds go only through the Mobile Tmoney app, to a bank account in your name.

The mobile Climate Card is Android only (version 12 or later), so iPhone owners need the plastic one. For a short trip from the US, the plastic card and cash are the simple route.

How to check your Tmoney card balance

Tmoney lists convenience stores, subway station equipment, and other balance-check spots. The easy habit is to ask the cashier each time you top up. Keep at least 250 won on the card, or it will not work.

Getting your money back before you fly

VisitKorea says balances up to 50,000 won can be refunded at convenience stores. Above that, the refund is only at Tmoney Town, near Exit 10 of Seoul Station (1F, Seoul City Tower, 110 Huam-ro, Jung-gu).

Tmoney says a small service fee may be taken. Its refund page did not open for us, so we do not quote the exact fee. The simple plan is to load small amounts.

Climate Card and other passes for tourists

Seoul's Climate Card short-term pass gives unlimited rides for a set number of days. Prices from the Seoul city page, checked November 6, 2026:

PassPrice
1 day5,000 won
2 days8,000 won
3 days10,000 won
5 days15,000 won
7 days20,000 won
Plastic card, one time3,000 won
  • Calendar days. A pass starts with the first train on its start day and ends with the last train on its end day. A 1-day pass bought on July 1 ends that night. You cannot charge ahead, so charge it the morning you start.
  • Seoul only. Subway lines in Seoul and Seoul-licensed buses. Not the Sinbundang Line, GTX, stations outside Seoul, express buses, or airport buses. The 1-day pass leaves out Seoul Bike.
  • Airports. Getting off at Incheon Airport Terminal 1 and 2 and at Gimpo Airport station is covered. Tmoney says the pass is not sold at the airport.
  • Where to buy. Card machines in Seoul Metro stations on Lines 1 to 8, and some convenience stores near stations.
  • Payment. Seoul and VisitKorea say cash or a Korean card. Tmoney says new machines on Lines 1 to 8 take overseas cards with a fee of about 3.7%, as of March 2026. Bring cash in case.
  • Refunds. What you loaded minus what you rode, minus 500 won, if you ask before the pass ends. Without a Korean bank account, Seoul says to visit Tmoney headquarters.

Does it pay off? Our math, at 1,550 won a ride, leaves out the plastic card, since a Tmoney card costs about the same. A 1-day pass beats card fares from the fourth separate trip of the day, and a 3-day pass from the seventh trip over three days. A transfer inside the 30-minute window counts as one trip.

VisitKorea also lists the Mpass, a Tmoney pass for foreigners: up to 20 rides a day on the Seoul subway, city buses, and the AREX all-stop airport train. One day is 15,000 won, cash only, picked up and returned at Tmoney Town. It pays off at about 10 rides a day.

Why mobile data helps with a Tmoney card

The card pays the fare. It does not tell you which bus to take. Seoul's guide sends riders to bus.go.kr for routes, and with a 30-minute transfer window, a quick check on your phone can save a second fare.

A travel eSIM is one way to have data when you land. You install it at home over Wi-Fi with a QR code, the days start at your first connection in South Korea, and your US number stays on as a second line. On November 6, 2026, our South Korea plans start at $4 for 1 GB and 7 days, and 5 GB for 30 days costs $10.50.

As a generous rule of thumb, 1 GB is about 5 hours of maps and taxi apps, or 1.5 hours of video calls. You can add data to the same eSIM. Your phone must support eSIM and be unlocked, so check your phone first. If your US plan already includes enough data in Korea, you may not need one. For carrier SIMs with a Korean number, see our South Korea SIM card guide.

Questions

Can foreigners use a Tmoney card?

Yes. Seoul's 2026 guidebook says foreign tourists can, and Tmoney says the standard card needs no ID or sign-up.

Can I buy a Tmoney card at Incheon Airport?

Yes, at a convenience store or ticket machine, says Tmoney. Terminal 1 has 24-hour CU stores on 1F.

Can I add Tmoney to Apple Wallet with a US credit card?

Not to buy or top it up. Apple requires a South Korea-issued card for both.

How do I check my Tmoney card balance?

At a convenience store or in a subway station, per Tmoney.

Sources

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