Seoul Transit Card Guide: Buy, Reload & Refund Tmoney
A first-timer’s guide to buying and cash-loading physical Tmoney, tapping off buses, transfer discounts, refunds, Climate Card passes, and mobile limitations.
Seoul transit cards for beginners: from buying Tmoney to using the last balance
For a first Seoul trip, a physical prepaid Tmoney card is usually the most predictable choice. It is sold at convenience stores nationwide and customer centers on Seoul subway Lines 1–8, and works across buses and subways.[1][2] Figures below were checked on September 12, 2026; recheck before publication or travel.
Choose in 30 seconds
• Traveling to Gyeonggi/Incheon or unsure how much you will ride: regular Tmoney
• Riding very frequently within Seoul for 1, 2, 3, 5, or 7 days: compare a short-term Climate Card
• You already verified phone and payment compatibility: mobile Tmoney
• Unsure: physical Tmoney plus Korean-won cash is the safe fallback.
Caption: Example metropolitan railway ticket/reload machine. Select a language, then the transit-card reload option.
1. Buy: card price and stored balance are separate
At a convenience store, ask for a “Tmoney card” and confirm stock. A standard card generally costs KRW 3,000–5,000; special designs can differ. This purchase price is not stored value and is non-refundable.[1][2] At an airport, check the Tmoney sign or ask staff rather than assuming every shop stocks it. Travelers aged 18 or under need birth-date registration at a participating sales point to receive child/youth fares.[1][2]
2. Reload: cash in Korean won is the baseline
Hand the physical card and Korean-won cash to convenience-store staff, or use a multilingual subway machine. Official limits are KRW 1,000 increments, KRW 1,000–90,000 per reload, and KRW 500,000 maximum total balance.[2] Start modestly and add money later to avoid a large leftover balance. If the balance is insufficient after entering, look for a fare-adjustment machine near the gates.[3]
Caption: A single-use subway card is not Tmoney. It requires a separate KRW 500 deposit.
3. Tap correctly—especially when leaving a bus
On the subway, tap one card when entering and exiting. Seoul Metro’s adult card base fare is KRW 1,550 for up to 10 km, with distance additions.[4] On most city buses, board at the front and tap; press the stop button, then tap off at the rear-door reader. Many Seoul buses do not accept cash, so prepare a card.[5]
For the integrated transfer discount, tap off the previous vehicle and tap onto the next. The usual window is 30 minutes, extended to 60 minutes from 21:00 to 07:00.[2][4] This is not necessarily a completely free transfer: distance-based additions may apply.
Caption: Example metropolitan railway gate. Remove one card from your wallet to avoid card clash.
4. No Tmoney? Use a single-use subway card
Select your destination at a station machine. You pay the fare plus a KRW 500 deposit, then insert the card into the destination station’s deposit-refund machine to recover KRW 500.[3] This deposit is unrelated to the Tmoney refund fee. Do not treat a single-use ticket like a regular transit card for bus transfers.
5. Refund: card price excluded, KRW 500 fee
A normal balance refund excludes the card purchase price and deducts a KRW 500 fee.[2] Current tourism guidance sends balances over KRW 50,000 to Tmoney Town near Seoul Station Exit 10; smaller balances may be handled by participating convenience stores, but store limits vary.[1] The easiest strategy is to reload less during the final two days.
Caption: Example Korail Rail+ card. Rail+ is compatible, but this article’s procedure is for Tmoney.
6. Climate Card and mobile Tmoney
When checked, short-term Climate Card prices were 1 day KRW 5,000 / 2 days 8,000 / 3 days 10,000 / 5 days 15,000 / 7 days 20,000, plus KRW 3,000 for the physical card.[1] It starts immediately when loaded and excludes Shinbundang Line and GTX. A change announced for October 1, 2026 keeps short-term passes and limits coverage to Seoul, so verify implementation at publication.[1]
Apple Wallet Tmoney on iPhone/Apple Watch is prepaid and requires a supported device and an eligible Apple Pay funding card.[6][8] iOS and Android apps can also be limited by identity verification, NFC/USIM setup, app-store region, and funding method.[7] Never promise that every foreign-issued card works; keep a physical card and cash as backup.
First-day checklist
1. Separate the card purchase price from the load amount.
2. Load a modest amount with Korean-won cash.
3. Tap in/out on the subway and tap on/off buses.
4. Monitor the balance and avoid a large last-day surplus.
5. If an error occurs, show the card and reader message to station staff.
Related guides
For the arrival sequence, read Incheon Airport to Seoul transport guide. For the ticket distinction on airport rail, see AREX Express vs All-Stop. For a shorter first-day version, use the First-day T-money guide. Tmoney works on AREX All-Stop, but Express requires a separate ticket.