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Just visiting

Transit cards for visitors

Korea’s buses and subways run on a tap card, and your home contactless card is not a dependable transit pass yet. Here’s how T-money and the Climate Card work — and which one fits your trip.

Your trip
Where will you travel?
How long will you ride?
How often each day?
Good fit for this tripestimateCalculated from what you enter. Confirm real fares and prices before you buy.
Good fit for this trip: Climate Card
Climate Card
Short-term unlimited Seoul subway + bus pass
✓
You ride enough within Seoul that the short-term Climate Card pass works out cheaper here.

A rough estimate from the figures you enter — actual fares, transfer discounts and prices vary, so verify the current price before buying. Nothing you type is stored.

Full guide

QWhich transit card should I get?

For most visitors, T-money is the simple default — buy it on arrival, tap, and top up as you go. The Climate Card is worth it only if you’ll ride a lot within Seoul for 1–7 days. Foreign contactless tapping is still being rolled out, so don’t rely on your home card as the transit card.

Why is that — Korea’s fare gates still mostly read prepaid transport cards (or domestic cards with a transport function), not overseas Visa/Mastercard contactless. T-money works nationwide; the Climate Card trades flexibility for unlimited Seoul rides over fixed dates.

Your options
T-money Pay-as-you-go, reloadable, works on buses and subways nationwide — including the airport and outside Seoul. The simple default.
Climate Card Unlimited subway + bus within Seoul for 1–7 day visitor passes. Good value if you ride a lot in the city — but Seoul-only.
Your own card (tap) Open-loop EMV is being rolled out, but it is not a dependable visitor default yet. Plan on T-money or a Climate Card.
Not sure? Use the picker above — tell it where and how often you’ll travel, and add details to see what a pass would save.
Seoul Metropolitan Government — Climate CardTmoney — foreigner guideSeoul Metropolitan Government — open-loop payments As of 2026-06-28

QT-money: buy, top up, refund

Buy a T-money card at any convenience store or station booth, load it with cash, and tap on. When you leave, you can refund the leftover balance at a convenience store — minus a small fee, and not the card price itself.

Why is that — T-money is prepaid and cash-based: top-up machines and store clerks take cash, not foreign cards. Tapping both on and off (especially on buses) is what triggers the transfer discount.

Where to buyConvenience stores (CU, GS25, 7-Eleven), station booths, airport
Card price≈ 3,000 KRW, not refundable
Top upCash — at stores or station machines
RefundBalance up to 20,000 KRW at a convenience store, minus a small fee
Keep a little cash for top-ups, and tap off when you get off a bus so you don’t lose the transfer discount.
Tmoney — foreigner guideTmoney — public transportation fares As of 2026-06-28

QClimate Card: unlimited rides in Seoul

The visitor-friendly Climate Card is the short-term Seoul pass: 1, 2, 3, 5 or 7 days of unlimited subway and bus rides within the covered Seoul area. It does not replace T-money for the airport, Gyeonggi/Incheon, or longer trips.

Why is that — It’s a Seoul city pass, so the deal is unlimited rides for a flat price inside the city. If you ride a lot in central Seoul it can beat paying per trip; if you travel light, leave the city, or stay longer than the short-pass window, T-money is usually simpler.

Visitor passes1 / 2 / 3 / 5 / 7-day: 5,000 / 8,000 / 10,000 / 15,000 / 20,000 KRW
Monthly optionThe 30-day product is changing to Climate Card Plus in 2026; check current local eligibility instead of treating it as the tourist default
CoversSubway + buses within the Seoul coverage area
AirportNo boarding at Incheon Airport T1/T2 — use T-money or cash
Seoul-only: check the covered lines before you ride. For airport and outside-Seoul trips, keep T-money even if you buy a Climate Card pass.
Seoul Metropolitan Government — Climate CardSeoul Metropolitan Government — Climate Card Plus As of 2026-06-28

QCan I just tap my own card?

Do not plan on it yet. Seoul is rolling out open-loop (EMV) acceptance, but it is not complete enough to treat an overseas Visa/Mastercard contactless card as your main transit card. Carry T-money or a Climate Card.

Why is that — Korea’s transit fare system was built around domestic transport cards, not the EMV contactless used abroad. The city is upgrading readers in phases, so full foreign-card tapping is a few years out.

Today (2026)Treat foreign-card tap as not dependable — use T-money / Climate Card
BusesEMV modules rolling out through 2026
Subway lines 1–8EMV terminals planned after buses
Metropolitan rolloutTargeted in phases through 2030
Don’t count on tapping a foreign card to ride. Buy T-money (or a Climate Card) first; the airport and most stations sell them.
Seoul Metropolitan Government — open-loop payments for tourists As of 2026-06-28

Find your fit

Transit card picker
T-money vs Climate Card + pass savings

Common terms

T-moneyKorea’s main prepaid transport card — tap and top up, works nationwideClimate Card (기후동행카드)Seoul’s unlimited subway + bus pass for set dates — Seoul-onlyTransfer discount (환승할인)No new base fare when you change bus↔subway within ~30 min — tap on and offOpen-loop / EMVTapping a normal bank card directly — being rolled out on Korean transit
See the full glossary →

Frequently asked

For Seoul subway, Tmoney lists the adult base fare as ₩1,550 with a transport card; buses and long-distance rides can differ. Transfers between bus and subway within about 30 minutes usually don’t add a new base fare.

Only if you ride a lot within Seoul. For multi-day Seoul-only sightseeing it often starts to make sense around three rides a day, but the card cost and your exact days matter — use the picker above with your own plan.

The Climate Card is a Seoul pass. You may not be able to exit outside the covered area, and you cannot board with it at Incheon Airport Terminal 1 or 2. Keep a T-money card for the airport, Gyeonggi/Incheon, and intercity trips.

This page is general information for visitors, not financial advice. Fares, pass prices and the foreign-card rollout change — confirm current details before you rely on them.