T-money, WOWPASS and the Climate Card
You'll need a transit card to get around. Here's how the main options compare, from official sources where we have them.
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T-money vs WOWPASS vs Climate Card
A quick comparison of the three cards, using official sources.
- T-money: transit card. Buy and top up with cash only.
- WOWPASS: prepaid payment card with T-money built in. Top up with cash in 16 currencies or a card. In-person payments only. Also works in Busan and Jeju.
- Climate Card: short-term passes for Seoul subway and Seoul buses, 5,000 won for 1 day up to 20,000 won for 7 days. The card itself is 3,000 won. You can't buy it outside Korea.
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Get some cash for your T-money card
T-money cards are sold at convenience stores and subway stations, and you can only buy and top them up with cash, not a foreign card. Bus card readers don't take foreign cards either, and travelers say buses don't take cash. So get a loaded card before your first ride. Taxi card readers do take foreign credit cards.
- Get some Korean won in cash when you land.
- Top up your T-money card before your first bus or subway ride.
- T-money's own travel cards: TMONEY TRAVEL CARD (4,000 won) and TMONEY TRAVEL CARD+ (6,000 won, at convenience stores), which adds WOWPASS card payments at card-accepting shops across Korea.
Official links
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WOWPASS: payments and T-money on one card
WOWPASS is a prepaid card you can pay with, with T-money built in. You top it up with cash in 16 currencies or with a card. It only works in person: you can't use it for online shopping or delivery apps. The T-money part has its own balance.
- Top up the T-money part with won in cash at a subway ticket machine or convenience store.
- Or move money from your WOWPASS balance to T-money in the app (one way only).
- The card and its balance are valid for 6 years.
- Street stalls that only take cash won't accept it.
- On KTX trains, purchases over 50,000 won need your PIN.
Official links
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WOWPASS fees
Currency exchange, payments and cash top-ups are free, and there's no annual fee. You pay to get the card, to replace it and to take cash out.
Sources disagree. WOWPASS's own FAQ gives two different replacement fees (4,000 won in one answer, 3,000 won in another), so we show the range. Its card fee is listed as 6,000 won, but an older notice says 5,000 won.- Card fee: 6,000 won, non-refundable.
- Replacement card: 3,000–4,000 won.
- Cash withdrawal: 1,000 won each time, up to 100,000 won per withdrawal.
- Limits: balance up to 1,000,000 won; cash top-ups up to 2,000,000 won a day and 10,000,000 won a week.
- Exchange-rate margin: being verified.
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Topping up WOWPASS with a card or PayPal
Card top-ups in the WOWPASS app are capped at 200,000 won each and 1,000,000 won (10 top-ups) a month. PayPal top-ups are capped at 500,000 won a month, and that money can't be withdrawn or transferred. Refunds are at a machine or the head office, and money you've spent can't be refunded.
- Secondary sources say the app takes Mastercard, JCB, Diners and Discover, not Visa, with a 4% fee for foreign cards. We haven't seen official figures.
- An older WOWPASS page says machines that take credit cards accept Visa, Mastercard, UnionPay, JCB, Amex, Diners and Discover.
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Climate Card short-term pass (Seoul)
The Climate Card's short-term pass covers Seoul's subway (including getting off at Incheon Airport) and Seoul-licensed buses. It starts the day you top it up, so you can't load it in advance. You can't buy it outside Korea.
- Buy the card at a new-style ticket machine on Lines 1–8, or at a convenience store near Line 9, Ui-Sinseol or Sillim Line stations.
- Top up on the day you want the pass to start.
- Pass prices: 5,000 won (1 day), 8,000 (2), 10,000 (3), 15,000 (5), 20,000 (7 days). Youth 7-day pass: 13,000 won (from 1 Sep 2026).
- The physical card costs 3,000 won. The mobile version works on Android 12 or later only.
- Not covered: Shinbundang Line, GTX, intercity and airport buses, Ttareungyi bikes, Hangang Bus.
- You can top up at subway ticket machines, or in the Mobile T-money app (NFC, from 25 Nov 2025).
- The short-term pass works on the mobile Climate Card or the prepaid physical Climate Card. They're separate cards: they can't be linked, and you top up each one.
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Buying a Climate Card pass with a foreign card
New-style ticket machines on Lines 1–8 (440 machines at 273 stations) sell short-term passes and single tickets to foreign Visa and Mastercard credit and debit cards, and to mobile payment apps. The average fee is 3.7%.
Sources disagree. Seoul's sources give different start dates: a city press release says 17 Mar 2026, and the English Climate Card page says 20 Mar 2025. Both describe it as available now.Card brands
- Visa Works
- Mastercard Works
- Amex Being verified
- JCB Being verified
- UnionPay Being verified
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Getting a Climate Card refund
You get back what you loaded, minus what you used and a 500 won fee. Ask during the pass period. If you don't have a Korean bank account, you can get a cash refund at T-money's head office.
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Getting money back from T-money
A WOWPASS guide says T-money refunds cost 500 won. Where you go depends on how much is left.
- Under 20,000 won: GS25 or 7-Eleven.
- Under 50,000 won: Seoul subway customer service centers.
- More than that: T-money Town.
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Transit cards in Busan
Busan's transfer discounts work with Hanaro, Mybi, Ebi, T-money, Cashbee and postpaid transit cards. WOWPASS also works for card payments in Busan.
- Busan's prepaid Dongbaek Pass needs a Korean residence card, so it isn't for short-stay visitors.
- A 2024 news report says Busan launched Busan Pay, a local payment app just for foreign visitors. We haven't confirmed how top-ups or taxis work with it.
- A 2025 news report says Busan's buses and subway don't take Visa or Mastercard tap payments yet. The city plans card readers for them by the end of 2027.
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Visit Busan Pass: attractions plus transit
Visit Busan Pass is an attractions pass. The physical card also works as a rechargeable transit card (Ezl/Cashbee) across Korea; the mobile pass doesn't work for transit. Top it up at convenience stores and subway stations.
- 24-hour pass 55,000 won, 48-hour pass 85,000 won (official guidebook).
- The 24- and 48-hour passes start when you enter your first attraction.
- BIG3 covers one A and two B attractions; BIG5 covers two A and three B attractions.
- A 2025 news report gives BIG3 at 45,000 won and BIG5 at 65,000 won, valid for 6 months after purchase.
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Buses and transit cards on Jeju
A Jeju tourism guidebook says every Jeju bus takes T-money, and fares are 1,200 won (1,150 won by card). WOWPASS works for card payments on Jeju, and there's a WOWPASS machine at Jeju Airport, but it doesn't exchange currency.