On Seoul’s subway and buses, you pay by tapping a card, and you can choose between several. The national tourism organization lists four for visitors: Tmoney, EZL, WOWPASS and the Climate Card.[1] This guide compares three of them that charge in different ways: a Tmoney card, a Climate Card short-term pass and a WOWPASS. They all open the same gates, but they don’t all charge you the same way.
Below, we explain why there are so many cards, what changed on October 1, 2026, and how much money to put on a card for a short trip. We checked all fares and card rules on the official pages of the Seoul Metropolitan Government, Seoul Metro, Tmoney and the national tourism organization on October 6, 2026 (how we research).
There are many cards because the fare system is shared, not the card
Subways and buses in Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon use one distance-based fare system. When you pay with a transit card and switch between bus and subway within 30 minutes, the system counts it as one trip. You pay one base fare (the higher one, if the two differ), plus KRW 100 (about US$0.07) for every 5 km beyond the first 10 km. Between 9 p.m. and 7 a.m., you have 60 minutes to transfer.[3]
The fare rules sit in the system, so different companies can sell cards that plug into it. Tmoney and EZL cards are sold at convenience stores. WOWPASS is a prepaid card made for foreign visitors. The Climate Card is a pass run by the Seoul Metropolitan Government.[1]
What this means for you: a stored-value card pays the normal fare, trip by trip, whichever brand is printed on it. The Climate Card is different because you pay once for unlimited rides.
Tap when you get off the bus as well as when you get on, whichever card you use. With a stored-value card such as Tmoney, skipping the exit tap means you lose the free transfer and pay a separate fare for the next ride.[3] The Climate Card has its own rule: if you fail to tap off twice, it’s suspended for 24 hours.[2]
A Tmoney card charges only for the rides you take
You can buy a Tmoney card at convenience stores across Korea and at the information centers of Seoul subway Lines 1 to 8. The card itself costs KRW 3,000 to 5,000 (about US$2.20 to US$3.70), depending on the design.[1] You can use it on subways, city and intercity buses, taxis and trains.[1]
You top it up with cash at convenience stores or at subway station machines, in units of KRW 1,000 (about US$0.74), from KRW 1,000 to KRW 90,000 (about US$0.74 to US$67) at a time.[4] With a transit card, a subway ride costs KRW 1,550 (about US$1.10) for the first 10 km and KRW 100 (about US$0.07) more for each extra 5 km. A single-journey ticket costs KRW 100 (about US$0.07) more per ride.[3] Blue and green city buses cost KRW 1,500 (about US$1.10).[5] If you tap in before 6:30 a.m., the base fare is 20% cheaper.[3]
Children and teens pay less, but only if their card is registered with their date of birth. You can do this at a convenience store or a subway information center by showing the card and an ID.[4] Children under 6 ride the subway free, up to three per adult.[3]
When you leave, you can get your unused balance back in cash, minus a KRW 500 (about US$0.37) fee. The price of the card itself isn’t refunded.[4] Refunds of more than KRW 50,000 (about US$37) are handled only at Tmoney Town near Exit 10 of Seoul Station.[1]
Tip: if you arrive at Incheon Airport and plan to take the all-stop train, buy the card before you board. Our AREX guide explains that fare.
The Climate Card short-term pass for visitors
The Climate Card used to be sold mainly as a 30-day pass for commuters. The last 30-day passes could be loaded until August 31, 2026.[2] Since October 1, 2026, Seoul’s page for the card lists only the short-term passes.[8] We checked this on October 6, 2026. Seoul residents now get a separate product, the Climate Pass.[2] If a guide you’re reading describes a 30-day Climate Card, check its date.
The short-term passes cost KRW 5,000 (about US$3.70) for 1 day, KRW 8,000 (about US$5.90) for 2 days, KRW 10,000 (about US$7.40) for 3 days, KRW 15,000 (about US$11) for 5 days and KRW 20,000 (about US$15) for 7 days. You also pay KRW 3,000 (about US$2.20) for the physical card.[1][2]
Two rules decide whether a pass is worth it:
- It runs on calendar days. The pass starts the day you load it. A 1-day pass loaded on a Monday lasts until the last bus or subway that Monday, and you can’t load it in advance.[2] Loading it in the evening wastes most of a day.
- It covers Seoul, not the whole region. From October 1, 2026, Seoul limits the pass to subway sections inside Seoul and to Seoul-licensed city and village buses.[8] Its English page still lists some Gyeonggi sections, so check the range before you ride outside the city.[2] It doesn’t cover the Sinbundang Line. If you get off at a station outside its range, you pay the extra fare.[1][2] On the AREX line, Seoul’s short-term pass page lists getting off at Incheon Airport Terminal 1 and 2 stations as an exception, if you boarded inside the pass’s range. You can’t board there with the pass.[8]
Seoul’s own page lists cash and cards issued in Korea, then adds a note that international cards also work, but it dates that note March 20, 2025. Seoul’s press release says the change started on March 17, 2026, at the new ticket machines in 273 stations on Lines 1 to 8, with an average service fee of 3.7%.[7] The national tourism page still says you need cash or a card issued in Korea.[1] Because the official pages disagree, bring enough Korean won in cash to cover the pass, and treat an international card as a backup.
If you don’t use up a pass, you can ask for a refund before it ends. Seoul works it out as the amount you loaded, minus the fares you’ve already used, minus KRW 500 (about US$0.37). If you don’t have a Korean bank account, you can get the refund by visiting Tmoney’s headquarters.[2]
Is it worth it? We divided each pass price by the KRW 1,550 (about US$1.10) base subway fare to see how many trips it takes to break even. This is our own calculation. We left out the price of the card, because you pay about the same for a Tmoney card.[1]
| Pass | Price | Trips to break even | About this many a day |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 day | KRW 5,000 (about US$3.70) | 4 | 4 |
| 2 days | KRW 8,000 (about US$5.90) | 6 | 3 |
| 3 days | KRW 10,000 (about US$7.40) | 7 | 2 to 3 |
| 5 days | KRW 15,000 (about US$11) | 10 | 2 |
| 7 days | KRW 20,000 (about US$15) | 13 | 2 |
A bus-to-subway transfer counts as one trip, so count separate journeys, not rides. Longer trips cost more than KRW 1,550 (about US$1.10), so the pass pays off a little sooner if you travel far across the city.[3] But the pass counts calendar days, so a day you spend mostly at the airport or on a day trip outside Seoul still uses up one of them. If you’ll go out and come back once a day, that’s two trips a day. For 1 to 3 days, Tmoney costs less: 3 days of round trips come to KRW 9,300 (about US$6.90), against KRW 10,000 (about US$7.40) for a 3-day pass. For 5 or 7 days, the pass costs a little less: 10 trips come to KRW 15,500 (about US$11) against KRW 15,000 (about US$11), and 14 trips come to KRW 21,700 (about US$16) against KRW 20,000 (about US$15). That’s true only if you make both trips on every day of the pass. If one of those days goes to the airport or a day trip outside Seoul, Tmoney costs less again: 8 trips come to KRW 12,400 (about US$9.20), and 12 trips come to KRW 18,600 (about US$14).
There’s also Mpass, a Tmoney pass for foreign visitors. It gives up to 20 rides a day from KRW 15,000 (about US$11) for one day, and it includes the AREX all-stop train. You can pay only in Korean won cash, and it’s issued at Tmoney Town near Seoul Station.[1]
WOWPASS makes sense if you also want a prepaid payment card
WOWPASS is a card for foreign visitors that combines a transit card with a prepaid payment card and currency exchange. It costs KRW 5,000 (about US$3.70) and needs your passport. You can buy it at kiosks in airports, major subway stations and hotels, or order it in the app and pick it up later.[1]
You load it at a WOWPASS kiosk with Korean won or foreign currencies such as US dollars, Japanese yen or Chinese yuan. Any balance you don’t spend can be taken out as Korean won in cash at a kiosk.[1] In the WOWPASS app, you can check the card’s transportation balance and top it up.[6] If you lose the card, you can pause it in the app and move the balance to a new card. You also have to activate the card after you buy it.[1]
The national tourism organization’s list of WOWPASS advantages covers currency exchange, payments and lost-card protection. It doesn’t mention cheaper fares.[1] So it makes sense if you’ll also use it to pay in shops and restaurants.
How much to load: count your trips, not your days
By card, a trip of up to 10 km costs KRW 1,550 (about US$1.10), and a trip of up to 20 km costs KRW 1,750 (about US$1.30).[3] Here’s an example (our own calculation): a four-day stay with about three trips a day comes to 12 trips.
- 12 × KRW 1,550 = KRW 18,600 (about US$14) if every trip is short
- 12 × KRW 1,750 = KRW 21,000 (about US$16) if every trip is up to 20 km
Start with about KRW 20,000 (about US$15) and top up when the gate shows a low balance. Adding small amounts means less money left over when you leave, and every refund costs KRW 500 (about US$0.37).[4] Budget separately for your airport journey.
Good to know
Which card fits your trip:
| If you… | Choose |
|---|---|
| Will make one round trip a day for 1 to 3 days, or will spend a pass day at the airport or outside Seoul | Tmoney, loaded in small amounts |
| Will ride at least four times in one day, three times a day for 2 or 3 days, or twice every day for 5 or 7 days, all inside Seoul | Climate Card short-term pass, loaded in the morning |
| Also want to pay in shops with foreign cash | WOWPASS (bring your passport) |
| Are traveling with children | Tmoney registered with the child’s date of birth |
Before you go:
- Have some Korean won in cash. Tmoney top-ups need cash.[4]
- Get a card for each person in your group, and register cards for children and teens before their first ride.[4]
- Buying a Climate Card pass? Load it on the morning of your first busy day, not the night before.[2]
- Tap off every time you leave a bus.[3]
- On your last day, spend the balance down or get a refund before heading to the airport.[4]
Fares and card rules change. Check the operators’ sites before you travel.
More for your first day is in Arriving in Seoul, and our guide to phone data covers the other thing to sort out at the airport. Once you’re out on the street, read about crossing the road in Seoul. This guide has no paid links; see how we’re funded.
