It’s late, your transit card is running low and you have no Korean won in your pocket. In Seoul, the nearest help is usually a convenience store. The national tourism organization describes many convenience stores as open around the clock, all year, and lists buying food and drinks, withdrawing cash and charging a transportation card among the things you can do there at night.[4]
Below, we sort out what works at the counter, what doesn’t, and what to bring. We read the store chains’ and Tmoney’s own service pages, plus city and tourism office pages, between October 7 and 13, 2026 (how we research).
Topping up Tmoney takes cash
Tmoney’s guide for foreign visitors is clear on how to add money: hand over your card and cash in Korean won at a place that sells Tmoney. You can add KRW 1,000 to KRW 90,000 (about US$0.74 to US$67) at a time, in units of KRW 1,000 (about US$0.74), and the card can’t hold more than KRW 500,000 (about US$371).[2] The guide names seven convenience store chains that do this: GS25, CU, 7-Eleven, MINISTOP, Story Way, Emart24 and 365PLUS.[2]
CU’s own page says Tmoney charging is available at any CU in the country, with a few exceptions in areas outside Seoul, such as Daegu.[1] The same page says CU also charges Cashbee, another transit card you may come across, again with a few regional exceptions.[1] Neither Tmoney’s guide nor CU’s page mentions topping up with a foreign card.[1][2] So bring cash.
If there’s no convenience store nearby, Tmoney lists other places to top up: the ticket and top-up machines and the information centers in subway stations, and Tmoney Town at Seoul Station, by Exit 10 on the first floor of Seoul City Tower.[2]
Traveling as a family? Keep each card with its owner. Tmoney warns that an adult caught using a child’s or youth card is fined 30 times the base fare.[2]
How much to load, and whether a Tmoney card is the right card for you, is in our Seoul transit card guide.
Why cash still matters for transit
Korea is mostly a card country. VISITKOREA says that apart from a few small family-run businesses, most places accept credit cards, even for small purchases.[4] Transit top-ups are the exception travelers run into most. We’ll cover paying by foreign card in shops and at ticket machines in a separate guide.
Seoul has started to close the gap, but only part of it. Since March 17, 2026, new ticket machines at 273 stations on subway Lines 1 to 8 accept foreign credit and debit cards such as Visa and Mastercard. They work for buying a Climate Card, recharging its short-term passes and buying single-journey tickets, with an average service fee of about 3.7%.[3] That release doesn’t cover topping up a Tmoney card.[3]
A loaded card also matters once you’re moving. Tmoney’s guide says card users get a transfer discount when they switch from subway to bus, from bus to subway or from one bus to another within 30 minutes, or within one hour between 9 p.m. and 7 a.m.[2] That’s one more reason to top up before a long day out rather than at the gate.
What this means for you: if you carry a Tmoney card, keep some won for top-ups. If you’d rather pay by foreign card, a Climate Card short-term pass bought at a station machine is the route the city has opened.
Cash and other services
Getting cash
Many convenience stores have an ATM, but not every ATM takes a foreign card. Visit Seoul says machines that accept international cards are marked with a “Global” sign or the logo of the international banks whose cards they accept, and that ATMs in convenience stores often charge higher fees than bank machines.[5] We’ll cover finding ATMs and withdrawal limits in a separate guide.
What else the counter can do
These are services the chains or official bodies list on their own pages. We haven’t included anything we could only find on third-party sites.
| Service | Works? | What to know | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Top up Tmoney | Yes, with cash | KRW 1,000 to KRW 90,000 (about US$0.74 to US$67) at a time | [2] |
| Buy a Tmoney card | Yes | Convenience stores sell Tmoney cards | [2] |
| Get leftover Tmoney back | Yes, as cash | KRW 500 (about US$0.37) fee; the card price isn’t refunded | [2] |
| Withdraw cash with a foreign card | Only at marked ATMs | Look for a “Global” sign or the logos of the banks the machine accepts | [5] |
| Send a parcel | Yes, at CU | Available 24 hours, 365 days. International shipping goes by Post Office EMS | [6] |
| Pick up an online order | Not easily | CU asks for ID and a Korean resident registration number | [6] |
| Buy standard trash bags | Yes | Household trash bags are sold at convenience stores | [7] |
Trash bags matter less to a visitor than you might think, but they explain why street bins are scarce. That story is in why Seoul has so few trash cans.
Sending a parcel
If you want to send a bag or some shopping ahead to your next stop in Korea, CU’s page gives the timing. Parcels handed in by 5 p.m. in Seoul and the surrounding metropolitan area, or by 3 p.m. elsewhere, are delivered the next day, though the cutoff can differ from store to store. On Saturdays the cutoff is noon. On Sundays and holidays, CU says only order intake is available.[6] Fares start at KRW 2,600 (about US$1.90) and depend on the weight of the package, and parcels going abroad travel by Post Office EMS.[6] CU’s English page doesn’t show an update date, so confirm the fare and cutoff at the counter.
Are they all open 24 hours?
No, and the official wording is careful about it. VISITKOREA says “many” convenience stores are open 24/7, not all of them.[4] CU says its parcel service runs around the clock, but also that the cutoff for next-day delivery can differ from store to store.[6] Cash machines in general work the same way: Visit Seoul says ATMs typically operate until 11 p.m., although many are open 24 hours a day.[5]
What this means for you: if you’re counting on a store late at night, check the hours on the door when you pass by during the day.
Good to know
Before a late night out:
- Keep some Korean won in cash for Tmoney top-ups.[2]
- Top up before your balance runs low, not at the gate.
- If you need cash, look for an ATM with a “Global” sign or the logos of the international banks it accepts.[5]
- Check opening hours on the door of the store nearest your accommodation.[4]
- Sending a parcel from a CU? Hand it in by 5 p.m. in the Seoul area for next-day delivery, and by noon on Saturdays.[6]
- If a top-up or refund goes wrong and you need help in a foreign language, Tmoney’s guide points to Seoul’s Dasan Call Center: call 120, then press 9.[2]
Service details were checked on the chains’ and Tmoney’s pages on October 8, 2026. Services can change by store.
Just landed? Our AREX guide covers the train from Incheon Airport, and our SIM or eSIM guide covers getting online. More everyday guides are in Seoul, every day.