Last checked: October 10, 2026 · Sources: Tmoney Co., WOWPASS (Orange Square) and Seoul Metropolitan Government pages — linked below.
New here? Start with our Incheon Airport arrival guide: immigration, customs, SIM or eSIM, money and the train or bus into Seoul, step by step.
Most visitors only need one card that pays per ride, and a plain T-money card does that for 3,000 won at convenience stores. Get WOWPASS instead if you also want a prepaid card for shops that you can top up with foreign cash, since it has T-money built in. Add a Climate Card short-term pass only if you’ll take about three or more separate rides a day, mostly inside Seoul.
What does each card actually do?
| T-money | WOWPASS | Climate Card (short-term pass) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | Prepaid transport card, pay per ride | Prepaid shopping card with a T-money function inside | Unlimited-ride pass for 1–7 days |
| Where it works | Subway, buses and other transport nationwide | Shops that take cards (WOWPASS balance) + transport nationwide (T-money balance) | Seoul subway and Seoul-licensed buses only |
| Card price | 3,000 won for basic designs | One-time membership fee; amount not shown on the official pages we read | 3,000 won |
| How you add money | KRW cash at convenience stores and station machines | Shop balance: 16 foreign currencies or a credit card at WOWPASS machines, or the app. T-money balance: separate top-up | Charge a pass with cash or a credit/debit card at station machines; foreign cards accepted since Mar 17, 2026 |
| Getting money back | Cash refund, 500 won fee | Shop balance: cash withdrawal, 1,000 won fee. T-money balance: T-money’s refund rules, 500 won fee | Unused part minus fares used minus 500 won, and only before the pass expires |
How much does each one cost?
| Item | Price | Source |
|---|---|---|
| T-money basic card | 3,000 won (designs vary; some cost more) | Tmoney card list |
| Tmoney Travel Card (for foreigners) | 4,000 won, convenience stores and Incheon Airport bus ticket counters | Tmoney foreigner cards page |
| Tmoney Travel Card + (T-money with WOWPASS functions) | 6,000 won, convenience stores | Tmoney foreigner cards page |
| WOWPASS from a WOWPASS machine | Membership fee not shown on official pages — check the machine or app before you go | WOWPASS |
| Climate Card (physical card) | 3,000 won | Seoul |
| Climate Card passes | 1 day 5,000 · 2 days 8,000 · 3 days 10,000 · 5 days 15,000 · 7 days 20,000 won | Seoul, modified Oct 1, 2026 |
| Subway base fare with a card | 1,550 won for the first 10 km | Seoul fare page |
| Single-journey subway ticket | Card fare + 100 won | Seoul fare page |
Tmoney says the card price itself is not refunded when you cash out a T-money or Climate Card.
Can I top up T-money with a credit card?
Not at the usual places. T-money’s English guide says you top up by handing over the card and Korean won in cash, in 1,000-won steps from 1,000 to 90,000 won, and a card can’t hold more than 500,000 won.
Where to top up:
- Convenience stores: GS25, CU, 7-Eleven, MINISTOP, Story Way, emart24, 365PLUS
- Subway stations: top-up only (ticket machines, top-up machines, information centres), no card sales listed
- Tmoney Town: Seoul Station Exit 10, Seoul City Tower 1F
So buy the card at a convenience store, and keep some won in cash for top-ups. If you arrive with no won, WOWPASS solves that part (next section).
Does WOWPASS replace T-money?
Partly. A WOWPASS card has two separate balances:
- WOWPASS balance for shops, restaurants and kiosks that take card payments. You top it up at WOWPASS machines with 16 foreign currencies or a credit card, or in the app with overseas cards and e-wallets.
- T-money balance for subways, buses and taxis. This one must be topped up separately: with KRW cash at stations and convenience stores like any T-money card, or by moving WOWPASS balance across in the app.
The catch: tapping in at a subway gate uses only the T-money balance. If it’s empty, a full WOWPASS shop balance won’t get you through.
Other points from WOWPASS’s own pages:
- To get a card from a machine you scan your passport, and you must load some cash onto it during issuance. Then register the card in the app (passport needed).
- WOWPASS says there are more than 400 machines in hotels, stations and convenience stores. Its FAQ says the Incheon Airport machines have limited functions, so don’t count on issuing the card there; check the machine map first.
- An airport package picked up at the SKT counter comes with 10,000 won of T-money balance preloaded.
- If you pre-book in the app, you can also pick the card up from staff at certain CU convenience stores in Incheon Airport’s arrivals area (WOWPASS lists which branches).
- Cash withdrawal of WOWPASS balance: up to 100,000 won per withdrawal, 1,000 won fee each time, no coins or amounts under 1,000 won.
- The WOWPASS balance stays valid for 6 years from the last top-up, so it carries over to your next trip.
You need data to use the app; see our eSIM vs USIM vs pocket Wi-Fi comparison if you haven’t sorted that yet.
When is the Climate Card pass worth it?
Our full guide to the Seoul Climate Card short-term pass covers buying, charging and refunds step by step.
The pass gives unlimited rides on the Seoul subway and Seoul-licensed buses for the days you pay for. It does not cover the Sinbundang Line, GTX, airport buses, red metropolitan buses, subway stations outside Seoul, or boarding at Incheon Airport (you can get off there, not get on). From October 1, 2026, the covered area shrank to Seoul itself.
Rough break-even against paying 1,550 won per subway trip:
| Pass | Per day | Worth it if you take, per day, about… |
|---|---|---|
| 1 day | 5,000 won | 4+ separate trips |
| 3 days | ~3,333 won | 3+ trips |
| 7 days | ~2,857 won | 2+ trips |
A “trip” here means a separate journey. With T-money, a transfer between subway and bus within 30 minutes (60 minutes from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m.) already gets a discount, so a subway-then-bus ride isn’t two full fares. Longer subway rides cost more than 1,550 won, which tips things toward the pass.
The day you charge counts as day 1, and you can’t charge in advance.
If you buy the physical Climate Card, register it on the Tmoney Card & Pay website (there’s a QR code on the back). Seoul says an unregistered card can’t be refunded. To get a refund, stop the card at a station top-up machine or in the Mobile Tmoney app before the pass ends, then apply on the website.
Can I use just one card for everything?
Not with the Climate Card. Seoul’s own FAQ says the Climate Card has no pay-per-ride balance and no plan to add one yet, so any fare the pass doesn’t cover must be paid with another transport card. You’ll need that other card for:
- the ride from Incheon Airport into Seoul,
- airport buses, the Sinbundang Line, subway stations outside Seoul and Gyeonggi- or Incheon-licensed buses (Seoul-licensed city buses still work when they run into Gyeonggi),
- taxis.
So Climate Card users usually carry two cards: the pass, plus a T-money or WOWPASS. Tap only the card you mean to use, one at a time.
T-money or WOWPASS on their own work as a single card for all transport in Korea, including outside Seoul.
What happens to leftover money when I leave?
| Card | How to get money back | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| T-money | Hand the card over at a T-money sales/top-up point; cash in KRW | 500 won; card price not refunded |
| T-money, partial refund | Only at Tmoney Town or T-money service centres in stations, 10,000–50,000 won in 10,000-won units | — |
| WOWPASS shop balance | Withdraw at a WOWPASS machine | 1,000 won per withdrawal |
| WOWPASS T-money balance | T-money refund points such as convenience stores; WOWPASS says 50,000 won or more only at T-money headquarters | 500 won |
| Climate Card pass | Charged amount − fares used − 500 won, before the pass ends; foreigners without a Korean bank account get cash at T-money headquarters; physical card must be registered first | 500 won |
Lose a T-money card and the balance is gone. WOWPASS lets you freeze the card in the app and move the shop balance to a replacement, but WOWPASS says the T-money balance on a lost card can’t be recovered. Keep T-money top-ups small, especially in your last days.
Which card should I get?
We’d pick a plain T-money card for most short trips: it costs least, works everywhere in Korea, and you only need some won in cash. We’d pick WOWPASS if you’d rather not exchange money at a counter or your own cards get declined at small shops, because the same card then covers shopping and transport. We’d add a Climate Card pass only for days packed with Seoul subway and bus rides, and we’d still carry a T-money or WOWPASS for the airport ride in and anything outside Seoul.
| Your trip | Our pick |
|---|---|
| 3–5 days, a few rides a day, have some won | T-money |
| No won on arrival, want one card for shops and transport | WOWPASS |
| Busy Seoul-only days, 3+ rides a day | Climate Card pass + T-money or WOWPASS |
| Travelling beyond Seoul (Busan, Jeju, day trips) | T-money or WOWPASS |
For planning routes and checking how many rides a day you’ll really take, see our Google Maps in Korea guide.
Who do I call if a card doesn’t work?
- T-money customer centre: 1644-0088 (weekdays 09:00–18:00)
- Seoul Dasan Call Center: 120, press 9 for foreign languages
- WOWPASS: +82-1833-5508
Read next
What each ride costs, how single tickets and the 500 won deposit work, and what to do when the gate rejects your card: see our Seoul subway fares, single tickets and transfers.
Sources
- Tmoney Co. — Foreigner Guide (top-up, refund, transfer discount; checked Oct 10, 2026)
- Tmoney Co. — Tmoney card list and prices (checked Oct 10, 2026)
- Tmoney Co. — Cards for foreign visitors: Tmoney Travel Card and Tmoney Travel Card + (checked Oct 10, 2026)
- Tmoney Co. — Climate Card guide (refunds; checked Oct 10, 2026)
- WOWPASS — User guide and FAQ (top-up, withdrawal, Tmoney top-up and refund; checked Oct 10, 2026)
- WOWPASS — Reserve card / issuance info (checked Oct 10, 2026)
- Orange Square — WOWPASS Service Terms of Use (fees, transportation card; checked Oct 10, 2026)
- Seoul Metropolitan Government — Climate Card short-term pass (modified Oct 1, 2026)
- Seoul Metropolitan Government — Climate Card short-term pass FAQ (foreign cards since Mar 17, 2026; checked Oct 10, 2026)
- Seoul Metropolitan Government — Subway fares (checked Oct 10, 2026)