A physical T-money card is a prepaid transport card. Buy the card, load a separate travel balance, and use it at supported transport readers. The price printed on the card package is not the amount available for rides. This guide covers a standard physical card; mobile T-money, tourist bundles and Climate Card have different conditions.
Instructions checked: September 7, 2026. The procedure below is based on the issuer’s documentation, not a claim of an in-person purchase test.
1. Buy the card and ask for the balance separately
Look for a T-money-marked card at a participating convenience store. The issuer lists chains including GS25, CU, 7-Eleven, Story Way and Emart24. Stock and designs differ by shop. Before paying, ask the cashier to confirm the card price and whether any travel balance is included. T-money’s locations and loading instructions.
For example, say: “티머니 카드 하나 주세요. 이만 원 충전해 주세요.” This means “One T-money card, please. Please load ₩20,000.” The ₩20,000 is a chosen starting balance, not the card’s price or a required minimum.
2. Load the amount you intend to use
- Hand the cashier your physical card and Korean-won cash for the requested load.
- Keep the card at the reader until the staff confirms completion.
- Check the new balance on the display or receipt before leaving.
- Keep the remaining cash separately; it is no longer in your wallet once loaded.
The issuer’s published cash-loading range is ₩1,000–₩90,000 per top-up, in ₩1,000 increments, with a total stored-balance limit of ₩500,000. These are limits, not suggested amounts. At a station machine, choose the language you can read, select the transport-card reload option and follow that machine’s payment prompts. Do not assume a bank card that buys a rail ticket can also reload standard T-money.
3. Tap at the start and end of the ride
On a subway journey, use the card at the entry gate and again at the exit. On a bus, tap when boarding and when getting off. Keep other contactless cards away from the reader so you do not present several cards at once. Wait for a successful reader response before moving through.
Use a separate card for each person travelling through subway gates. For children or teenagers, ask about registering the eligible fare before using the card; do not assume the discount is active simply because a child carries it.
For ordinary Seoul transport, the city says transfer pricing depends on tapping on and off and transferring within the permitted period: normally 30 minutes, or 60 minutes from 21:00 to 07:00. This is not a promise of free travel on every route. Seoul’s integrated-fare rules.
How much should you load?
A Seoul adult subway base-fare journey is currently listed at ₩1,550. Twelve such separately charged journeys total ₩18,600 before distance supplements. A ₩20,000 load is therefore an example for that specific short-trip pattern, not an estimate for all transport in Korea. Airport services, longer trips and other cities can have different fares.
Build your own amount with the cash and transit calculation guide. Keep enough outside the card for a payment problem or another top-up.
When the reader rejects the card
- Low balance: check the displayed amount and reload before the next journey.
- Wrong or multiple cards: take the intended card out of the wallet and try again when the reader is ready.
- Entry/exit problem: ask station staff before buying another ticket or repeatedly tapping. Explain where you entered and show the card.
- A different service: a transport-card logo does not replace a reserved KTX or SRT ticket. Buy the correct long-distance ticket separately.
Refund the remaining balance before departure
T-money’s guide describes cash refunds of the remaining balance with a ₩500 service fee; the card purchase price is excluded. For a ₩9,800 balance, that calculation is ₩9,300 returned. Location and transaction limits apply, so ask the counter to confirm it can handle your balance before queuing.
The issuer lists T-money Town at Seoul Station Exit 10, Seoul City Tower 1F. Do not assume it is open at your departure time or that any convenience store handles every refund amount. Use the issuer’s refund guidance and contact details for a large or unusual balance, and arrange the refund before a tight airport connection.
Choose a different product only for a specific reason. A Seoul-only pass may suit a dense city itinerary; a prepaid shopping card may help with a separate payment need. Compare the four card types and the break-even examples before paying for another card.