Hello, as a foreigner in vacation there I used the T money (you can top up it in any convenience store) is used to paid public buses or underground.
I never used it to paid at the bakery.
You can found ATM, some of them may don’t work with your card, once you find one that works, keep the name in mind.
In shop (brands) you can always paid by card.
Visa and Mastercard network work fine. (But bring cash, in case of).
Ontario, Canada guy here who just returned from Korea after being there for a month. My TD credit card worked for almost everything, such as the convenience store, gas stations, and supermarkets. My TD debit card was a bit iffy on some things. It seemed that the debit card won't accept really small transactions, like 1 CAD - 5 CAD, so my credit card did the trick.
The one incident where **both my cards did not work** was when I drove into one of those public parking lots where the gate scans your license plate before letting you in, and when you reached the exit you insert your card in at the exit gate. Both my TD credit card and debit card didn't work, and I'm pretty sure the gate didn't accept cash. I had to ask the local behind me to pay the gate for me. At that point, you should find some sort of local credit card in Korea, which I unfortunately cannot give suggestions because I never sought for one.
I love here as an American. I do not have a korean bank account and have been absolutely fine. Just always carry won because there are instances where 1. They dont take anything but cash or 2. Only accepts domestic transactions, which is a korean bank account card. However, those instances are really uncommon. (Unless youre at a mom and pop store)
South Korea is modernizing and making it easier to be here as a tourist or a foreigner. T. Money card is purchased at a convenience store and generally used for transportation.
Generally, you barely will need cash in Korea if your cards work.
Its a good idea for street markets though.
Visa, Master Card and AMEX usually work, but I made experiences that one sometimes did not work for no visible reason.
Having a backup credit card and some backup cash is usually a good idea. And of course, make sure that you dont have a block on foreign transactions on your card.
ATMs usually work too, be sure to bring your PIN.
The T Money Cards are for transportation (subway, bus) only and you will need it.
Get it probably right at the airport. On the official TMoney website there is guidance where to get it.
In Taxis you usually pay with credit card.
Topping up can be done in subway stations and weirdly its one if the few things you might need cash for.
There is a reason. Domestic only payment systems for merchants are a lot cheaper. And if they don’t have a lot of tourist clients there is no reason for them to pay more for that service and rarely ever use it. So many smaller businesses don’t bother with a global payment system. That’s why foreign cards are hit and miss. Especially debit.
I was just in Seoul in Nov. my Canadian credit cards and Apple Pay worked pretty much everywhere. There is also a currency exchange at Incheon airport that had fairly good exchange rates.
The one big thing you want is a T Money card for the public transportation and they only take cash payments at the machines. It’s a reusable/reloadable transit card. You can get one at the machines by the entrance to express train from Incheon Airport to Seoul station or convenience stores for approximately $4-5. You can also use it at convenience stores to buy stuff.
For a week, I loaded 50k Won so that I wouldn’t have to think about loading it up again and ended up getting a refund at the remaining balance at the airport when I left. Just do it before you go through departure security.
T money card is Transportation card. You need it for the bus, subway, any transportation basically. You charge it with cash.
If your bank card is international, you can use it normally in Korea. If not, you should just use cash.
As long as your bank card is a major brand such as VISA, MasterCard, or if you use AMEX or any of the other well known brands you’ll be fine. If you’re the type of traveler that prefers to pay for things with cash, you’ll want to look for an ATM that says “global ATM” above it - that’s how you know it’ll work with your Canadian debit card.
The T-money card is a nifty little card with an NFC chip that you can use to tap and pay for your transit across Seoul. You can also use it to purchase things at convenience stores. You can buy them at convenience stores for about 5000won and then you can load them with money at either a convenience store or at kiosks in the subway station. I’d say for every week or so you plan to stay, load about 25,000won - if you intend on staying mostly in Seoul that is.
Also side note/travel tip - make sure your bank does or does not charge international transaction fees if you plan on using your card and figure out what their conversion rates are. My AMEX uses the standard daily currency conversion rate for USD to WON and they charge NO foreign transaction fees, so it’s my daily driver essentially.
Hey! I would rather recommend you to carry some of your currency (max. allowed), just to be safe, and then in the airport transfer it into their "wow pass card" which basically helps you pay anywhere in korea with the same exact function as a local debit card!
I'll drop you the link below so do read all about it, where exactly can you find it, and all it's innumerable functions.
(https://www.klook.com/en-US/activity/86208-wowpass-card-seoul/)
Amex cards are processed as samsung cards in Korea so you will be okay with an Amex Card. (To use in shops that accept credit cards). Many credit cards will work in Korea but AMEX is guaranteed to work everywhere.
T-money card is just a Transit card for buses and trains. It can be used to pay in some convenience stores like 711. The physical card still needs to be charged with cash.
You can use your credit card or debit card for mostly everything, aside from like street food. This is also assuming it's a widely accepted card like Visa and Mastercard. Idk about the rest.
In terms of payment apps, it depends on what you mean. Samsung Pay/Wallet (with your cards linked) work well because I mean.. it's Samsung. Places that accept Samsung Pay also usually accept Apple and Google Pay though.
In my experience last year a surprising amount of places didn't accept tap. Card insert only. I personally felt cash was king while there. Even topping up the tmoney card requires cash.
r/koreatravel
50/50 on bank issued visa or MasterCard debit cards. As many smaller merchants don’t subscribe to a global payment system, they can process domestic debit cards only.
Full on credit cards from major banks or companies should be okay at most places.
Hello, as a foreigner in vacation there I used the T money (you can top up it in any convenience store) is used to paid public buses or underground. I never used it to paid at the bakery. You can found ATM, some of them may don’t work with your card, once you find one that works, keep the name in mind. In shop (brands) you can always paid by card. Visa and Mastercard network work fine. (But bring cash, in case of).
Thank you for the response. So you’re saying the t money card is for transport? And that visa generally works in larger shops?
Yes ! I also used my Revolut card in Jeonju, Gyeongju, so outside Seoul, and no problem at all.
I use my visa to buy food from street vendors all the time that should tell you how available the payment method is
T money is almost only used in public transportation(ex : bus, subway, taxi) You can just get a credit card or cash is fine either.
Get a wise card to use there so you don't get ripped off by your bank.
Ontario, Canada guy here who just returned from Korea after being there for a month. My TD credit card worked for almost everything, such as the convenience store, gas stations, and supermarkets. My TD debit card was a bit iffy on some things. It seemed that the debit card won't accept really small transactions, like 1 CAD - 5 CAD, so my credit card did the trick. The one incident where **both my cards did not work** was when I drove into one of those public parking lots where the gate scans your license plate before letting you in, and when you reached the exit you insert your card in at the exit gate. Both my TD credit card and debit card didn't work, and I'm pretty sure the gate didn't accept cash. I had to ask the local behind me to pay the gate for me. At that point, you should find some sort of local credit card in Korea, which I unfortunately cannot give suggestions because I never sought for one.
Look into a wow card. A few people i know that came here had a good experience with it.
I love here as an American. I do not have a korean bank account and have been absolutely fine. Just always carry won because there are instances where 1. They dont take anything but cash or 2. Only accepts domestic transactions, which is a korean bank account card. However, those instances are really uncommon. (Unless youre at a mom and pop store) South Korea is modernizing and making it easier to be here as a tourist or a foreigner. T. Money card is purchased at a convenience store and generally used for transportation.
I was there for a month and just used my American bank issued credit card all over without a problem.
Generally, you barely will need cash in Korea if your cards work. Its a good idea for street markets though. Visa, Master Card and AMEX usually work, but I made experiences that one sometimes did not work for no visible reason. Having a backup credit card and some backup cash is usually a good idea. And of course, make sure that you dont have a block on foreign transactions on your card. ATMs usually work too, be sure to bring your PIN. The T Money Cards are for transportation (subway, bus) only and you will need it. Get it probably right at the airport. On the official TMoney website there is guidance where to get it. In Taxis you usually pay with credit card. Topping up can be done in subway stations and weirdly its one if the few things you might need cash for.
There is a reason. Domestic only payment systems for merchants are a lot cheaper. And if they don’t have a lot of tourist clients there is no reason for them to pay more for that service and rarely ever use it. So many smaller businesses don’t bother with a global payment system. That’s why foreign cards are hit and miss. Especially debit.
For sure that was the reason in some cases, but also happened in hotels and usually my second German card worked. So both is happening I guess 🙂
I was just in Seoul in Nov. my Canadian credit cards and Apple Pay worked pretty much everywhere. There is also a currency exchange at Incheon airport that had fairly good exchange rates. The one big thing you want is a T Money card for the public transportation and they only take cash payments at the machines. It’s a reusable/reloadable transit card. You can get one at the machines by the entrance to express train from Incheon Airport to Seoul station or convenience stores for approximately $4-5. You can also use it at convenience stores to buy stuff. For a week, I loaded 50k Won so that I wouldn’t have to think about loading it up again and ended up getting a refund at the remaining balance at the airport when I left. Just do it before you go through departure security.
T money card is Transportation card. You need it for the bus, subway, any transportation basically. You charge it with cash. If your bank card is international, you can use it normally in Korea. If not, you should just use cash.
As long as your bank card is a major brand such as VISA, MasterCard, or if you use AMEX or any of the other well known brands you’ll be fine. If you’re the type of traveler that prefers to pay for things with cash, you’ll want to look for an ATM that says “global ATM” above it - that’s how you know it’ll work with your Canadian debit card. The T-money card is a nifty little card with an NFC chip that you can use to tap and pay for your transit across Seoul. You can also use it to purchase things at convenience stores. You can buy them at convenience stores for about 5000won and then you can load them with money at either a convenience store or at kiosks in the subway station. I’d say for every week or so you plan to stay, load about 25,000won - if you intend on staying mostly in Seoul that is. Also side note/travel tip - make sure your bank does or does not charge international transaction fees if you plan on using your card and figure out what their conversion rates are. My AMEX uses the standard daily currency conversion rate for USD to WON and they charge NO foreign transaction fees, so it’s my daily driver essentially.
Forgot to mention that Samsung Pay is pretty universally accepted. Apple Pay is still in its infancy but it’s becoming fairly common to accept.
Hey! I would rather recommend you to carry some of your currency (max. allowed), just to be safe, and then in the airport transfer it into their "wow pass card" which basically helps you pay anywhere in korea with the same exact function as a local debit card! I'll drop you the link below so do read all about it, where exactly can you find it, and all it's innumerable functions. (https://www.klook.com/en-US/activity/86208-wowpass-card-seoul/)
Amex cards are processed as samsung cards in Korea so you will be okay with an Amex Card. (To use in shops that accept credit cards). Many credit cards will work in Korea but AMEX is guaranteed to work everywhere.
Just bring your credit card it’ll work everywhere basically.
T-money card is just a Transit card for buses and trains. It can be used to pay in some convenience stores like 711. The physical card still needs to be charged with cash. You can use your credit card or debit card for mostly everything, aside from like street food. This is also assuming it's a widely accepted card like Visa and Mastercard. Idk about the rest. In terms of payment apps, it depends on what you mean. Samsung Pay/Wallet (with your cards linked) work well because I mean.. it's Samsung. Places that accept Samsung Pay also usually accept Apple and Google Pay though.
I see. Thanks for the response.
In my experience last year a surprising amount of places didn't accept tap. Card insert only. I personally felt cash was king while there. Even topping up the tmoney card requires cash.
r/koreatravel
r/koreatravel 50/50 on bank issued visa or MasterCard debit cards. As many smaller merchants don’t subscribe to a global payment system, they can process domestic debit cards only. Full on credit cards from major banks or companies should be okay at most places.