Buy T-money for pay-per-ride flexibility and trips beyond Seoul. A Climate Card short-term pass suits heavy daily riding inside Seoul only.
Buy a T-money card if you will pay per ride or travel beyond Seoul's own subway and buses. Choose a Climate Card short-term pass only if you will ride a lot each day on consecutive days, entirely within Seoul.
The quick decision
Most visitors are best served by T-money. It is a prepaid card you top up and tap, and it works the same way whether you ride rarely or often. The Climate Card is a pass for a fixed number of days. It makes sense for a short, busy stay where every journey stays inside the city, and it can be a poor fit if your plans include day trips or airport buses.
If you are unsure, start with T-money. You can always add a Climate Card pass later if your days turn out to be heavy on transit.
How T-money works
A standard T-money card costs 3,000 KRW and is sold empty, so you load money onto it before your first ride. Special designs can cost more, and designs and prices vary by seller. You then pay per ride from the balance.
- Subway: the adult base fare by transit card is 1,550 KRW, covering up to 10 km (in effect since June 28, 2025). Beyond that, an adult distance surcharge of 100 KRW applies per 5 km after the first 10 km, and per 8 km beyond 50 km. A single-journey ticket has a base fare of 1,650 KRW, which is 100 KRW more than paying by card.
- City buses: blue and green (trunk and branch) buses charge 1,500 KRW for adults, by card or cash, under the table dated August 12, 2023. Village buses charge 1,200 KRW by card.
- Transfers: the capital-area integrated transfer discount is for transit-card users. Board your next ride within 30 minutes of tapping out (60 minutes between 21:00 and 07:00), with up to 4 transfers (5 rides) and one card per person. You must tap out when you leave, or the discount chain breaks. There is no transfer discount on the same route.
Where to buy and top up T-money
T-money cards are sold at convenience stores (GS25, CU, 7-Eleven, emart24, C-Space and Storyway), at subway station customer service centers on lines 1-4 and i-centers on lines 5-8, at kiosks and newsstands, at Incheon International Airport and in the online shop. Stock varies by store, so look for the T-money logo.
You can top up with cash at stores, subway stations, kiosks and partner ATMs that show the T-money sticker. Each top-up can be between 1,000 KRW and 90,000 KRW, and the card can hold a balance of up to 500,000 KRW, as Tmoney publishes its limits.
How the Climate Card works
The Climate Card is a separate physical card that also costs 3,000 KRW, and the pass is loaded onto it on top of that. Prices may change, and the short-term pass prices do not include Ttareungyi public bikes or the Hangang Bus.
| Short-term pass | Price (KRW) |
|---|---|
| 1 day | 5,000 |
| 2 days | 8,000 |
| 3 days | 10,000 |
| 5 days | 15,000 |
| 7 days | 20,000 |
The pass starts on the day you load it and cannot be dated in advance. The day count includes that first day. It is valid from the first train (04:00) on the start day until the last train of the final day. Recharge only after the current pass has expired.
You buy the physical card at the new-type ticket machines in Seoul Metro stations on lines 1-8, or at nearby convenience stores (GS25, CU, 7-Eleven, emart24 and Storyway). You can top up with cash at the station machines.
What the Climate Card covers, and what it does not
As of October 1, 2026, it covers the subway within Seoul, including exiting at Incheon Airport Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 stations. It also covers Seoul-licensed city and village buses, late-night buses included.
It does not cover the Shinbundang Line, GTX, subway outside Seoul, express or airport buses, or buses licensed elsewhere. If you exit at a station outside Seoul, the full fare is charged. Scope can change, so check before you travel.
The 30-day Climate Card is gone. Loads for it ended on August 31, 2026, and existing ones were usable until September 29, 2026. Only the short-term passes remain.
Which one suits you
- Choose T-money if you take a few rides a day, plan trips beyond Seoul, use airport or express buses, or want a card that also handles transfers with the integrated discount.
- Consider a Climate Card pass if you will spend several consecutive days riding the Seoul subway and Seoul buses often, never leave the city, and can start the pass on the day you load it. Add up the fares you expect to pay over those days and compare the total with the pass price.
- Check the exclusions first if your plans include the Shinbundang Line, GTX or an airport bus. Those rides fall outside the pass.
Before you buy
Confirm current fares and times on the official pages linked below before you travel, because fares and pass rules can change.
Sources
Fares, pass prices and coverage come from the official pages below, which we checked and compared in October 2026. This guide describes published fares and rules. It does not estimate what your own trip will cost.
- Tmoney Co., Ltd. (card introduction)
- Tmoney Co., Ltd. (where to buy)
- Tmoney Co., Ltd. (top-up methods)
- Seoul Metropolitan Government (transport fares)
- Seoul Metropolitan Government (integrated transfer discount)
- Seoul Metropolitan Government (Climate Card short-term pass)
- Tmoney Co., Ltd. (prepaid Climate Card)
- Seoul Metropolitan Government (30-day pass ended)
Checked on October 29, 2026.