Should I use a Climate Card or T-money as a visitor?
As of : Compare pass validity, service coverage and reload rules before choosing a Climate Card or stored Tmoney balance.
Partial · Confirmed source- [S88] Official source (EN) · Observed: Not confirmed · Checked:
- [S89] Official source (EN) · Observed: Not confirmed · Checked:
- [S84] Official source (EN) · Observed: Not confirmed · Checked:
Last verified
Climate Card is a time-limited transport pass with route exclusions. Tmoney’s physical-card guide describes stored-balance top-ups and transfer discounts.
| Action or condition | Verdict and evidence level | Scope | Sources and dates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Climate Card short-term prices | Works · Confirmed source | Seoul lists 1 day for KRW 5,000, 2 for KRW 8,000, 3 for KRW 10,000, 5 for KRW 15,000 and 7 for KRW 20,000. Tmoney lists a separate KRW 3,000 physical card. | |
| Start day and next reload | Partial · Confirmed source | Validity starts on the charging day, so the pass is not preloaded for a later start. Tmoney limits short-term reloads to after expiry. | |
| Climate Card boundaries | Partial · Confirmed source | Check Seoul’s service map. Exclusions include Sinbundang, intercity and airport buses, and buses not registered to Seoul. The operator also excludes shop payments. | |
| Stored Tmoney balance | Partial · Confirmed source | Tmoney’s guide describes Korean won cash top-ups for the physical card and discounts for eligible transfers. This is different from charging a time-limited pass. |
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| Tmoney balance at shops | Partial · Confirmed source | WOWPASS’s FAQ lists convenience-store payments with its separate Tmoney balance. This does not establish acceptance at every shop. |
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| Your itinerary and total cost | Not confirmed | No itinerary-specific coverage result or total cost has been established. | Not confirmed |
What to check next
Check each intended trip against the city’s current Climate Card service range and exclusions.
- [S88] Official source (EN) · Observed: Not confirmed · Checked:
Read the charging-day start and post-expiry reload conditions alongside the stored Tmoney cash top-up instructions.
Limits and unknowns
- No savings calculation or product ranking is given.
- The city page says 30-day reloads ended on August 31, 2026; this guide compares the listed short-term passes.
- Individual shop-payment results and itinerary coverage remain not_confirmed.
Sources
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[S88] Official source (EN)
Seoul lists 1-, 2-, 3-, 5- and 7-day passes at KRW 5,000, 8,000, 10,000, 15,000 and 20,000. Validity starts on the charging day. The page sets service boundaries and excludes Sinbundang and airport or intercity buses; 30-day reloads ended on August 31, 2026.
Observed: Not confirmed · Checked:
Based on the operator research recorded on 2026-10-18 in phaseD/p1_plan.md and sources.md, with local snapshots where available. No new network request or app test was made while writing this record.
No publication date was supplied. The page’s card-acceptance start date conflicts with the March 17, 2026 release; no start date is asserted here.
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[S89] Official source (EN)
Tmoney lists the physical Climate Card at KRW 3,000, warns that foreign cards may be declined or surcharged, and limits short-term reloads to after expiry. The card is not for shop payments.
Observed: Not confirmed · Checked:
Based on the operator research recorded on 2026-10-18 in phaseD/p1_plan.md and sources.md, with local snapshots where available. No new network request or app test was made while writing this record.
These are operator conditions, not a successful foreign-card or refund test.
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[S84] Official source (EN)
Tmoney describes physical-card top-ups using Korean won cash at convenience stores and station machines or information centres. The guide also describes transfer discounts.
Observed: Not confirmed · Checked:
Based on the operator research recorded on 2026-10-18 in phaseD/p1_plan.md and sources.md, with local snapshots where available. No new network request or app test was made while writing this record.
This is the physical-card guide; it does not establish overseas-card payment at every top-up channel.
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[S91] Official source (EN)
WOWPASS describes overseas-card app top-ups and offline IC-chip payments from its payment balance, excluding online and delivery-app payments. Its separate Tmoney balance is tapped for transit and is topped up offline with Korean won cash.
Observed: Not confirmed · Checked:
Based on the operator research recorded on 2026-10-18 in phaseD/p1_plan.md and sources.md, with local snapshots where available. No new network request or app test was made while writing this record.
The FAQ gives inconsistent reissue fees, so no fees are quoted. The cash condition applies to offline Tmoney top-ups; it is not a claim about every app transfer route.
Last verified
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