Seoul Subway for Foreigners: Fares, Single Tickets, Tap-Out Rule & Climate Card

All you need for the Seoul subway is one transit card — but a few things changed in 2026. Since 7 March, forgetting to tap out adds an extra base fare the next time you ride; since 17 March, the new kiosks in stations take overseas cards for single-journey tickets and short-term Climate Card passes; and since 1 October, the short-term pass only works within Seoul (getting off at the Incheon Airport stations is the exception). Here are the fares, what to do at the gates, how to buy a single ticket, which machine does what, the short-term pass and lost property (checked 12 October 2026).

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• → How to Use Naver Map in English: Settings, Search, Transit & Booking

Last checked: 2026-10-12·Desk-researched — not yet verified on site

1. 1Fares — ₩1,550 with a transit card, ₩1,650 with a single ticket

   The adult base fare (up to 10 km) is ₩1,550 with a transit card such as T-money and ₩1,650 with a single-journey ticket (it rose from ₩1,400 to ₩1,550 from the first train on 28 June 2025). From 10 to 50 km you pay ₩100 more for every 5 km, and beyond 50 km ₩100 for every 8 km. Ride on a transit card between the first train and 06:30 and the base fare is 20% off (not when you are transferring from another bus or train). Youth (13–18, or enrolled students up to 24) pay ₩900 by card, but a youth single ticket costs the adult ₩1,650. We could not confirm whether a visiting foreigner can get the youth fare on a transit card, so budget for the adult fare. Children (6–12) pay ₩550 by card or single ticket; under-6s ride free, up to three per accompanying adult — the fourth pays the child fare.

2. 2Tap in and tap out — skipping the tap-out now costs a base fare

   Tap your card at the gate both on the way in and on the way out. From the first train on 7 March 2026, if you do not tap out, the next ride on the same card is charged an extra base fare (₩1,550 adult, ₩900 youth, ₩550 child). It applies to prepaid and postpaid transit cards; commuter passes, single-journey tickets and concession passes are exempt, and so is the short-term Climate Card. It applies from that date across all urban rail in the Seoul metropolitan area, including Seoul Metro's sections (Lines 1–8 and phases 2–3 of Line 9). Not tapping out also loses you the bus transfer discount.

3. 3Transfers — within 30 minutes to or from a bus (60 at night)

   The bus–subway transfer discount works only with a transit card. You must board the next bus or train within 30 minutes of getting off (60 minutes between 21:00 and 07:00), and you must have tapped out. With transfers the whole trip is charged as one: the base fare up to 10 km, then ₩100 for every 5 km (the higher base fare of the modes you used applies). One single-ticket trap: on a single-journey ticket or commuter pass you cannot transfer at Seoul Station between the Gyeongui–Jungang Line and Line 1, Line 4 or AREX.

4. 4Exit and re-enter within 15 minutes

   Seoul's free re-entry started at 10 minutes in July 2023 and was extended to 15 minutes that October, so if you exit (for the toilet, say) and tap back in at the station where you got off within 15 minutes, you are not charged a new base fare; the re-entry is processed as one transfer. It covers Lines 1–9 (Line 9's Seoul city section), the Ui-Sinseol Line and the Sillim Line. Korail-run lines adopted the same 15-minute rule separately on 20 June 2026: there you must re-enter through the same line's gates at the same station, the fare is waived only once, and single-journey tickets and commuter passes are not exempted automatically, so ask the station staff. Lines not run by Seoul Metro or Korail (such as AREX, the Shinbundang Line and the Gimpo Goldline), Incheon Lines 1 and 2, and part of Line 7 are outside Korail's rule. Whether a single-journey ticket gets the 15-minute re-entry on Seoul Metro lines is not stated in any official notice we found, so that is unconfirmed.

5. 5Buying a single-journey ticket — get the ₩500 deposit back

   A single-journey ticket is a card for one ride when you do not want to buy a transit card. Here is the sequence: (1) at a station machine, choose your destination station; (2) pay the fare plus a ₩500 deposit and take the single-journey card; (3) tap it on the reader on the right-hand side of the gate; (4) after your ride, feed it into a deposit refund machine and you get ₩500 back in coins — that is a separate refund machine, not the kiosk. You do not have to claim the deposit on the same day, and refund machines at other stations generally take it too. A lost or damaged card means no deposit back. An unused single ticket can be refunded at the new kiosks.

6. 6Which machine does what, and where to find it

   Stations have three kinds of machine. The new transit card kiosks were piloted from September 2025 and installed at most Line 1–8 stations by January 2026 (officially 440 machines at 273 stations); they sell single-journey tickets, top up cards, refund unused single tickets and change a card's fare type, with on-screen guidance in Korean, English, Chinese and Japanese (as reported). The older ticket machines date from 2009 and take cash only. The deposit refund machines do just one thing: return the ₩500 single-ticket deposit. Seoul Metro's September 2026 data counts 446 new kiosks at 272 of the 274 Line 1–8 station listings (transfer stations are counted once per line; the two without one are Yeonsinnae on Line 6 and Gunja on Line 7), plus 15 mobile kiosks — we could not confirm whether the mobile ones take foreign cards. The old machines, new kiosks and refund machines are usually grouped together on the concourse outside the gates, listed in the data as "towards the gates near Exit X". Staffed top-ups are done at the station office. dari's station pages for Myeongdong, Seongsu, Yaksu, Hongik Univ., Itaewon, Gangnam, Jongno 3-ga and Euljiro 1-ga show each station's machine counts and locations from this data.

7. 7Paying with a foreign card — new kiosks, single tickets and short-term passes only

   From the first train on 17 March 2026, the new kiosks accept overseas credit and debit cards such as Visa and Mastercard for buying single-journey tickets, buying a Climate Card and topping up a short-term pass (1, 2, 3, 5 or 7 days). Paying with a foreign card adds a service fee of 3.7% on average. Topping up a regular T-money balance is still cash-only at station machines — foreign cards do not work for that (see the T-money guide for other ways). WeChat Pay works too: it was the most-used mobile wallet at the kiosks in the first month. The official notice, though, only names Kakao Pay, Naver Pay and the like, and we found nothing on Alipay, so that is unconfirmed. Whether Apple Pay or Samsung Pay holding a foreign card works at the kiosks is also unconfirmed. As of October 2026, tapping a foreign card directly at the gates is not possible (see the FAQ).

8. 8Climate Card short-term passes — 1, 2, 3, 5 or 7 days

   A flat-rate pass for unlimited rides on Seoul's subway and buses for the period you choose. Prices are ₩5,000 for 1 day, ₩8,000 for 2, ₩10,000 for 3, ₩15,000 for 5 and ₩20,000 for 7 (Seoul city's official page as of 1 October 2026), plus ₩3,000 for the physical card. The card is sold at the new kiosks in Line 1–8 stations, and at convenience stores near stations on Line 9, the Ui-Sinseol Line and the Sillim Line; top it up at station self-service top-up machines, the new kiosks or the Mobile T-money app. The day you top up is the start day, so you cannot load it in advance. Validity counts calendar days, not 24-hour blocks: it runs from the first train on the start day to the last train on the final day — a 1-day pass topped up on 1 July lasts until the last train on 1 July, so topping up late in the day wastes it. The 30-day pass ended on 1 October 2026; the short-term passes are still on sale. There is no discount for foreign visitors. The youth 7-day pass (₩13,000) needs youth verification on the T-money Card & Pay website, and we could not confirm whether foreign teens can complete it.

9. 9Where the short-term pass works — Seoul only since October 2026

   From 1 October 2026 the short-term pass covers subways within Seoul, getting off (not boarding) at Incheon Airport Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 stations, and Seoul-licensed city and village buses (including late-night and circular routes). Gimpo, Goyang, Gwacheon, Guri, Seongnam, Hanam, Namyangju and other areas are excluded. It does not work on the Shinbundang Line, GTX, subways outside Seoul, or intercity and airport buses, and Ttareungyi bikes and the Hangang Bus are not included. At transfer stations, enter only through the gates of a covered line (at Gangnam, only the Line 2 gates). On AREX you can board within Seoul and get off at Incheon Airport Terminal 1 or 2, but you cannot board there. Board within Seoul and get off at a station outside it, and the pass does not apply — the fare is charged separately. Refunds require registering the card on the T-money Card & Pay website, must be requested within the validity period, and carry a ₩500 fee. Foreigners without a Korean bank account need to visit T-money's head office and ask about a cash refund.

10. 10Finding your way, last trains and help lines

    A map app is the easiest way to plan lines and transfers (see our Naver Map in English guide). The subway does not run all night, and first and last train times differ by line and station, so if you are out late, check the last train in the app that day. Seoul Metro's main number is 1577-1234; the Seoul city Dasan call center is 120.

11. 11Left something on the train — lost property and home delivery

    Seoul Metro's lost property centers are split by line: City Hall Station for Lines 1–2, Chungmuro for Lines 3–4, Wangsimni for Lines 5 and 8, Taereung for Lines 6–7, and Sports Complex for Line 9 (Eonju to VHS Medical Center). They open weekdays 09:00–18:00 and close on weekends and public holidays. Stations register found items in the police lost-property system (Police Civil Service 24); the center handles them within seven days, after which they go to a police station and are kept for six months. Since 20 July 2026 there is home delivery: ₩5,000 under 2 kg, ₩6,000 for 2–10 kg and ₩7,000 for 10–20 kg.