Money
Money
Card or cash?
Pay by card almost everywhere
Subways, buses, taxis, convenience stores, most restaurants and even many street stalls take card.
Visa and Mastercard are universal; Amex is hit-or-miss.
Keep ~₩50,000 cash anyway
Traditional markets, tiny old eateries, some temples and the odd street cart are cash-only.
A little cash saves the moment.
Don't assume tap-to-pay
Many terminals still insert the chip rather than tap.
Just hand the card over, the staff will run it.
Getting won
Don't exchange a lot at the airport
Incheon has the worst rates in the country.
Change just ~₩50,000 for the bus or taxi, then sort the rest in the city.
Use Myeongdong / Itaewon money changers
The licensed booths in Myeongdong give the best rates in Seoul, usually with no commission.
Bring USD, EUR or JPY cash to swap.
Or just withdraw at an ATM
Often the simplest route, no booth-hunting.
Mind the rules in the next section.
ATMs & foreign cards
Find a 'Global' ATM
Woori, KB Kookmin and convenience-store ATMs (GS25 / CU / 7-Eleven) take foreign cards 24/7.
Look for the Global / Visa-Plus / Cirrus marks.
Never pick your home currency
When the ATM asks 'charge in USD / EUR?', say no and choose KRW (원).
'Your currency' hides a markup (DCC), let your own bank do the conversion.
Budget the fees
Expect ₩3,000–6,000 per withdrawal on the Korean side, plus your bank’s foreign fee.
Take out larger amounts less often.
WOWPASS & T-money
Consider a WOWPASS
Made for tourists: load foreign cash at a kiosk (airport + major stations) and it becomes a prepaid Mastercard plus a T-money transit card in one. ₩5,000 one-time fee.
Mastercard loads, Visa is limited
You can top up WOWPASS in-app with a Mastercard; Visa has restrictions, so plan to load cash at the kiosk instead.
Get a T-money for transit
One tap for subway, bus and most taxis.
Buy it and top up with cash at any GS25 / CU.
Two more things
No tipping, keep your won
Service is built into the price; nobody expects a tip.
Leaving one often gets it handed straight back.
Claim your tax refund
Spend ₩15,000+ at a Tax Free shop and get roughly 5–8% back with your passport at the airport or a downtown kiosk.
How tax refund worksUpdated August 2026. Rough rule: card for everything, a ₩50,000 note for the exceptions, KRW at every ATM.
