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Hi, I’m SeoulAslanLOTTE Tourist Membership Card: How to Get It in Seoul (2026)
Checked Oct 11, 2026
The LOTTE Tourist Membership Card is a card for foreign tourists that Lotte Department Store hands out at its tax refund desks in Seoul and Busan. You show your passport, complete a customer consent form, verify your email, and you receive the card. It works as a transit card, earns L.POINT, and gives 5% off purchases over 100,000 won at Lotte Department Store.
I'm Korean, and Lotte's guide lists this card for foreign tourists, so it isn't one I can pick up. But I saw a photo of it on Threads and I could not stop thinking about it. I've owned a lot of cards over the years, and I even had one that lit up when you tapped it at the subway gate. Next to this one, that was nothing.
Then I wanted to know what it actually is and what it can do. This guide is what I found in Lotte's own foreign-visitor guide, plus press and travel reports.
Jump to: Who can get it · How to get it · Where to pick it up · What you get · Using the 5% discount · Transit use · What it looks like · Why the card got my attention · FAQ
Who can get the LOTTE Tourist Membership Card?
Foreign tourists. Lotte's guide page says "For: Foreign tourists", and the Jamsil pickup map carries the note "Only Foreign Customers". The Herald Economy report from April 28, 2026 calls it a foreigner-only membership card, and the December 2025 launch press release describes it as a membership for foreign tourists too.
The press release says Lotte Members and Lotte Department Store built it from foreign tourists' spending data, to widen their foreign membership. Nothing in the guide or the reports I read talks about Korean residents getting one.
How do you get the card?
Lotte's guide gives three steps:
- Present your passport at the issuance desk. That is the tax refund lounge or desk listed below.
- Complete the customer consent and email verification. Herald Economy says sign-up needs only a passport and email verification.
- Receive your membership card. TheSmartLocal says it is handed over on the spot once the first two steps are done.
Have an email address you can open on your phone, since the verification goes there.
Where do you pick up the card?
All the pickup points are Lotte Department Store tax refund counters, which are where the guide's maps point you. Here are the three branches with the spot named in Lotte's own map.
| Branch | Where exactly | Address | Naver Map |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lotte Department Store Myeongdong Main (롯데백화점 본점) | 1F Tax Refund Lounge, next to GUCCI | 81 Namdaemun-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul | Open |
| Lotte Department Store Jamsil (롯데백화점 잠실점) | Department store 1F Tax Refund Desk, next to ALO Lotte World Mall B1 Tax Refund Desk, opposite WEENY BEENY | 240 Olympic-ro, Songpa-gu, Seoul | Open |
| Lotte Department Store Busan Main (롯데백화점 부산본점) | 1F Tax Refund Desk, next to SAINT LAURENT | 772 Gaya-daero, Busanjin-gu, Busan | Open |
The card launched at the Myeongdong main store in December 2025. The Korea Economic Daily (Sep 17, 2026) reported 240,000 cards issued since the launch, and Newspace (Oct 6, 2026) reported 250,000 cumulative sign-ups. Jamsil was added from May 2026, starting with the department store's 1F lounge, per Herald Economy, and the guide now lists a desk in Lotte World Mall too. Lotte's page shows the offer from Friday, 2 Jan. until Thursday, 31 Dec. and marks it "Some Stores".
What does the card give you?
Here are the perks Lotte's guide prints. Where a news report adds something, I say so.
| Perk | What it gives | Where |
|---|---|---|
| 5% off | On purchases over 100,000 won. 5% coupons (limited quantity) are issued at sign-up and are valid for 30 days. New 5% coupons (limited quantity) are issued automatically each month | Lotte Department Store |
| Per use | The guide prints "Up to ₩100,000 per use" | Lotte Department Store |
| Lotte Mart | Guide: up to ₩10,000 off. Press reports: 7% | Lotte Group |
| Lotte Duty Free | Guide: up to $50 off. Press reports: 10% | Lotte Group |
| Lotte World Adventure, Seoul Sky, Lotte World Aquarium | Guide: up to 20–30% off. Press reports: a standing 20%, up to 30% in a promotion through May | Jamsil |
| Charlotte Theater | Musical tickets 5–30% off | Jamsil |
| Lotte Hotel Busan | F&B 10% off | Busan |
| Lotte World Adventure Busan | Admission 20% off | Busan |
| Transit and points | Works as a transit card, and you can earn and use L.POINT | Subways, buses, Lotte shops |
Some extra numbers come from the press. Newdaily (Dec 21, 2025) reported three 5% coupons at the launch, usable right after issuance at the main store. TheSmartLocal (Jun 2026) reports three new coupons a month and up to three uses per cardholder, while the guide itself says only "Limited quantity". Herald Economy (Apr 28, 2026) gives the Lotte World attractions discount as a standing 20%, with promotions raising it to as much as 30% through May. The same report, and Asia Economy and Newsis the same day, list 7% at Lotte Mart and 10% at Lotte Duty Free, and the Korea Economic Daily repeated both on Sep 17, 2026. The guide itself prints the Mart and Duty Free perks as caps, ₩10,000 and $50, and none of the reports says how the rates and the caps fit together. For a big purchase, ask at the register what the discount comes to. Lotte can change these terms, so read the leaflet you get with the card.
How do you use the 5% department store discount?
- Pay with cash or a foreign-issued card. The guide lists cash (KRW, USD, etc.), foreign-issued cards (Visa, Master, JCB, Amex, UnionPay), Alipay, WeChat Pay and LINE Pay (Taiwan).
- Show your membership card when you pay.
- Domestic Korean cards and gift certificates are not accepted for this discount.
- Your pickup city decides where it works. A card issued in Seoul works at Myeongdong Main and Jamsil. A card issued in Busan works at Busan Main, Gwangbok, Dongnae and Centum City.
- Some products and brands are excluded, and it is not available at Lotte World Mall.
The cap wording is "Up to ₩100,000 per use". It doesn't say whether that limits the purchase or the discount, so ask at the register if you plan a big purchase.
Does the card work as a transit card?
Yes. The guide lists "Transit card" under card features and says you recharge it at subway stations and convenience stores. TheSmartLocal says it works like a T-money card on subways and public buses, comes with no stored value, and can also pay at CU, GS25, 7-Eleven and Emart24. The guide doesn't name the transit network, so if you plan to rely on it, load a small amount and tap it at a gate on your first ride.
What does the card look like?
It is black with silver hologram line art. The Korea Economic Daily's copy of the Dec 23, 2025 press release says the design reinterprets the light of traditional Korean mother-of-pearl (najeon) inlay as a hologram, with Gyeongbokgung Palace, Lotte World Tower and the ten longevity symbols (sipjangsaeng), and that it is meant to double as a souvenir.
In Lotte's photo you can pick out Lotte World Tower on the left, Gyeongbokgung in the middle and a tower on Namsan on the right. Cranes, a deer and pine trees fill the gaps. The words "LOTTE Tourist Membership" and "L.POINT" are printed on the card.
Why the card got my attention
I haven't picked one up, so I can't tell you how the counter feels. What I can say is that the card is the whole reason I looked into this. It is a transit card, a point card and a coupon holder, and it is also a very good-looking object.
If you are heading to Seoul, I'd ask for it at the tax refund lounge when you do your Lotte shopping. If a friend of mine were coming from abroad, this guide is what I'd send them first.
FAQ
Who can get the LOTTE Tourist Membership Card?
Foreign tourists. Lotte's guide lists the card "For: Foreign tourists", and the press describes it as a foreigner-only card.
What do I need to get the card?
Your passport, a signed customer consent form and an email address for verification. Lotte's guide lists the three steps as presenting your passport, completing the consent and email verification, and receiving the card.
Is the LOTTE Tourist Membership Card free?
The official guide lists no fee, and TheSmartLocal and TripZilla (both Jun 2026) call it free.
Where can I get the card?
At the tax refund lounge or desk at Lotte Department Store Myeongdong Main (1F), Jamsil (1F and Lotte World Mall B1) and Busan Main (1F).
Can I use the discount at Lotte World Mall?
No for the 5% department store discount. The guide says it is not available at Lotte World Mall, though a pickup desk is listed there.
Is it the same as a T-money card?
The guide calls it a transit card recharged at subway stations and convenience stores. TheSmartLocal says it works like a T-money card on subways and public buses.
Whether the Lotte offer is extended
Lotte's page runs the offer to Dec 31, 2026. I'll check whether it is extended and whether the coupon rules change, and update this guide with the date. Next I want to compare it with the other cards foreign visitors can pick up for Seoul transit.
Read next: Can You Tap a Contactless Card on Seoul Transit? (2026) · Seoul Climate Card Tourist Pass Explained (2026)
Sources
- Lotte Department Store foreign-visitor guide, LOTTE Tourist Membership Card, image guide updated Oct 4, 2026, checked Oct 11, 2026
- Lotte Department Store foreign-visitor guide, main page offer banner, checked Oct 11, 2026
- Lotte Department Store Korean store-info pages for the Jamsil and Busan Main branches (addresses), checked Oct 11, 2026
- Korea Economic Daily, Lotte Members press release on the card launch, Dec 23, 2025 (Korean)
- Herald Economy, Tourist membership expands to Lotte World, Apr 28, 2026 (Korean)
- Korea Economic Daily, Go as soon as you land: foreign visitors crowd in, Sep 17, 2026 (Korean)
- Asia Economy, Lotte Town Jamsil joins the foreign-visitor benefits, Apr 28, 2026 (Korean); Newsis, Lotte widens foreign-visitor benefits, Apr 28, 2026 (Korean)
- Newspace, Lotte Department Store foreign sales pass 1 trillion won, Oct 6, 2026 (Korean)
- Newdaily, Lotte Department Store's foreign-visitor push, Dec 21, 2025 (Korean)
- TheSmartLocal, Lotte Tourist Membership Card guide, updated Jun 19, 2026
- TripZilla, Free tourist card for Seoul, Jun 19, 2026
- Photos: card photo and benefits guide image from Lotte Department Store's foreign-visitor guide (cropped only); Korea Tourism Organization photo gallery, Korea Open Government License Type 1
— SeoulAslan
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