SetPaying for Seoul transport
Hi, I’m SeoulAslanT-money Refund: How to Get Your Balance Back (2026)
Checked Sept 30, 2026
Take your T-money card to a GS25, CU, 7-Eleven or emart24 counter and ask for a refund. They pay out the whole balance in won cash, minus a 500 won fee. The price of the card itself doesn't come back.
Each store chain has a ceiling. GS25 takes balances under 20,000 won, 7-Eleven up to 20,000, and CU and emart24 up to 30,000. Up to 50,000 won, go to a subway station service center. Above that, it's Tmoney Town at Seoul Station, Exit 10.
Before any trip abroad I check the same five things: will cash work, how do the ticket machines work, will my card work, can I just tap, and where do I buy a pass. It's a habit from living abroad, about six years in Vietnam and a year in Thailand. This post is the other end of that list: what happens to the money still on the card when you fly home.
Jump to: Convenience stores · Part of the balance · The Refund button · Your last day · WOWPASS · Climate Card · All three compared · FAQ
How do I get my T-money balance back at a convenience store?
Hand the card over at the counter and say "T-money refund" or show the Korean: 티머니 환불해 주세요. The clerk reads the balance and gives it back in cash, minus 500 won. T-money's Korean table puts it as the whole card balance, less the fee, in cash.
| Store | Refund limit (T-money's table) | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| GS25 | Under 20,000 won | Whole balance in cash, minus 500 won |
| 7-Eleven | 20,000 won or less | Whole balance in cash, minus 500 won |
| CU | 30,000 won or less | Whole balance in cash, minus 500 won |
| emart24 | 30,000 won or less | Whole balance in cash, minus 500 won |
Under 20,000 won, any of the four works. Stores only do the whole balance. You can't ask for 10,000 back and keep the rest on the card.
The card price is gone either way. T-money's English blog says it plainly: the card purchase price is not part of the refundable balance.
Can I get back only part of my balance?
Yes, but not at a store. Partial refunds are only done at Tmoney Town and at the customer service centers (고객안내소) inside Seoul-area subway stations. You can take 10,000 to 50,000 won, in steps of 10,000.
That's handy on your last day. Take most of it back, and leave enough on the card for the train to the airport.
For balances over 50,000 won, T-money sends you to its head office, Tmoney Town (티머니타운). It's on the first floor of Seoul City Tower (서울시티타워), 110 Huam-ro, Jung-gu, connected to Exit 10 of Seoul Station (서울역) on Lines 1 and 4.
What does the Refund button on the ticket kiosk do?
When I photographed the new ticket kiosks at two Seoul subway stations on Sept 28 and 29, 2026, the English menu showed these buttons: Single Journey Ticket, Free Ticket, Reloading the transit card, Purchase transportation card, and Refund·Ticket type change·Reuse.
I couldn't find an official page that says this button gives back a plain T-money balance. So I wouldn't plan on it. The counters above are the refund points T-money lists. Use a store or a service center.
More on the machines themselves: Seoul subway ticket machines, step by step.
What's the best way to run the card down before I fly?
- Stop loading big amounts in your last couple of days.
- Keep the airport fare on the card. The AREX all-stop train (공항철도 일반열차) takes T-money. From Seoul Station it's 4,750 won to Incheon Airport Terminal 1 and 5,350 won to Terminal 2.
- Spend small leftovers in a store. T-money pays at participating convenience stores, and GS25, CU, 7-Eleven and emart24 are the main chains. T-money says it can vary by store and terminal.
- Refund the rest in the city. A store takes the whole balance. A station service center can give back part of it in 10,000 won steps and leave your train fare on the card.
If you refund everything in town, you can still ride out on a single-journey ticket. On the all-stop train that costs 100 won more than the card fare.
Why not wait for the airport? The airport's store list does show 24-hour GS25 and CU stores in both terminals. But I couldn't find T-money or the airport saying those stores do refunds, so I don't count on it. More on the ride out in Incheon Airport to Seoul: every option.
How do I get money back from WOWPASS?
A WOWPASS has two balances, and they come back in different ways.
- WOWPASS balance (the money you exchanged): withdraw it as won cash at a WOWPASS machine. Up to 100,000 won per withdrawal, for a 1,000 won fee each time. You confirm it with the WOWPASS app. There are no coins, so amounts under 1,000 won stay on the card.
- T-money balance (the transit side): it's separate. Refund it like any T-money card, at a convenience store or other T-money refund point, for 500 won.
Don't leave the withdrawal for the airport. WOWPASS says its machines at Incheon Airport don't do balance withdrawals. They're for issuing cards and loading cash.
You can't move a T-money balance onto the WOWPASS side, so the transit money has to go through a T-money refund. And if you lose the card, WOWPASS can reissue it, but the T-money balance on the lost card is gone, because it lives on the card's chip. The WOWPASS balance itself stays valid for six years from your last top-up or reissue.
The card fee itself doesn't come back. WOWPASS's FAQ calls it a membership registration fee and says it isn't refundable. Since March 4, 2026 it's 6,000 won at a WOWPASS machine, or 5,500 won if you reserve in the app first. A replacement card for a lost one costs 4,000 won. Some travel-booking pages and older WOWPASS guide pages still show the old 5,000 and 3,000 won.
Can I get a refund on the Climate Card tourist pass?
Only before the pass runs out. For the Climate Card tourist pass (기후동행카드 단기권), Seoul's formula is: what you loaded, minus what you actually rode, minus a 500 won fee. You have to apply within the pass period. After it expires, there's no refund at all, including for lost or broken cards.
Three more rules from the city and T-money:
- Register the plastic card on the T-money Card&Pay website (티머니 카드&페이). The city says an unregistered card can't be refunded.
- No Korean bank account? Seoul says foreigners without one can get a cash refund at T-money's head office, Tmoney Town.
- The card price isn't refunded, the same as T-money.
More on the pass itself: T-money vs Climate Card vs WOWPASS.
How do T-money, WOWPASS and Climate Card refunds compare?
| T-money | WOWPASS balance | Climate Card tourist pass | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What comes back | The balance, in won cash | The balance, in won cash | Loaded amount minus rides used |
| Where | Convenience stores, station service centers, Tmoney Town | WOWPASS machines (not at Incheon Airport) | Foreigners without a Korean bank account: cash at Tmoney Town |
| Fee | 500 won | 1,000 won per withdrawal | 500 won |
| Limits | By counter: 20,000 / 30,000 / 50,000 won | 100,000 won per withdrawal, no coins | Card must be registered |
| Deadline | None (see FAQ) | Valid 6 years from last top-up or reissue | Within the pass period |
| Not refunded | Card price | Card fee (6,000 won at a machine) | Card price |
The T-money side of a WOWPASS follows the T-money column.
Korean words for a T-money refund
| English | Korean |
|---|---|
| T-money refund, please | 티머니 환불해 주세요 |
| Customer service center (in stations) | 고객안내소 |
| Tmoney Town (head office) | 티머니타운 |
| Seoul City Tower | 서울시티타워 |
| Seoul Station | 서울역 |
| Climate Card tourist pass | 기후동행카드 단기권 |
FAQ
Can I get the T-money card price back?
No. Only the balance comes back, minus 500 won. The price you paid for the card isn't refunded.
Does T-money expire?
No. The balance has no expiry date. T-money's terms set a 5-year limit counted from your last top-up or last use, but if you bring the physical card, you can still use or refund it after that. T-money's own blog says it isn't a travel-period-only card.
Can I refund T-money at Incheon Airport?
I couldn't confirm it. The airport lists GS25 and CU stores, but neither the airport nor T-money says they do refunds. Do it in the city.
Can I move my T-money balance to WOWPASS?
No. WOWPASS says a T-money balance can't be moved to the WOWPASS balance.
Can I get a Climate Card refund after the pass ends?
No. Seoul says you must apply within the pass period. After it expires, there's no refund.
Things I could not confirm yet:
- Whether convenience stores inside Incheon Airport, before or after passport control, refund T-money. A traveller forum answer says yes; I found no official page that says so.
- What the kiosk button Refund·Ticket type change·Reuse does for a plain T-money card.
- Store limits right at 20,000 and 30,000 won. T-money's table says "20,000 won or less" for 7-Eleven and "30,000 won or less" for CU and emart24. WOWPASS's guide says "less than" for both.
- Tmoney Town opening hours. Only WOWPASS gives them (weekdays 9am to 6pm).
- Refunds of 100,000 won or more at Tmoney Town. T-money's table says these go into a bank account the next day, and doesn't say how visitors without a Korean account are paid.
- Whether the 500 won fee is waived after using 80% of a top-up. T-money's terms say so, but only at the head office.
- Whether Tmoney Town charges the 500 won fee. T-money's Korean refund table says no fee there up to 500,000 won a month. Its English guide lists a flat 500 won.
- For the Climate Card: T-money's page adds a step (stop the card within the pass period, then apply online within 15 days after it ends). It doesn't say whether that applies to the tourist pass, or whether the deadline for a cash refund at Tmoney Town is the same.
- Whether the TMONEY TRAVEL CARD, T-money's card for visitors, refunds exactly like a regular T-money card.
- Whether T-money works on the AREX Express train. Only traveller reports say it doesn't.
Will cash work is the first thing I check before a trip. In Seoul it's also where your T-money ends up: won in cash, back across a convenience store counter.
More on paying for Seoul transport
- Can You Tap a Contactless Card on Seoul Transit? (2026)
- Do You Need Cash for Seoul Transport? (2026)
- T-money vs Climate Card vs WOWPASS: Which to Get (2026)
- T-money in Apple Wallet with a Foreign Card (2026)
- Seoul Climate Card Tourist Pass Explained (2026)
- Can You Buy T-money at Incheon Airport When You Land? (2026)
- Seoul Transport Cost for 3, 5 or 7 Days (2026)
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