Before You Go Korea

Checked Sept 27, 2026 Illustration: the red 빈차 ("empty") light on the passenger side means you can wave the taxi down. Yes, you can use Uber in Korea, but only to call ordinary licensed taxis. Private-car UberX was shut down in 2015 and there is no Grab. Koreans use Kakao T : in February 2026 it had about 13.6 million monthly users against about 650,000 for Uber Taxi, roughly 95% of the market. As a visitor, bring Uber (your home card works), add k.ride (Kakao's app for foreigners) or Kakao T set to pay the driver, and remember you can still hail a taxi on the street. Everyone in Korea uses Kakao T. Even when I send my elderly parents off in a taxi, I call it on Kakao T. It works exactly the way Uber or Grab does. This guide is the part a visitor needs: why Korea ended up this way, which app to install, what the taxis cost in 2026, and how to pay. Locals use Kakao T (카카오 T) Easiest for visitors Uber (home card) or k.ride (Kakao, English) Base fare 4,...

Checked Sept 27, 2026 What a foreign contactless card can and can't do in Seoul, today and in 2027. Chart: Before You Go Korea Not yet. As of September 2026 you can't tap a foreign Visa, Mastercard, UnionPay or JCB card on a Seoul bus or at a subway gate. Seoul city buses are planned to start taking them in January 2027 . The subway has no date yet. The change comes from a deal T-money signed on September 17, 2026 with those four card brands and Hana Card. Until it arrives, you need a T-money card , a Climate Card tourist pass , or T-money on your phone. Before every trip abroad I check the same five things: does cash work, how do the ticket machines work, do cards work, can I just tap, and where do I buy a pass. I picked up that habit living abroad. This series, Seoul on Your Own , answers them for Seoul, starting with the one people ask most. Contactless? Not on buses or subway gates yet Card? Buys tickets and passes at 440 new machines, Lines 1–8 (about ...