Seoul Subway Foreign Card Payment 2026: Which Stations Take Visa/Mastercard and the 3.7% Fee

You can now step off the plane and hop straight on the subway, no currency exchange or Korean SIM required. Since March 17, 2026, the Seoul Metropolitan Government has let 440 new-model ticket machines at 273 stations across Lines 1-8 accept overseas-issued Visa and Mastercard cards, along with mobile payments like Kakao Pay and Naver Pay. It isn't free, though.

At a glance: Overseas card payment available at 440 machines in 273 stations on Lines 1-8 (since March 17, 2026) · an average 3.7% service fee applies when paying or topping up with a foreign-issued card · priority use is for buying the Climate Card or topping up 1-, 2-, 3-, 5-, and 7-day passes (30-day passes are still under review) · a single-journey cash ticket costs 1,650 won versus 1,550 won with a transit card.

Seoul Metro's analysis of the first month of service (March 17-April 17) found that an average of 9,158 people a day used foreign cards or mobile payments on the subway, spending roughly 70 million won combined. Visa was the most-used foreign card, with 3,788 transactions. Over the same period, short-term pass top-ups favored by foreign tourists nearly doubled, from about 120,000 to 240,000. In short, travelers can now land and ride the subway right away, without exchanging money or buying a local SIM first.

The catch is that paying or topping up with a foreign-issued credit or debit card adds an average 3.7% service fee on top. Charge 10,000 won and roughly 370 won of that goes to the fee. Topping up a larger amount at once, rather than small amounts repeatedly, cuts down on how much you lose to the fee overall. The service currently applies first to Climate Card purchases and 1-, 2-, 3-, 5-, and 7-day pass top-ups; applying it to 30-day passes is still being reviewed.

Paying cash for a single-journey ticket remains an option too. Just remember it costs 1,650 won, 100 won more than the 1,550 won transit-card fare, and requires a separate 500 won deposit. That deposit is refunded instantly if you return the ticket card to a deposit-refund machine in the station after your ride, but many foreign tourists keep the card instead of returning it, which is why Seoul Metro keeps reminding riders to bring it back.