Incheon Airport Exchange: Book via App for 90% Off

Bottom line: If you're planning to exchange cash at Incheon Airport, don't just walk up to a counter on the spot — apply in advance through a bank app such as KB Kookmin Bank's KB Star Banking, choose "pick up at Incheon Airport," and collect it there instead. Pre-booking through the app gets you up to 90% off the exchange fee, depending on the currency.

If you didn't know: For US dollars, KB Kookmin Bank gives a 90% preferential rate (meaning you pay only 10% of the normal exchange fee) if you log in with a certificate and apply through the app — but that drops to 80% if you apply without logging in. Japanese yen and euros get 80%/70% (member/non-login), and Chinese yuan and similar currencies get 50%/40%. Walk up to the counter and exchange on the spot with no advance app booking, and none of these discounts may apply, so the same amount of won buys you less foreign cash. On top of that, if you don't collect your pre-booked currency within 7 business days of your chosen pickup date, it is automatically sold back to won at whatever the rate is by then, and you absorb any loss from the rate moving against you.

According to KB Kookmin Bank's official guidance, both Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 have exchange counters on the 3rd floor (departures), 1st floor (arrivals) and basement level, with hours that vary by location. Some counters run 24 hours, but the basement branch only opens 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays and is closed entirely on weekends and holidays. The bank's own guidance is blunt about it: "to pay less in exchange fees, exchange through the app." Plenty of travelers rush through departures, join the counter line and hand over cash and a passport on the spot, but booking through the app ahead of time and simply picking it up at the same counter is structurally the better deal. Foreign nationals and overseas Koreans can't use this app-based exchange at all, so they still need to bring a passport to a regular branch or an airport counter and exchange in person.

This article summarizes official information and is not legal, medical, or financial advice.

Journey stage: Before you go · Verified 2026-10-17 · Source KB Kookmin Bank (kbthink.com)