Once you’ve acquired a T-Money card for public transportation in Seoul, Busan, and the rest of South Korea, it’s time to use it.
Before you can use your T-Money card, though, you need to charge money onto it, also known as reloading the card.
There are two ways to reload your T-money card – by using the square machine on the counter in convenience stores or by using the card reloading machine located in every subway station. I found it most convenient to use the reloading machine in the subway.
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To recharge your T-money card in a convenience store, head up to the counter and tell the cashier that you wish to reload your T-money card and the amount you wish to add. Then place the T-money card on the square machine on the counter and give the amount you wish to charge in cash. They only accept cash for recharging.
To recharge your T-money card in the card reloading machine, head to any subway station and find the Ticket Vending and Card Reload Device machine, which can be found before the card check-in area, and then follow the instructions on the screen – find detailed steps below.
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How to recharge your T-money card in South Korea
Once you have purchased a T-money card and are ready to travel around Seoul, Busan, or another city in South Korea, you need to charge money onto the card.
The T-money card cannot be used before you put money onto it, and it doesn’t come with any money on it upon purchase unless you buy it in a convenience store and ask to add money to it as you purchase it.
There are two ways to reload your T-money card. You can either go to a convenience store and reload it at the counter by asking the cashier, or you can use the card reloading machine, which you can find inside all subway stations.
I’ve personally found it most convenient to use the reloading machine in subway stations, as you come by those all the time when you’re traveling around, and you don’t have to interact with anyone.
Whether you choose to recharge your T-money card in a convenience store or in a subway station, you’re going to need cash, as you cannot recharge your T-money card with cards.
To recharge your T-money card in a convenience store, head up to the counter and ask the cashier to recharge or reload your T-money card. You then have to tell them the amount you wish to add, give them the amount in cash, and then place the T-money card on the square machine located on the counter. The cashier will then add the amount to the T-money card.
You can find convenience stores everywhere, and you can recharge your T-money card in nearly all of them. To find the nearest convenience store, if you don’t see any, use either Naver Maps or Kakao Maps.
To recharge your T-money card at a card reloading machine in a subway, head to the nearest subway and look for a machine that says Ticket Vending and Card Reload Device. These machines are usually located right before or close to the card check-in area.
Once at the Ticket Vending and Card Reload Device machine, follow these steps to reload your T-money card:
- Click ‘English’ at the bottom of the screen
- Click Reloading the transit card on the right side
- Place your T-money card in the Ticket Vending and Card Reload slot below the screen
- Select the amount that you wish to charge onto your T-money card on the screen
- Insert cash bills and or coins under Bills and Coins under the screen to match the amount you’ve chosen
- Upon adding at least the amount you’ve selected, your T-money card will have the selected amount added
If you add more cash than the amount you chose to recharge your card, you will get the difference back after the card has been reloaded.
Remember to take your card with you from the machine after you’ve reloaded it.
That’s how to recharge your T-money travel card in South Korea!
Have any input or questions? Let us know in the comment section below.
