Seoul Buses to Accept Foreign Contactless Cards From 2027
Tmoney is partnering with major global card networks and Hana Card to introduce open-loop payments on Seoul city buses, allowing overseas visitors to pay fares directly with eligible foreign-issued cards.
Foreign visitors to Seoul will be able to pay bus fares directly with eligible overseas-issued contactless cards beginning in 2027, under a new payment system planned by Korean transit payment operator Tmoney.
The change is designed to eliminate the need for travelers to purchase a local transit card and separately add funds before using public transportation. Passengers will instead tap a supported foreign credit or debit card on a bus reader, with the fare processed through the card’s existing payment network.
Tmoney plans to introduce the service first on Seoul city buses. It is then expected to expand to buses in Incheon and airport bus services. Development and testing are scheduled to continue through the end of 2026 ahead of the planned rollout.
The platform will use an open-loop payment model based on EMV, the international standard widely used for contactless card transactions. Tmoney signed an agreement with Visa, Mastercard, UnionPay, JCB and Hana Card to develop and operate the service. Hana Card will act as the domestic acquiring partner.
Under the arrangement, Tmoney will build the system responsible for recording individual journeys, calculating fares and handling settlements. The participating global card companies will manage overseas card authorization, network certification, payment security and settlement functions.
The initiative targets a practical obstacle that many international travelers encounter in Korea. Although the country has an extensive public transportation network, visitors generally need to obtain a locally accepted transit card and understand where and how to recharge it. Direct acceptance of foreign cards could make buses easier to use for short-term tourists and business travelers while bringing Seoul’s fare collection system closer to open-loop systems already used in other major cities.
The project also broadens Tmoney’s role in Korea’s transportation payment infrastructure. The company already operates a large share of the country’s public transit payment and settlement services, including mobile payment products, Apple Pay support and contactless fare technology that can register trips without a conventional card tap.
The agreement assigns distinct operational responsibilities to the transit and financial companies, reflecting the technical complexity of linking overseas payment credentials with local fare rules. If development proceeds as scheduled, the 2027 launch will give Seoul bus riders a new payment option while reducing one of the most common points of friction for foreign visitors.