If you have been riding Seoul’s buses and subways on a Climate Card, that pass is being retired. The Climate Card and the national K-Pass have been folded into one scheme, and the way you save money on transit has changed from a prepaid unlimited pass to a monthly refund. Here is what happened, and what to use instead.
What happened to the Climate Card
The 30-day unlimited Climate Card is finished. Prepaid passes could be topped up until 31 August 2026, and the last of those cards run out on 29 September 2026. The post-paid version ends on 1 October 2026. Seoul launched the replacement, the Climate Companion Pass, on 1 September 2026.
One part of the old system survives: the short-term Climate Card passes for visitors are still sold. More on those below.
What replaced it: the Modu Card
The Modu Card (모두의카드), which carries Seoul’s Climate Companion Pass benefits, is the expanded version of the national K-Pass. It works on buses, subways and GTX lines across the country rather than only inside Seoul.
The important difference is that you no longer pay once for unlimited rides. You pay your normal fares, and money comes back to you monthly once you have made at least 15 trips in that month. The system compares two refund methods and automatically applies whichever leaves you better off: a percentage of what you spent, or a refund measured against a fixed benchmark. That benchmark is 62,000 won for the standard category and 55,000 won for the youth category, and the youth percentage refund is 30 percent.
Seoul residents count as youth up to age 39, rather than the age 34 cut-off used before, so a lot of working adults now qualify for the better rate.
Can foreigners use it?
Yes, if you are a resident with an Alien Registration Card. Registration is tied to your resident registration number, so the ARC number is what makes you eligible.
Getting one takes two steps and a little patience. First apply for the card itself through one of the participating card companies, either in their app or at a branch; as of 2026 there are 27 of them, including the major banks and card issuers. Then register that card on the K-Pass site or app, where you confirm your identity and your address category. Allow roughly one to two weeks for the card to arrive. The refund only starts once the card is registered, so do not skip the second step.
If you have just landed and do not yet have a Korean bank account or an ARC, a plain T-money card still works exactly as before. Switch once your paperwork is done.
Visiting Seoul for a few days
Short-term Climate Card passes are still available, and for a short trip they are usually simpler than signing up for a refund scheme. They cover Seoul, and you can also use one to alight at Incheon International Airport.
| Pass | Price |
|---|---|
| 1 day | 5,000 won |
| 2 days | 8,000 won |
| 3 days | 10,000 won |
| 5 days | 15,000 won |
| 7 days | 20,000 won |
Which one fits you
| Your situation | What to use |
|---|---|
| Living in Korea with an ARC, commuting daily | Modu Card, registered on K-Pass |
| Just arrived, no ARC or Korean card yet | T-money card, switch later |
| In Seoul for a week or less | Short-term Climate Card pass |
For how to buy and top up a T-money card, transfer between buses and subways, and what taxis cost, see our guide to getting around Seoul.
Figures above are current as of September 2026, based on Seoul Metropolitan Government announcements. Transit schemes here change often, so check the official notice before you sign up.
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