The 30-second answer
Use an international card for most shopping, and start with about ₩30,000–50,000 in cash per adult for a simple arrival. If you want one easy starting figure, choose ₩50,000: buy a regular Tmoney card, load ₩10,000–20,000, and keep the rest as backup.
This is our suggested arrival budget, assuming your hotel and major transport tickets are paid separately by card. It is not a daily spending allowance or a quote for a taxi. A standard Tmoney card usually costs ₩3,000–5,000 before travel balance. Bring won for an ordinary convenience-store top-up. [1]
Find your terminal’s arrival route ↓ · Tmoney costs and top-ups ↓ · Quick travel answers ↓
How much cash should I get at Incheon?
For a first visit with a working international card, my practical starting point is ₩50,000 per adult. Here is what that amount is for:
| Purpose | Amount | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Regular Tmoney card | ₩3,000–5,000 | The physical card only. Designs can cost more. [1] |
| First Tmoney top-up | ₩10,000–20,000 | Our suggested starting load for an all-stop train journey and/or initial local rides. The exact route determines how far it goes. |
| Cash left in your wallet | ₩25,000–37,000 | Backup for a small cash-only purchase, another top-up, or a card problem. |
Example: a ₩5,000 card + ₩20,000 loaded balance leaves ₩25,000 in your wallet. If you already have a Tmoney card, skip the purchase cost. Add a separately calculated budget if you plan to pay cash for an airport bus, taxi, market meal or a larger purchase. You can top up later instead of loading the whole trip’s money immediately.
Just landed at Incheon? Do these four things
- Finish immigration, collect your bags and clear customs. You enter the public arrivals area on 1F. Check whether you are in Terminal 1 or Terminal 2 before following a shop location.
- Get your arrival cash. Use an ATM that supports your card’s international network, or an exchange counter. Have your passport ready for an exchange. The table below gives useful public-area landmarks.
- Buy a regular Tmoney card at a convenience store and load it. Ask 티머니 카드 있어요?, then say the amount. Pay for the card and the loaded balance as two separate items.
- Follow the signs for your ride. AREX trains are at the B1 Transportation Center in both terminals. For a bus at T1, ticket counters are by 1F exits 4 and 9; at T2, follow signs to the B1 bus terminal. Check the destination and departure time before buying. [4] [5]
| Terminal | ATM / exchange starting point | Convenience store |
|---|---|---|
| T1 | Woori Bank ATM near 1F exit 6; the airport directory lists 06:00–22:00. For a counter, use the Finance / Insurance filter. [2] | CU near 1F exit 5 (also listed near exits 2, 11 and 13); the listed stores are 24-hour. [3] |
| T2 | Hana Bank exchange near 1F exit 4, listed 06:00–22:00; Woori’s 1F exchange near exit 7 is listed as 24-hour. [2] | GS25 near arrival hall A on 1F, or CU near 1F exit 10; both listed as 24-hour. [3] |
These are airport-directory landmarks, not a live stock check. Ask whether the store has the card you want. For a late arrival, use the airport directory’s 24-hour filter; the ATM and counter hours above are not interchangeable.
The AREX All-stop Train and the Express Train are different services. A loaded Tmoney card is useful for the all-stop service; buy the appropriate separate ticket if you choose Express. Use the AREX website for your train and fare. For an airport limousine bus, buy your route’s ticket before boarding. [13]
Picture the moment: you have landed at Incheon, found your bag and spotted a convenience store. You know what you want to do. Now you need a few words to do it. These three missions follow a useful arrival sequence; take them at your own pace, and use English or show the written phrase whenever you need to.
Where will you need cash?
Use your international card as your main payment method and won as backup. Keep a second card accessible if you have one. A shopping payment and a transport-card top-up are different transactions.
| Situation | A useful plan |
|---|---|
| Hotel, department store, larger shop | International cards are widely accepted. Use your card for these larger payments. |
| Convenience store | Use your bank card for shopping; prepare cash separately for an ordinary Tmoney top-up. |
| Market or small food stall | Keep small won notes ready, especially for a stall marked cash only. |
| Bus or subway | Use a valid ticket or a loaded transit card. A foreign bank card is not automatically a gate-ready Korean transit card. |
At the ATM or checkout, choose KRW
Select Korean won (KRW), and decline a conversion into your home currency if the ATM or card terminal offers one. This avoids the provider’s dynamic currency conversion (DCC) markup; your card network and issuer handle conversion instead. ATM operator fees, your issuer’s withdrawal or foreign-transaction fees, and any credit-card cash-advance charges are separate. Read the displayed fee before confirming. [6]
Should I exchange everything at the airport?
No: exchange your arrival budget first, then compare before changing more. That is a practical way to balance convenience and price. Ask how many won you will receive after all charges, rather than comparing an advertised rate alone. An airport counter is useful when you need cash immediately; the best net offer depends on the currency, provider and any pre-booked rate.
Mission 1 · Get some won
Your task is simple: say what you want, recognise the staff’s next question and confirm the result. The lines below are possible exchanges, not a script every counter will follow.
Listen buttons play recorded Korean audio. Listen once, then repeat aloud. Romanization is a reading aid; follow the recording when possible.
At a Korean exchange counter, the context already tells the staff what you need. After 얼마 환전하시겠어요?, a short answer such as 백 달러요 (a hundred dollars, please) is enough. To make a complete request, say 백 달러 환전해 주세요. (Please exchange a hundred dollars.) These are language examples, not suggested exchange amounts.
Smaller bills can make a small purchase easier when change is limited. Ask what denominations are available rather than assuming a counter can provide them. Use the Incheon Airport facilities directory to find exchange services in your terminal and access area; opening hours differ by branch. Keep your passport available in case it is requested.
The money idea worth learning: 만
The four everyday banknote denominations are ₩1,000, ₩5,000, ₩10,000 and ₩50,000. The useful mental shift is 만 = 10,000. When reading a larger amount, group the last four digits together. ₩100,000 is ten lots of 만: 십만 원.
천 원
오천 원
만 원
오만 원
| Amount | Say it | Build the amount |
|---|---|---|
| ₩10,000 | 만 원 · man won | 1 × 10,000 |
| ₩30,000 | 삼만 원 · samman won | 3 × 10,000 |
| ₩50,000 | 오만 원 · oman won | 5 × 10,000 |
| ₩100,000 | 십만 원 · simman won | 10 × 10,000 |
Money value and number of bills are different
Amounts of money use Sino-Korean numbers. The number of banknotes commonly uses native Korean numbers + 장, the counter for flat objects. You are answering two different questions: “What is each bill worth?” and “How many bills?”
| Number | Before 장 | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 하나 → 한 | 한 장 · han jang | one bill |
| 둘 → 두 | 두 장 · du jang | two bills |
| 셋 → 세 | 세 장 · se jang | three bills |
| 넷 → 네 | 네 장 · ne jang | four bills |
| 다섯 | 다섯 장 · daseot jang | five bills |
| 열 | 열 장 · yeol jang | ten bills |
| 스물 → 스무 | 스무 장 · seumu jang | twenty bills |
Before counters, remember these five shortened forms: 한, 두, 세, 네, 스무. In compounds, 하나 also shortens: 스물하나 becomes 스물한 장 (twenty-one bills). For this first visit, 한 장 and 두 장 are already useful.
Look away for a moment. How would you read ₩30,000? Say it before checking the table. Then ask for two ₩10,000 bills: 만 원짜리 두 장 주세요. That is ₩20,000 in total.
Mission 2 · Buy a Tmoney card, then add balance
A standard physical Tmoney card is a prepaid transport card. You can buy it at participating convenience stores and add travel balance. The card purchase price and the stored balance are separate. Paying for the plastic does not necessarily mean you have loaded money for a ride.
For a regular physical Tmoney card at a convenience-store counter, hand over the card and Korean won, then request the amount. Start with ₩10,000–20,000 for the arrival plan above, and add more when needed. The Korea Tourism Organization’s 2026 transport guide lists ordinary prepaid Tmoney purchases and top-ups as cash-only, with foreign cards not accepted for those transactions. [12]
___ 충전해 주세요. · Please add ___.
오천 원 = ₩5,000 · 만 원 = ₩10,000 · 이만 원 = ₩20,000.
Seoul’s 17 March 2026 announcement covers international Visa/Mastercard payments for Climate Card short-term passes and single-journey tickets at upgraded machines on Seoul Subway Lines 1–8. It lists an average overseas-card service fee of about 3.7%. This does not establish foreign-card loading for every regular Tmoney stored-value card or every airport machine. For an ordinary convenience-store Tmoney top-up, use won. [8]
Can I get the remaining Tmoney balance back?
Yes, the remaining stored balance is refundable; the physical card purchase price is not. Take a working card with a small balance to a participating convenience store or designated refund point, and ask to refund the balance. A service fee can be deducted, and each refund point has its own limit. For a balance over ₩50,000, the Korea Tourism Organization directs visitors to Tmoney Town near Seoul Station exit 10. Avoid leaving a large balance until your final airport stop. [7] [1]
Tmoney, WOWPASS or Climate Card?
| Choose | When it fits | Remember |
|---|---|---|
| Regular Tmoney | A straightforward pay-as-you-go transit card, especially if you visit several Korean cities. | Card price and travel balance are separate. Start small and reload. |
| WOWPASS | You want a visitor-focused prepaid shopping card with currency-exchange features and Tmoney on the same physical card. | Shopping balance and Tmoney balance are separate. Loading WOWPASS spending money does not load transit money. [9] |
| Climate Card | You will make frequent rides within its covered Seoul-area network. | Short passes cost ₩5,000 / ₩8,000 / ₩10,000 / ₩15,000 / ₩20,000 for 1 / 2 / 3 / 5 / 7 days, plus ₩3,000 for a physical card. Check the coverage map. [10] |
Climate Card airport detail: it cannot be used to board AREX at Incheon Airport T1 or T2. Seoul’s rules do allow alighting there after boarding within the covered network. It is therefore not your inbound airport-to-Seoul ticket. Airport buses are also outside its coverage. [10]
Mission 3 · Pay, then understand the reply
Asking is only half the conversation. Notice what the cashier says next. You can respond with a short phrase; you do not need a long, perfect sentence.
You may also hear 봉투 필요하세요? (bongtu piryohaseyo?), “Do you need a bag?” A bag may cost extra. If you do not want one, 아니요, 괜찮아요 works here too.
On its own, it means “It’s okay” or “I’m okay,” and context matters. After an offer, 아니요, 괜찮아요 makes the refusal clear and polite. If you do want the receipt, say 네, 주세요 (ne, juseyo): “Yes, please.”
Cash, cards and Tmoney: five quick answers
How much cash should I withdraw when I arrive in Korea?
For our simple arrival plan, start with ₩30,000–50,000 per adult; ₩50,000 is an easy working budget. Set aside ₩3,000–5,000 for a standard Tmoney card and ₩10,000–20,000 for its first load. Keep the remainder as backup. Pay separately for major transport tickets and accommodation. See the budget breakdown.
Can I top up Tmoney with a foreign credit card?
For an ordinary physical Tmoney purchase or top-up at a convenience store, bring Korean won. [12] The 2026 Seoul upgrade specifically covers Climate Card short-term passes and single-journey tickets at the new machines on Lines 1–8, with an average 3.7% overseas-card fee. Do not extend that announcement to every Tmoney product. [7] [8]
Can I exchange money at Incheon Airport?
Yes. The public arrivals areas have bank exchange services, including the T2 locations above. Exchange enough to get started, then compare the net won offered before exchanging a larger amount. For a late arrival, find a branch specifically listed as 24-hour in the airport directory.
Should I choose KRW or my home currency at an ATM?
Choose KRW and decline the offered home-currency conversion to avoid the ATM provider’s DCC markup. Your issuer’s exchange terms and other withdrawal fees still apply. [6]
Can I refund my unused Tmoney balance before leaving?
Yes. A working Tmoney card’s remaining balance is refundable, subject to the refund point’s fee and limit; the card purchase price is separate. Take a small balance to a participating convenience store or designated refund point. For balances over ₩50,000, plan a Tmoney Town visit near Seoul Station exit 10. [7] [1]
Quick check · Try before revealing
Say each answer aloud, then open it. If one is difficult, return to that short section and try again later.
1. Ask for ten ₩10,000 bills. What is the total?
만 원짜리 열 장 주세요. The total is ₩100,000: 십만 원. You named the bill value first, then counted the bills.
2. You bought a Tmoney card. Ask to add ₩20,000.
이만 원 충전해 주세요. Card purchase and top-up are separate steps; confirm how much balance is being loaded.
3. The cashier asks 영수증 드릴까요? You do not need one.
아니요, 괜찮아요. You have understood an offer and politely declined it.
Rian’s small arrival challenge
Choose one phrase to try before leaving the airport. It could be 카드 돼요? at a shop or 아니요, 괜찮아요 after an offer. Read it, cover it, say it, then use it when the situation fits. Communication counts even if you pause or need help.
Save the phrase you actually used and revisit it tomorrow. A small successful exchange gives you a reason to speak again.
Find your way: ___ 어디예요?
Practise possible immigration questions
Type your own short travel phrase