Seoul has just launched a Climate Card Tourist Pass that allow you to take UNLIMITED rides on all public transportation in Seoul from just $2 US dollars a day!
To give you an idea of just how cheap this is one way subway tickets in Seoul start from $1!
It is an absolute game changer for tourists slash short terms visitors and so if you’re planning to visit Seoul soon you need to pay attention
What is a Seoul Climate Card Tourist Pass?
The Seoul Metropolitan government released the Seoul Climate Card tourist pass on the 1st July 2024 that gives visitors to Seoul access to UNLIMITED rides on Seoul’s public transportation network
The pass comes in 1, 2, 3 and 5, 7 options, much like the T-Money Pass you can recharge them once the initial days purchased have lapsed
You could also consider the normal climate card that locals usually use that has a 30 days validity period
How much does a Seoul Climate Card Cost?
The pricing details of the Climate Cards are as below
The 1 day pass is priced at 5,000 WON aka around 3.70 US all the way to 20,000 WON for the 1 week pass which works out to be around 14.50 USD
| Validity | Price (Korean WON) | Price (USD) | Cost/Day (USD) | |
| Climate Card Tourist Pass | 1 day | 5,000 | 3.63 | 3.63 |
| 2 days | 8,000 | 5.81 | 2.91 | |
| 3 days | 10,000 | 7.27 | 2.42 | |
| 5 days | 15,000 | 10.90 | 2.18 | |
| 7 days | 20,000 | 14.53 | 2.07 | |
| Climate Card | 30 days | 62,000 (65,000 with Ttareungi*) | 45.05 (or 47.23 with Ttareungi*) | 1.50 |
*Ttareungi is the Seoul Public bike system
NOTE – You will need a local Korean phone to register in the T-Money app to use the Ttareungi so consider only getting the 62,000 WON card if going for the 30 days)
Just to give you an idea of what a good deal this is prices for a single, one way subway ticket in Seoul starts from 1500 WON or around around a dollar USD which essentially means that the cost of taking 4 or more subway rides a day would already be more than even the one day climate pass!
You will need to put down an initial deposit of 3,000 WON to purchase the card before topping it up with your desired number of days
Where Can I Get the Seoul Climate Card ?
If you’ve been following so far you’re probably convinced that the Seoul Climate Card is for you, so where can get yourself one of this?
You can get the Climate card tourist pass at the Seoul Tourism Plaza Tourist Information Center, Myeong-dong Tourist Information Center, customer safety centers at the subway stations on lines 1 to 8, and convenience stores close to subway stations
Full list of purchasing locations here
What other benefits does the Seoul Climate Card have?
But thats not all, climate card tourist pass holders would also benefit from the same discounts for cultural and performance facilities applied under the Climate Card, such as for example 50% off the admission fees to the Seoul Science Center and Seoul Grand Park.
What is NOT covered under the Seoul Climate Card?
I have already posted news about this climate card on my Instagram, TikTok and Youtube and have had some common questions around the limitations of the climate card, lets talk about those now
The Climate card DOES NOT cover any transportation OUTSIDE of the Seoul city area, that includes the AREX (Airport Railroad Express Train) and Korean Limousine buses or any public transportation requirements you might have in Busan etc.
UPDATE – as of Sept 2024, the Climate card tourist pass can be used to go from Seoul TO the Incheon and Gimpo Airport subway stations
NOTE – Getting OFF at Incheon Airport Station (T1 and T2) is allowed with the Climate Card however, boarding at Incheon Airport Station (T1 and T2) with the Climate Card is not permitted.
How does the Seoul Climate Card Compare to other Korea Travel Passes?
But if you’ve doing your pre-trip research you might’ve already come across the T-Money pass, the M-Pass, the Discover Seoul pass, WOWPass, Namane and might perhaps be wondering what the differences are and which is the better korea travel pass for you to get
The short answer to this question is it really depends on what you plan to do while in Seoul! Allow me to explain
Climate Card Versus Metropolitan Pass (M-Pass)
Lets get the easiest one out of the way, whilst both of these cards do essentially the same thing, the climate card tourist pass is a way more economical option than the MPass aka Metropolitan Pass, I mean just look at the pricing comparison in the table below!
| Pricing (KRW) | ||
| Period | Seoul Climate Card Tourist Pass | Metropolitan Card (M-Pass) |
| 1 day | 5,000 | 15,000 |
| 2 days | 8,000 | 20,000 |
| 3 days | 10,000 | 27,500 |
| 5 days | 15,000 | 44,500 |
| 7 days | 20,000 | 61,500 |
The Metropolitan Pass is also limited to a maximum of 20 rides a day whereas the climate card is UNLIMITED
Climate Card Versus Discover Seoul Pass
Planning to check out a LOT of Tourist Attractions (Climate Card versus Discover Seoul Pass)
For example if you are planning to visit a LOT of tourist attraction spots you may want to consider to get a Discover Seoul Pass as well
It is designed for short term visitors to get the absolute most out of their visit as these passes cover not only transportation costs of your bus or train to and from the airport but also access ticket costs to over SEVENTY top tourist attraction spots in Seoul as you can see here
There are 3 options – the 2, 3 or 5 day passes that start from 70,000 Korean Won up to 130,000 Korean won as you can see here
Cover enough of the tourist spots under the Discover Seoul Pass and you would actually end up saving money!
Climate Card Versus WOWPass
Planning to do a lot of shopping and eating (Climate Card versus Discover WOWPass)
But if you weren’t planning to checking out a lot of tourist attraction spots but instead plan on doing a lot of shopping and eating
This probably means that you would like a local credit card so that you (1) dont have to incur overseas credit card charges and also (2) dont have to carry around so much cash
If that is the case you may want to consider getting a WOWPass or Namane Card
The WOWPass allows you to exchange money from your local currency (WOWPass accepts 16 currencies and you can check out which ones and the exchange rates on their website) to Korean WON either via the app or WOWPass machines located at ANY subway station
It also has a TMoney component to it that you can recharge using Korean WON cash to use for public transport
Additionally the WOWPass also gives you access to discounts and cashback rewards at various locations throughout Seoul which you can view from within the WOWPass app
Cost wise it is slightly more expensive when compared to the climate card at 5,000 Korean WON but you can get it for 4,000 WON if you reserve it at the WOWPass website prior to your arrival
But bear in mind that that is only the cost of the card – you would still need to load it up with money to use for public transport
You can also return the WOWPass and get your money back at the end of the trip or just keep the card for future visits to Seoul whereas the climate card tourist pass expires at the end of the set validity
The Namane card is for all intent and purposes the same as a WOWpass the only notable difference is you can customize the card with whatever design you feel like which is pretty cool as a souvenir to bring home
Additionally the WOWPass or TMoney card can be used all throughout South Korea whereas the Climate card is exclusively for use in Seoul only
Planning on heading outside of Seoul (Climate Card versus T-Money)
As mentioned earlier the climate card does not work outside of Seoul which is why I think there is still a place for the TMoney Pass as an option if you do not need the local “credit” card capabilities of the WOWPass slash Namane
Apart from being able to use the TMoney pass throughout South Korea this pass also allows you to be more in control of your transportation cost expenditure
Allow me to explain
Say for example you plan to be in Seoul for 10 days
If the climate card was the only option available you would need to purchase a 7 day climate card and then a 3 day climate card to cover the 10 days which would cost you 30,000 Korean Won
But if you’ve had a look at your trip itinerary and have determined you simply will not be spending 30,000 Won worth of public transportation
Well then it might be cheaper for you to just load up a TMoney Pass and pay as you go
The pass cost 3,000 Won to get and you can get the 3,000 won refunded to you at the end of your trip
A COMBINATION of the passes to save more money?
In fact proper planning might even save you even more money as you can cleverly combine the T Money Pass with a Climate Card
Allow me to explain
Lets stay you plan to spend 3 days in Seoul before heading off to Busan for 2 days then youre back in Seoul for a day before flying out
In this instance you could consider getting a 3 day Climate card and then load up your TMoney card to use in Busan and the day you’re flying out
You get where I’m going with this?
Conclusion
Long story short there is no one Korea travel pass that is the best, it really just depends on what you want to do!
Planning a trip to country you’ve never been to before can be stressful trust me i get it, thats why I previously did another video detailing all the things you need to know before your first trip to South Korea that I feel could be helpful for you
So that you dont make all the mistakes i did during my 1st trip there
I have linked that video here in case you want to check that out and while you’re there why not subscribe so we can go travelling together?
If you have any further questions or anything else you wanna say dont forget to leave me a comment in the comment section of the YouTube video or follow me on Instagram and Tiktok!
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