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BASICS · PAYING

Getting a transport card at Incheon Airport

One card for the subway, the buses and most convenience stores — bought in about two minutes before you leave the terminal.
Korea Era tiger mascot follows eight steps to buy, load and use a transport card after arriving at Incheon Airport
Illustrated guide. Drawn to show the shape of the journey — not a photograph, and not a record of current signs, prices or times.

ILLUSTRATED GUIDE

Read the pictures for the route. Read the text for the numbers.

  • The legacy step artwork prints “usually ₩4,000” for the card and “₩10,000” as a top-up. We have not verified a current card price, so this page does not publish one — ask at the counter, where it is written down.
  • Store brands, kiosk screens and machine layouts in the illustration are drawn, not photographed.
  • Steps 7 and 8 have no individual legacy scene yet; the new overview illustrates all eight steps while the step list marks the two missing scene files honestly.

STEP BY STEP

What you actually do, in order.

  1. 01

    Land and clear arrivals

    You can buy a card at the airport or in any convenience store in the city. Doing it at the airport means the first subway gate is not the place you discover you cannot pay.

    Look for 입국 · Arrivals

    Illustration of a traveller arriving at Incheon Airport
  2. 02

    Find a convenience store or a card machine

    Both terminals have convenience stores on the arrivals and transportation levels, and card machines sit near the subway gates.

    Look for 교통카드 · Transportation Card · 편의점 Convenience Store

    Illustration of airport signage pointing to transport cards and a convenience store
  3. 03

    Go to the counter or the machine

    A machine sells and tops up cards without any conversation. A convenience store counter is easier if you want to ask something.

    Look for 교통카드 판매기 · Transportation Card Vending Machine

    Illustration of a convenience store and a transport card vending machine
  4. 04

    Buy the card

    The card itself costs a small one-off amount, separate from the travel credit you load onto it. “교통카드 주세요” — a transport card, please — is enough.

    Card purchase and top-up can require cash. Have some won before you get to the counter.

    Illustration of a traveller buying a transport card at a convenience store counter
  5. 05

    Load some credit

    Top up at the machine or ask the cashier. Credit is separate from the card price, and an empty card will not open a gate.

    Look for 충전 · Top-up

    Balance is refundable at the end of your trip, minus a handling fee — but the card price itself is not. Do not overload it on the last day.

    Illustration of a transport card top-up kiosk showing amount options
  6. 06

    Tap through the subway gate

    The same card works on AREX all-stop services, the Seoul subway and the wider metropolitan network. Tap on the reader and walk through.

    Look for 공항철도 · 지하철 · Airport Railroad · Subway

    Illustration of a traveller tapping a transport card at a subway gate
  7. 07

    Tap on and off the bus

    Buses take the same card. Tap when you board and tap again on the reader by the door when you get off — that second tap is what applies the transfer discount.

    Forgetting to tap off can cost you the transfer discount and charge a maximum fare. It is the most common mistake with this card.

    This step has not been illustrated yet.

  8. 08

    Use it for the rest of the trip

    The card also pays at most convenience stores and many vending machines, and it works in other Korean cities. Compare it against Seoul's short-term Climate Card if you will be riding heavily inside Seoul.

    This step has not been illustrated yet.

CHECKED FACTS

The numbers, and where they came from.

Checked 2026-08-24 against the sources below. Fares, times and services change — confirm anything that matters on the day you travel.
What it covers
Subway, bus, AREX all-stop and most convenience storesWorks beyond Seoul on much of the national network.
Buying and topping up
May require cashFrom our arrival guide: do not arrive with a single payment method.
Worth comparing
Seoul's short-term Climate CardAn unlimited pass can beat pay-as-you-go for heavy travel inside Seoul. Compare before buying both.
On buses
Tap on and tap offThe second tap is what applies the transfer discount.

WHERE THIS PUTS YOU

Places within reach of the far end.

Namdaemun Market

남대문시장

A vast market with cutlassfish, kalguksu and street-snack alleys near Sungnyemun.

Gwangjang Market

광장시장

A covered market known for bindaetteok and mayak gimbap, eaten standing at the stall.