The steps
- Install KOREA TOUR CARD Tmoney from Google Play. It is Tmoney's own
app for visitors on Android, and it is not the Mobile Tmoney (모바일티머니) app iPhones use.
- Create a Tmoney card inside it.
- Add your foreign card as the payment method. The app
takes Visa, Mastercard, Amex, JCB and UnionPay — so a Visa holder, who cannot reload in the iPhone app, can here.
- Reload inside the app. Review the charge amount and any conversion or service fee before confirming.
- Turn NFC on and make the app the default contactless app — the two
settings below, which are useful first checks if a tap fails.
Check these settings if the gate does not read your phone
NFC has to be on. Swipe down twice for Quick Settings and tap the NFC tile, or go to Settings → Connections → NFC and contactless payments (that is Samsung's wording; other phones rename the menu and keep the switch). The transit reader cannot read the phone’s Tmoney card while NFC is disabled.
The app has to be the default under Contactless payments. Android lets one app answer a tap. If a bank app, Samsung Wallet or Google Wallet holds that slot, the reader may not reach your Tmoney card. An incorrect default app is one possible cause of a failed tap. Installing the app does not give it the slot automatically, especially on a phone that already taps with a bank app or a wallet, so open the phone's contactless settings and choose KOREA TOUR CARD Tmoney by hand.
Why it freezes, and what to carry
The app needs a live data or Wi-Fi connection according to the developer. Users have reported the app freezing at fare gates. A weak connection can make it fail. Carry a plastic Tmoney card as well — it needs no signal, no app and no setting. “How do I buy a physical Tmoney card?” tells you where.
Compare the Android and iPhone apps
| Android — KOREA TOUR CARD Tmoney | iPhone — Mobile Tmoney, Foreigner mode | |
|---|---|---|
| Cards it takes for a reload | Visa, Mastercard, Amex, JCB, UnionPay | Mastercard, Amex, UnionPay, JCB — no Visa |
| Must be set as the default tap app | Yes | No — Apple Wallet's Express Mode has no such setting |
| Practical limitation | Requires a connection and users report failures | Foreign-card funding depends on supported networks |
| Carry a plastic card too | Yes | Yes |
