How it works, in three steps
Seoul Metro sets out the sequence in three steps, for buying, using and returning a single-journey card.
1. At the ticket machine. Look for the single-journey ticket and card-recharge machine (1회용 발매·교통카드 충전기) — the tall machines standing in the concourse before the gates, usually in a row of three or four. They have an English mode. Choose your destination station on the map or by name, then feed in the fare plus ₩500. The machine issues a credit-card-sized plastic card.
2. At the gate. Touch it to the reader on the right-hand side of the gate going in, and again going out. It is the same gesture as a transit card; the difference is that the fare was already fixed when you bought it.
3. After you exit. Find the deposit refund machine (보증금 환급기), insert it, take your ₩500. The machines sit just outside the gate line in every station, usually beside the ticket machines and marked in English as a deposit refund device. The machine retains the card so it can be reused.
If you get off somewhere other than the station you paid for and the fare falls short, you cannot leave: settle the difference at the fare adjustment machine (정산기) beside the gate first.
Compare the fare and any connecting bus journey
| Transit card | Single-journey card | |
|---|---|---|
| Adult, first 10 km | ₩1,550 | ₩1,650 |
| Teenager (13–18) | ₩900 | ₩1,650 — no discount at all |
| Child (6–12) | ₩550 | ₩550 |
| Deposit | none | ₩500, refundable |
| Eligible bus-transfer discount | yes | no |
| Early-bird 20% discount | yes | no |
The ₩100 premium is set out in the operator's fare table and applies at every distance band, so a longer ride costs ₩100 more too. The teenage rule is the one that genuinely surprises people: the discount exists only for a registered transit card, so a fifteen-year-old buying at the machine pays exactly what an adult pays.
The bigger cost is invisible. Seoul's integrated transfer discount — free changes between subway and bus within 30 minutes — is available only when you tap with a transit card. A single-journey card is a point-to-point subway ticket and nothing more. A trip that would cost ₩1,550 with one bus and one train on a card costs ₩1,650 plus a full bus fare without one.
The ₩500 is a deposit, not a fee
This is where money quietly disappears. The ₩500 is your money, held as security on the plastic, and Korea has been running the scheme since it replaced paper tickets. It comes back in full, in coins, from the refund machine — but only if you use one.
Two habits make it painless:
- Refund it the moment you exit, not later. The refund machines are in the
station you just left; walk to the ticket machines and you will see them.
- If you have collected several cards, refund them together. Each goes in
separately, but you can do a handful at one machine.
If you leave Korea with a card in your bag, the ₩500 stays with the operator. Nobody chases you for it and there is no postal refund.
Where it still makes sense
A single-journey card can be useful in these situations:
- You only need one subway journey. A single ride from the airport train to your hotel, with
no intention of using the subway again, is a fair use.
- You are paying cash and have no card yet. The machines take banknotes and
coins, so it works when a shop is shut or a foreign card is refused elsewhere.
- A companion needs only one ride. A single ticket may cost less than buying a rechargeable card they will not use again.
- You qualify for a concession and have the required documents. Ask station staff about eligibility and the ticket procedure. Age or disability alone does not establish that a foreign visitor qualifies.
For several journeys, compare the purchase price of a rechargeable card with the fare savings and any transfer discounts. Check acceptance on your planned routes.
Include the Sinbundang Line surcharge in your ticket
If your journey crosses the privately operated Sinbundang Line (신분당선), the surcharge has to be inside the ticket when it is issued. A single-journey card bought without it will not open the Sinbundang interchange gate at all — you have to settle the difference at the fare machine in the interchange passage before you can go through. The same line's own machines dispense and refund single-journey cards; at ordinary stations it is the standard deposit refund device.
Some connections are treated as separate stations for ticketing: the Line 1 / Line 4 / AREX (the Airport Railroad from Incheon airport into Seoul) side of Seoul Station and the Gyeongui-Jungang side of Seoul Station count as separate stations for ticketing.
Pay any fare difference before continuing
Travelling on a card that does not cover the journey is not a technicality. Article 10 of the Railway Business Act (철도사업법) lets the operator collect the fare for the section travelled plus up to thirty times that fare. If the fare is insufficient, use the adjustment machine or ask station staff before continuing.
