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WOWPASS

A foreigner-only physical prepaid payment card with iPhone and Android account tools plus a separately funded Tmoney transport function. A non-Korean passport is required for the checked kiosk issuance route, while a Korean phone number, Korean bank card, Korean account, and Korean ID are not documented as prerequisites. International-card funding is supported with country, network, authentication, fee, and feature limits.

Official-source checked onlyThe documented route was not independently field-tested.
Korean phone
Not required
Foreign card
Partially supported
Languages
Korean, English, Japanese
Open in Google PlayOpen in the App StoreOpen official website
Payments & BookingNationwide
Official-source checked Checked Official sources: 9
Trust and freshness

The listed official sources were checked; no independent field test is claimed.

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Relationship disclosure

No commercial relationship with Orange Square, Inc. or WOWPASS is recorded in Korea Untangled's current editorial materials. The official website, store, reservation, and support links are non-affiliate editorial links, and Korea Untangled records no card-sale, top-up, exchange, payment, transport, or pickup commission.

Traveler compatibility

These values describe the checked route, not every possible account, device, merchant, or future version.

CheckCurrent documented status
Foreign phone numberUnknown
Korean accountNot required
Korean IDNot required
PassportRequired
PlatformsAndroid, iOS
Web versionAvailable
Payment methodsSupported international credit cards and mobile wallets for eligible WOWPASS payment-balance top-up routes, subject to live country, network, authentication, amount, and fee conditions, Supported foreign-currency cash at WOWPASS machines; the current guide lists 16 currencies and specific banknote denominations, Korean-won cash at supported WOWPASS and Tmoney top-up routes
Operating hoursThe website and apps are generally available while their required services are operating. Card issuance, airport pickup, WOWPASS machines, cash withdrawal, Tmoney top-up, customer support, and participating merchants have separate location-specific hours and availability.
RegionNationwide

What WOWPASS is for

WOWPASS is a physical prepaid payment card for foreign travelers in Korea. It combines a Korean merchant-payment balance, currency-loading routes, app-based balance and security tools, and a Tmoney transportation function on the same physical card.

The physical card does not merge those jobs into one balance. At eligible offline merchants, insert the IC chip and spend from the WOWPASS payment balance. On eligible public transport, tap the card and spend from the separately funded Tmoney balance. Treat them as two wallets that happen to share one card.

Compatibility summary

The checked kiosk issuance route requires a non-Korean passport and agreement to WOWPASS membership terms. It does not document a Korean phone number, Korean bank card, Korean account, or Korean ID as a prerequisite. Korea Untangled did not independently test app registration or a particular country code, so foreign-phone support remains unknown.

International credit cards and mobile wallets are partially supported for eligible WOWPASS payment-balance top-ups. The current official site lists international-card, wallet, Korean-won cash, and supported foreign-currency cash routes. Country, network, issuer, authentication, amount, exchange rate, fee, app, and machine conditions still apply.

Issue and register the card

The Orange Square FAQ describes kiosk issuance as visiting a WOW Exchange machine, selecting a new card, choosing a currency, verifying a non-Korean passport, agreeing to membership terms, inserting supported cash, receiving the card, and inserting it once to activate it. The current product page lists a KRW 6,000 machine price and a KRW 5,500 pre-booked price, but promotions and packages can change.

Do not confuse an airport pickup counter with an airport WOW Exchange kiosk. The current product page advertises a WOWPASS, Tmoney, and SIM package through an airport SKT Roaming Center, while the FAQ says Incheon Airport currently has no WOW Exchange kiosk. Use the exact reservation confirmation, terminal, counter, opening time, and pickup route rather than expecting walk-up kiosk issuance.

Register the card in the official app promptly if balance monitoring, payment alerts, pause, cash withdrawal verification, or reissue matters. Review the current App Store, Google Play, and privacy disclosures before adding passport, contact, financial, location, or identifier data.

Keep the balances separate

WOWPASS payment top-up and Tmoney transport top-up are different actions. The official How to Use page says the payment balance can be topped up at machines with supported cash or cards and in the app with supported international cards or wallets. It lists 16 machine cash currencies with specific accepted banknote denominations.

The current official pages conflict on Tmoney mobile top-up. The main site and How to Use page say the app’s NFC feature can convert WOWPASS balance into Tmoney balance. The Orange Square FAQ says this is not possible and tells users to load Tmoney with Korean-won cash at convenience stores or blue subway-station kiosks. Until the operator reconciles those pages, treat mobile Tmoney top-up as unknown and keep cash as the working fallback.

Check both balances before the first merchant purchase and first ride. A full WOWPASS balance does not prevent a transport insufficient-balance message, and a funded Tmoney balance does not pay an ordinary merchant transaction.

Pay, withdraw, and protect the card

The operator says the WOWPASS payment balance works at offline Korean merchants that accept local credit or debit card payment, using the inserted IC chip. This does not guarantee every online checkout, deposit, recurring transaction, merchant category, terminal, or individual purchase. Keep a second bank card and cash.

The current How to Use page documents Korean-won cash withdrawal from WOWPASS machines up to KRW 100,000 per transaction, with a KRW 1,000 fee and app PIN verification. Check the live balance, machine cash availability, identity requirement, and total fees before depending on withdrawal near departure.

If a registered card is lost, the official FAQ says the app can pause the card and a WOW Exchange kiosk can reissue it with the previous WOWPASS balance. Do not assume this protects the separate Tmoney balance; the checked public pages do not establish that result.

When not to rely on it

Do not rely on WOWPASS alone when the exact pickup route is unconfirmed, passport verification fails, the app rejects the phone or card, a foreign-card top-up fails, a merchant rejects prepaid cards, Tmoney has insufficient balance, NFC top-up conflicts with the live FAQ, the withdrawal machine is unavailable, or a lost card was never registered.

Use standard Tmoney when simple cash-funded transit is the only problem. Consider Climate Card only when repeated journeys fit its current eligible Seoul network. Keep an independent foreign bank card, Korean-won cash, and a separate first-ride plan. Current operator screens, fees, merchant rules, transport rules, and support instructions take priority over this record.

Limits and safer fallbacks
  • WOWPASS is currently documented for foreign nationals. The checked kiosk issuance route requires verification of a non-Korean passport and agreement to WOWPASS membership terms.
  • The WOWPASS merchant-payment balance and the integrated Tmoney transportation balance are separate. Loading or withdrawing the WOWPASS balance does not automatically load, refund, pause, replace, or protect the Tmoney balance.
  • Current official WOWPASS pages conflict on mobile Tmoney top-up: the main site and current How to Use page document converting WOWPASS balance to Tmoney through the app's NFC feature, while the Orange Square FAQ says this is not possible and instructs Korean-won cash top-up. Treat the exact mobile route as unknown and keep cash as the fallback.
  • International-card and mobile-wallet support varies by country, card network, issuer, authentication route, amount, service fee, and live app or machine availability. A successful WOWPASS balance top-up does not prove that a foreign card will work at every later transaction.
  • The operator says the WOWPASS balance can be used at offline Korean merchants that accept local credit or debit card payment by inserting the IC chip, but prepaid-card restrictions, merchant categories, terminals, online payments, deposits, recurring payments, and individual transactions can still be rejected.
  • The current product page offers an airport SKT Roaming Center package or pickup route, while the Orange Square FAQ says no WOW Exchange kiosk is available at Incheon Airport. Do not arrive expecting walk-up kiosk issuance; verify the exact reservation, terminal, counter, opening hours, and pickup instructions.
  • The current How to Use page documents WOWPASS-balance cash withdrawal at a WOWPASS machine up to KRW 100,000 per transaction with a KRW 1,000 fee and app PIN verification. Machine cash, balance, account, identity, and service availability can block withdrawal.
  • Card pause and reissue protection depend on registering the card in the app. The checked public pages do not establish that pausing or replacing the WOWPASS payment card preserves the separate Tmoney balance.
  • Korea Untangled did not independently issue, pre-book, pick up, register, passport-verify, fund, exchange, pay, tap, transfer, withdraw, refund, pause, replace, or field-test WOWPASS for this Service record.
Alternative ServicesT-moneyClimate Card Short-Term Pass

Related Guides

GuideT-money vs Climate Card vs WOWPASS: Which Korea Travel Card Should You Choose?Choose standard Tmoney for simple pay-as-you-go transit, a Climate Card Short-Term Pass for repeated eligible travel within Seoul, or WOWPASS…GuideCan You Use Foreign Credit Cards in Korea?Use foreign cards for ordinary purchases, and prepare separate payment methods for transit gates, Tmoney loading and online bookings.

Keep untangling your Korea trip

Compare WOWPASS with standard T-money and Climate Card before buying, then use the foreign-card Guide to prepare an independent payment fallback. Keep the WOWPASS payment balance and Tmoney transport balance separate from the first top-up onward.

GuideT-money vs Climate Card vs WOWPASS: Which Korea Travel Card Should You Choose?Choose standard Tmoney for simple pay-as-you-go transit, a Climate Card Short-Term Pass for repeated eligible travel within Seoul, or WOWPASS when prepaid…GuideCan You Use Foreign Credit Cards in Korea?Foreign-issued cards work at most mainstream Korean merchants, but transit gates, basic Tmoney top-ups, some machines, and some online checkouts follow different…

Official sources checked

Checked August 13, 2026. Open the current source again before relying on time-sensitive details.

Change log
  • 2026-08-13 — Initial independent Service record drafted from the current WOWPASS product, purchase, and How to Use pages, Orange Square FAQ, service and privacy terms, official app-store listings, and the current KTO transportation-card page. Recorded the current official-page conflict on mobile Tmoney top-up and separated the WOWPASS payment balance from Tmoney. Marked official-source checked only; no issuance, passport, phone, account, card, wallet, cash, exchange, payment, transit, withdrawal, refund, loss, or reissue flow was independently tested.