I brought euros and the banks changed them without question. I cannot speak for dollars from my own experience: this article is euros only.

Can I ride the metro and buses with a WOWPASS?

Yes, the card has a separate T-money wallet for transport. Note that a top-up at the machine goes to the purchase wallet, not the transport one.

How much cash to carry per day?

Count from your own spending: one exchange of 600 euros gave me 960,000 won. Pay large sums from money changed in advance, and keep a daily reserve of won on you for food, taxis and small things.

What if the banks are closed and I have run out of won?

The WOWPASS remains, if it is topped up, and hotel reception, which will help with a taxi. That is why I change money and top up the card before the holidays, not during them.

How to Pay in Korea Without Visa or Mastercard

In short. Cash euros and a few banks within walking distance cover almost everything in Seoul: one branch changed 600 euros for me at a time. The WOWPASS card is for places that take cards only, such as the hotel laundry machine. A taxi through Kakao T could not be booked with a Russian number; reception called one. Everything below is as of August 2026.

How I changed cash in Seoul

I have no foreign Visa or Mastercard. In August 2026 I went to Seoul with cash euros, and that was enough.

The bank changed 600 euros at a time: on 12 and 13 August I changed 600 euros each day, 960,000 won each time. If I need more, I go to the next branch of another bank; I did the same in March. I did not go to a private exchange for a slightly better rate.

15 August is a public holiday in Korea, and in 2026 the banks were closed on the 15th, 16th and 17th. The last day for changing money was the 14th, and on the 16th I had training that was paid in cash.

I did not change everything: won are no use in Moscow and changing back is a bad deal. I changed the sum for the training, the order of materials, day-to-day spending until departure and a small reserve.

Prices

Bank exchange600 euros960,000 ₩

Converted at the Bank of Russia rate for 19.10.2026

What the WOWPASS is for

WOWPASS is a card for foreigners. I bought it from a machine in the hotel and topped it up there. I needed it in the hotel laundry: the machine took cards only. The first attempt returned "card not activated"; once activated, the wash worked.

The card has two wallets: one for purchases and a T-money one for transport. Money from the machine goes to the purchase wallet.

Taxis in Korea: Kakao T without a Korean number

On 16 August I had training in Gangnam at 13:00 and planned to leave just after noon. The Kakao T app was installed and the KakaoTalk login went through, but the app then required a number verified through a Korean operator: SKT, KT or LG U+. With a Russian number that step fails.

An AI assistant suggested Yandex Go. It does not operate in Korea.

I went down to reception and asked for a taxi. A couple of minutes later the car was at the door.

What to do

Bring cash and change it at banks, going round several branches nearby.
Check Korean public holidays for your dates: banks are closed on those days.
Change the sum for your calculated spending with a margin, not everything at once.
Get a WOWPASS for machines and activate it as soon as you buy it.
Register in a taxi app at home, before the trip, and make sure the registration is complete.
If registration fails, ask hotel reception to call a taxi: faster than fighting the app at the last minute.
Keep some won in cash on you.
Check an AI assistant's advice on local services: on Korea it confidently describes Moscow services.

This is August 2026. Bank limits, card conditions and Kakao T registration change; check before you travel.

If you have a large cash payment coming - a seminar, a salon order, buying solutions - allow a day or two for changing money before it, not on the day: my banks closed for the holidays from the 15th and I had to pay on the 16th. Before the trip: K-ETA for Russian citizens, flights to Seoul, Shanghai layover and baggage.