How to pay in Korea without Visa and Mastercard

In short. Cash euros and several banks next to each other cover almost every expense in Seoul: one bank exchanged 600 euros for me at a time. The WOWPASS card is needed where only cards are accepted. I could not call a taxi through the Kakao T app with a Russian phone number, so the hotel reception called the car. All of this is August 2026.

How I exchanged cash in Seoul

I have no foreign Visa or Mastercard, only cash euros. In Seoul that was enough.

A bank exchanged 600 euros for me at a time. On 12 and 13 August I exchanged 600 each day, which is 960,000 won each time. If I need more, I go to a nearby branch of another bank. I did the same in March, and it works. I did not travel across half the city to a private exchange office for a slightly better rate.

You need to know about public holidays in advance. 15 August is a holiday in Korea, and in 2026 the banks were closed on the 15th, 16th and 17th. The last day to exchange was the 14th. And on the 16th I had training that was paid for in cash.

How much to exchange. I did not exchange everything: won are of no use in Moscow, and exchanging back is expensive. I added up what I knew for certain: the training, the order of materials, daily spending until departure and a small reserve. That is what I exchanged.

What WOWPASS is for

WOWPASS is a card for foreigners. I bought mine from a machine right in the hotel and topped it up there. I needed it in the hotel laundry: the machine took cards only. First attempt: "Your card is not activated". After activation the wash started. The card has two wallets, one for purchases and one for T-money transport, and money from the machine goes to the purchase wallet.

Taxi in Korea: Kakao T without a Korean number

On 16 August at 13:00 I had training in Gangnam and had to leave shortly after noon. Kakao T was installed on my phone. Signing in through KakaoTalk worked, but then the app required me to verify my number through a Korean operator: SKT, KT or LG U+. With a Russian number you cannot get past this step.

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

I went down to reception and asked them to call a taxi. The car was there in a couple of minutes.

What you should do

• bring cash and exchange it in banks, going round several branches close by;
• check Korean public holidays for your dates: banks are closed on those days;
• exchange for the spending you have counted plus a reserve, not everything;
• get WOWPASS for machines and activate it right after buying, not when you need it;
• register in a taxi app at home, before the trip, and check that the registration goes all the way through;
• if it did not, ask the hotel reception: it is faster than fighting the app at the last moment;
• keep cash in won on you;
• check an AI assistant's advice about local services: about Korea it confidently tells you what is true for Moscow.

This is August 2026. Bank limits, card terms and Kakao T registration change, so check before your trip.

If you are travelling to study in Seoul

I paid for my own training in Seoul on 16 August in cash, and the banks closed for the holidays from the 15th: the whole amount had to be exchanged by the 14th. The terms of the training in Seoul with Hong Jihoon are on the training page.

Useful before the trip: K-ETA for Russian citizens, tickets to Seoul on your own terms, a Shanghai layover and luggage.