Tmoney, South Korea’s ubiquitous transit payment system, is now integrated with Apple Pay, allowing users to ride buses and subways with their iPhone or Apple Watch starting July 22.
The feature lets iPhone and Apple Watch users add a Tmoney transit card to the Apple Wallet app and simply tap their device at gates to pay fares. With Express Mode enabled, users don’t need to unlock or wake the device — just hold it near the reader.
Passengers can load funds through a Hyundai Card — the only Apple Pay-compatible credit card in Korea — or use other payment methods via the Tmoney app. Apple also introduced automatic top-ups when the balance falls below a set amount, which it says is a first for transit payments.
The transit card remains active even in low-power mode. The feature requires iOS 17.2 or later on iPhone XS, XR, and newer, or watchOS 10.2 or later on Apple Watch Series 6, SE (2nd generation), and newer.
Apple emphasized that its usual privacy protections apply: payment and transit history can’t be viewed or tracked.
“South Korea has a world-class public transit system, and now riders can pay easily and securely across the country,” said Jennifer Bailey, Apple’s vice president of Apple Pay and Apple Wallet.
Apple Pay debuted in Korea in March 2023 but saw slow adoption due to limited availability outside major retail chains.
Transit support is expected to drive broader use in a market where mobile payments are already widely used and highly competitive.
By contrast, Apple Pay transit payments are already established in several major U.S. cities. In New York City, the OMNY system supports contactless payments on subways and buses, with nearly 47% of subway rides and 34% of bus rides now paid through tap-to-pay methods — about 70% of those from mobile devices like iPhones and Apple Watches. San Francisco’s Bay Area supports virtual Clipper cards in Apple Wallet, while Chicago’s Ventra, Portland’s Hop Fastpass, and Washington, D.C.’s Metro all accept Apple Pay at gates.
