TL;DR — 3 things to know
- Cards usually work, but carry cash for T-money. Foreign Visa and Mastercard are generally accepted at the big four chains (GS25, CU, 7-Eleven, emart24). Topping up a T-money card at the counter is cash only.
- You can get your T-money balance back at the counter. The store refunds the balance minus a ₩500 fee, up to its limit: GS25 under ₩20,000, 7-Eleven ₩20,000 or less, CU and emart24 ₩30,000 or less. The price of the card itself is not refundable.
- Medicine and alcohol come with rules. Only a short government list of over-the-counter medicines is sold, one pack per product. Alcohol and tobacco need ID (in 2026: born in 2007 or earlier) and are not sold while a store runs unstaffed at night.
⚠ What we could and could not confirm
T-money refund limits, the medicine rules, the 2026 age rule and GS25 parcel rates come from official pages (checked 25 October 2026). We give no food prices: they differ by product and store, so check the shelf label. ATM fees and withdrawal limits are shown on the machine and differ by ATM operator and your bank, so we give no figures. Whether tap-to-pay, phone wallets or a foreign phone number work for a given service depends on the store and was not tested.
The Big Four — GS25, CU, 7-Eleven & emart24
At the end of 2025 the four chains ran 53,266 stores between them. Products overlap heavily, so go to the nearest one. Facilities differ by store: not every branch has seating, an ATM or a 24-hour schedule.
GS25
GS Retail
T-money refund limit: under ₩20,000
In-store coffee brand: Café25. Runs the GS25 half-price parcel service between GS25 stores.
CU
BGF Retail
T-money refund limit: ₩30,000 or less
In-store coffee brand: get coffee. Has its own parcel drop-off (CU POST).
7-Eleven
Korea Seven (Lotte)
T-money refund limit: ₩20,000 or less
In-store coffee brand: Seven Café.
emart24
emart24
T-money refund limit: ₩30,000 or less
The fourth national chain; same basics as the other three.
How to Pay
What works at the counter, and the one thing that still needs cash.
- Foreign Visa / Mastercard — generally accepted at the major chains. If tapping fails, insert the chip. Tap-to-pay and phone wallets depend on the terminal, so have a plan B.
- Korean won cash — always accepted, and required for T-money top-up. Smaller notes (₩10,000 and below) are easiest for small purchases.
- Unstaffed night hours — some stores switch to unstaffed (hybrid) mode at night. You may need a card to open the door, and alcohol and tobacco are not sold during those hours.
T-money — Buy, Top Up, Refund
Convenience stores are the easiest place to handle a T-money card. These rules match our T-money card guide (updated 25 October 2026).
| What | How it works |
|---|---|
| Buy | Sold at the counter. The price you pay is for the card itself and is not refundable — there is no deposit. Price depends on the design. |
| Top up | Cash only at convenience stores. Hand over the card and the cash and say the amount, e.g. “티머니 만 원 충전해 주세요” (₩10,000). |
| Refund the balance | Balance minus a ₩500 fee, paid out at once if it is within the store's limit: GS25 under ₩20,000 · 7-Eleven ₩20,000 or less · CU and emart24 ₩30,000 or less. No passport needed. |
| Larger balance | Above the store limit, or to refund only part (in ₩10,000 units): a subway station customer service center or T-money headquarters. Refund-enabled ATMs handle up to ₩500,000. |
Plan the refund before your last day. Spend the card down to within the store limit, then refund it at any of the four chains on the way to the airport.
Convenience Store ATMs
Many stores have an ATM, but not every machine takes foreign cards.
- Look for the logos — use a machine marked “Global” or showing Visa, Mastercard, Cirrus or PLUS. A machine without them may show your balance and then refuse the withdrawal.
- Read the screen before confirming — the machine shows its fee and the amount you can take out. Your own bank may add a foreign ATM fee on top.
- Rejected? Do not keep retrying the same machine. Try another store brand or a bank ATM.
Food & Drinks
Prices differ by product, size and store, so check the shelf label.
삼각김밥
Samgak gimbap · triangle rice ball
Tuna mayo, spicy pork, kimchi and more. Pull the tabs in the numbered order printed on the wrapper so the seaweed stays crisp.
김밥
Gimbap · rice roll
Full rolls and mini rolls sit in the chilled section next to the rice balls.
도시락
Dosirak · lunch box
Rice with side dishes. Pay first, then heat it in the store microwave following the label.
컵라면
Cup ramyeon
Hot water is free at the dispenser. Fill to the line printed inside the cup.
바나나맛우유
Banana-flavored milk (Binggrae)
The squat 240 ml bottle.
즉석 커피
Freshly brewed coffee
Café25 (GS25), get coffee (CU), Seven Café (7-Eleven). Chains often run discount events.
Microwave, Hot Water & Eating In
Both are self-service in most stores.
Microwave
Pay at the counter first, then heat the food yourself. The label says how long to heat it and whether to open the film first — follow it rather than guessing. If you are unsure, show the item to the staff.
Hot water for cup ramyeon
Peel the lid partway, fill to the line printed inside the cup, close the lid and wait the time printed on the lid. The water is very hot.
Eating in: many stores have a small counter or tables; some have none. Clear up when you finish — stores often have a separate bin for leftover soup.
Medicine & Everyday Items
Convenience stores sell a short, government-designated list of over-the-counter medicines. For anything else, go to a pharmacy (약국).
- Designated medicines — the Ministry of Health and Welfare list has 13 products: fever and pain relievers (Tylenol, children's Tylenol, children's Brufen syrup), digestives (Bearse, Festal), cold medicine (Pancol A, Panpyrin T) and pain-relief patches. Not every product is always in stock.
- Sales rules — only stores registered to sell them and open 24 hours a day, every day of the year. One pack per product per purchase, and no sales to children under 12. The government is discussing expanding the list (up to 20 products are allowed by law).
- Everyday items — umbrellas, phone cables and chargers, socks, face masks, toiletries and basic skincare such as sheet masks and sunscreen. For a real K-beauty shop, a beauty store such as Olive Young has a far wider range.
Alcohol & Tobacco
Korea sets the age by birth year, not birthday.
- Age — in 2026 you can buy alcohol and tobacco if you were born in 2007 or earlier (government notice, January 2026). Staff must check age, so carry your original passport. A photo or copy may be refused.
- Unstaffed hours — when a hybrid store runs without staff at night, alcohol and tobacco are not sold, because age has to be checked in person (some stores have age-verifying vending machines instead).
Parcels — Domestic Only
Stores take domestic parcels. For international shipping use the post office (EMS); we could not confirm international service at convenience stores.
| GS25 half-price parcel (반값택배) | Up to 500 g | Up to 1 kg | Up to 5 kg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mainland ↔ mainland, Jeju ↔ Jeju | ₩1,900 | ₩2,300 | ₩2,700 |
| Jeju ↔ mainland, mainland → islands | ₩3,600 | ₩4,000 | ₩4,400 |
Who it suits: the parcel goes from a GS25 store to a GS25 store, within 4 days including drop-off day on the mainland. The receiver collects it by showing a QR code sent by KakaoTalk notification, so both sides need a Korean phone number and address details. We did not test it with a foreign number.
Useful Phrases
| Korean | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 티머니 만 원 충전해 주세요 | ti-meo-ni man won chung-jeon-hae ju-se-yo | Please put ₩10,000 on my T-money |
| 티머니 환불해 주세요 | ti-meo-ni hwan-bul-hae ju-se-yo | Please refund my T-money balance |
| 카드 돼요? | ka-deu dwae-yo? | Can I pay by card? |
| 영수증 주세요 | yeong-su-jeung ju-se-yo | Receipt, please |
| 전자레인지 어디 있어요? | jeon-ja-re-in-ji eo-di i-sseo-yo? | Where is the microwave? |
Frequently Asked Questions
Usually yes. Foreign Visa and Mastercard are generally accepted at GS25, CU, 7-Eleven and emart24. If tapping fails, insert the chip. Tap-to-pay and phone wallets depend on the terminal, and T-money top-up is cash only, so carry some Korean won as well.
No. Convenience stores top up T-money with cash only. Hand the card and the cash to the staff and say the amount, for example “티머니 만 원 충전해 주세요” for ₩10,000.
Ask for a refund at the counter. The store pays out the balance minus a ₩500 fee if it is within its limit: GS25 under ₩20,000, 7-Eleven ₩20,000 or less, CU and emart24 ₩30,000 or less. The card price itself is not refundable. Larger balances go to a subway station customer service center or a refund-enabled ATM (up to ₩500,000). No passport is needed.
Only the government-designated over-the-counter list: fever and pain relievers such as Tylenol, digestives, cold medicine and pain-relief patches (13 products on the Ministry of Health and Welfare list). They are sold only at registered stores open 24 hours, one pack per product, and not to children under 12. For anything else, go to a pharmacy.
Korea counts by birth year: in 2026 you can buy alcohol and tobacco if you were born in 2007 or earlier. Carry your original passport for the age check. Stores running unstaffed at night do not sell alcohol or tobacco.
Sources (checked 25 October 2026)
- T-money — card refund guide, refund limits by convenience store chain (t-money.co.kr), checked 25 Oct 2026
- Ministry of Health and Welfare — non-pharmacy sale of safety OTC medicines: designated products, 24-hour stores, one pack per sale, no sale under 12 (mohw.go.kr), checked 25 Oct 2026
- Yonhap News, 19 Jun 2026 — government plan to expand convenience-store medicines up to 20 products
- Korea.kr policy news, 8 Jan 2026 — 2026 Youth Protection Act age: born 2007 or earlier may buy alcohol and tobacco
- GS Retail cvsnet — GS25 half-price parcel rates, delivery time and QR pickup (cvsnet.co.kr), checked 25 Oct 2026
- ZDNet Korea, 24 Mar 2026 — 53,266 stores of the four chains at end of 2025 (Ministry of Trade data)
- Point Daily, 26 Apr 2023 — hybrid unstaffed stores cannot sell alcohol and tobacco without in-person age checks
- Inner Korea T-money card guide (updated 25 Oct 2026) — cash-only top-up at convenience stores