Promotional content for PVRE Pharmacy.
The extra 500 won on a Seoul single-journey subway ticket is a deposit on the card itself. It's separate from your fare. According to the Visit Seoul transportation guide (retrieved 2026-11-03), you pay the fare plus a 500 won deposit, tap the card at the entrance and exit gates, and then put the used card into a Deposit Refund Device to get the 500 won back. Keep the card after you exit. The refund machine returns the deposit only, so the fare stays spent.
How the single-journey ticket lifecycle works
The Visit Seoul guide describes four steps for a single-journey ticket in Seoul:
- Buy the ticket at a station machine, paying the fare plus the 500 won deposit.
- Tap the card at the entrance gate.
- Tap the card again at the exit gate at your destination.
- Insert the used card into the Deposit Refund Device to receive the 500 won deposit.
The guide describes the refund device as the step that returns the deposit. The suggestion that follows is our organization of the trip, and the source doesn't state it as a rule. After you exit the gates, look for the refund device before leaving the station, so the card doesn't end up in a pocket or a hotel bin. Station machines offer an English option, so you can follow the screens in English when buying.
What you get back, in a hypothetical example
The Visit Seoul guide lists fares labelled June 2026 for Seoul: an adult single-journey subway ticket at 1,650 won base fare and an adult transport-card base fare of 1,550 won, both for trips within 10 km, with extra charges beyond that distance. Youth fares (ages 13 to 18) are 1,500 won single-journey and 900 won by card. Child fares (ages 6 to 12) are 550 won either way. The guide notes fares may change, so check the machine screen on the day.
Hypothetical example, using the June 2026 adult figures for a trip within 10 km: you pay 1,650 won fare plus 500 won deposit, for 2,150 won at the machine. After the ride, the refund device returns 500 won. Your net cost is the 1,650 won fare. A longer trip adds distance charges to the fare, and the deposit stays at 500 won.
Deposit, stored balance and buses are separate things
The 500 won is a deposit on a single-journey card. It isn't a top-up balance. A reusable Tmoney transport card works another way: the guide says you can buy it and top it up, and it holds a stored balance for later rides. The guide doesn't promise that every machine accepts every foreign credit card, so check payment options at the machine you use.
The guide's bus and subway transfer rules apply to tapping a transport card when boarding and alighting, with a transfer window of 30 minutes after getting off (60 minutes between 21:00 and 07:00). Treat the single-journey ticket as a one-ride subway card, so plan bus trips with a transport card. A stop between rides doesn't pause the transfer clock. If you're stopping in Myeongdong or Seongsu between rides, for example to browse health and beauty products or have a general conversation with a pharmacist at PVRE Pharmacy (listed as PURE PHARMACY), count that time against the transfer window. The pharmacy is a retail and pharmacist-advice stop. Fares, transfers and refunds are matters for the transit operator.
If the card or the machine gives you trouble
If a gate rejects your card or the refund device won't take it, ask station staff. Don't jump the gate or borrow someone else's card to get through. Keep the used ticket until the refund has worked, because the card itself is what the device needs to return the 500 won.
Evidence and criteria
- Deposit amount and refund process: Visit Seoul transportation guide, Seoul, retrieved 2026-11-03.
- Fares: same source, labelled June 2026, Seoul; base fares apply within 10 km, extra charges beyond, subject to change.
- Transfer window: same source; 30 minutes after alighting, 60 minutes from 21:00 to 07:00, tapping on boarding and alighting.
- Tmoney purchase and top-up: same source; machine and payment compatibility varies.
- PURE PHARMACY addresses from the official store page: Seongsu (서울특별시 성동구 성수이로20길 3), Myeongdong (서울특별시 중구 명동8길 41), Jeju (제주특별자치도 제주시 신광로 53). The page describes pharmacist consultation and health and beauty products. It doesn't cover transit services, stock, prices or hours.