KoreaSimple

Travel & Life · Published 2026-11-03

Paying in Korea as a Visitor: Foreign Cards, Cash, ATMs and Currency Exchange (2026)

Last verified: 2026-11-03. Rules, fees and prices change; check the official sources below before you act.

Short answer: Korea’s currency is the won (KRW). Major hotels, department stores and general shops generally accept international credit cards, but VisitKorea advises checking before you buy because some stores do not. Bring some Korean cash for smaller purchases, exchange money at a bank or authorized exchange center, and ask your own card issuer about overseas ATM use. The official pages checked do not give an ATM fee or limit table, so those details are left to your bank.

This guide covers what the Korea Tourism Organization (VisitKorea), the Bank of Korea and a bank’s English page say. It does not quote exchange rates or fees, because they change daily.

The won at a glance

VisitKorea says the official monetary unit is the won (shown as ₩). It lists these denominations:

Type Denominations (won)
Banknotes 1,000 / 5,000 / 10,000 / 50,000
Coins 10 / 50 / 100 / 500

The Bank of Korea’s “Currency in Circulation” page lists the same four current banknote values: the 50,000-won note (first issued June 23, 2009), the 10,000-won note (6th version, January 22, 2007), the 5,000-won note (5th version, January 2, 2006) and the 1,000-won note (3rd version, January 22, 2007). It also lists 1-won and 5-won coins as legal tender, although they are rarely handled by visitors. The Bank of Korea notes that some older designs are no longer issued but are still legal tender.

Credit and debit cards

VisitKorea says credit cards are widely accepted at major hotels, department stores and general shops, and names Visa, MasterCard and American Express. It adds that you should check availability before purchasing, since some stores may not accept cards. It does not list which cards each shop takes, whether a PIN is needed, or what foreign-transaction fees apply. Those depend on your card issuer, so ask them about foreign-transaction fees and whether the card is enabled for use abroad.

Cash and ATMs

Keep some won on hand. Because VisitKorea warns that some stores will not take cards, cash is the backup.

Using an ATM with a foreign card is where checked the least. VisitKorea’s currency page does not mention ATMs. The Industrial Bank of Korea’s English page describes a standard withdrawal, which starts with choosing a language, then inserting a card and entering the PIN, and it asks you to choose the number of 50,000-won units. The same page does not cover foreign card acceptance, fees or withdrawal limits and refers readers to the bank’s customer line. This guide did not find an official page that lists which cards work at which ATMs, so do not assume your card will work in every machine.

Practical steps that follow from this:

Exchanging money

VisitKorea says to exchange foreign currency at a bank or authorized exchange service center. The page gives these points:

At the airports, VisitKorea’s airport page (last updated September 11, 2026) lists these bank counters:

Airport Banks listed Hours
Incheon (Terminals 1 and 2) KB Kookmin, Hana, Woori 09:00-16:00, closed weekends and public holidays
Gimpo Shinhan 09:00-16:00, closed weekends and public holidays

The same page says standard hours for money exchangers are 06:00 to 22:00, with some locations open 24 hours, and warns that hours and locations vary, so check in advance. If you land late at night or on a weekend, the bank counters listed above will be closed, so plan how to get your first won.

For current rates, VisitKorea links to xe.com’s converter. An exchange-rate table on a separate VisitKorea page was dated 2024, so do not use it.

Prepaid and transit cards

Two products listed by VisitKorea can ease payments:

Quick checklist

Common mistakes

This guide is general information, not financial advice. Confirm current fees, limits and acceptance with your bank, card issuer and the merchant.

Sources

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