[서울호비] A little confused over what will happen starting September 2026 to your beloved Climate Card? No need to worry, the South Korean government is actually trying to help you save money with this new system! A merge of the Modu Card, Climate Card and the K-Pass: presenting to you the Climate Card Plus!

Some transportation cards the SeoulHobbi team is or was using, and among them: the Climate Card.

The last time you will be able to recharge your Climate Card is at the end of this month, July 31st. Both physical and mobile versions of the card will be usable until August 29th for the prepaid ones while the postpaid versions will run until August 31st.

After that, for those who use public transportation quite often (the K-Pass discount program is applicable starting from the 15th ride on a monthly-basis and up to 60 rides maximum), the Climate Card Plus will become the best -and almost only- option. But then again, just when we got the jist of how the original one was working, we have to learn it all over again? 

Well, if it does seem confusing at first, it is actually quite simple: the 30-day Climate Card pass is fusionning with the K-Pass system, which results in a simpler and autonomous discount card, which will go by the name of Climate Card Plus.

Now, if you are not yet familiar with the advantages that it will offer, let’s review it together: 

–works nationwide: finished the Seoul-only discounts, favorising only the capital and its residents, starting from now on, users using pricier commuting transit which includes red-buses, GTX or even the Shinbundang line will also see the K-Pass system reduce their financial burden.

–smart and autonomous: we can all say goodbye to the never-ending need of calculating which card would be more advantageous, the system tracks on its own your transit usage, knows your age but also your income, and applies the larger refund you are eligible to.

–economic: for those who commute/travel for more than 62.000 Won/month, you will be billed this amount at the end of the month by default and then receive the refund the following month directly on your bank account. The refund rates start from 20% and go up to 53.3% depending on your social situation. For those who spend less than 62.000 Won/month, you only need to pay the amount you used. But then again, it’s not like you get nothing out of it, since you still get the basic K-Pass percentage refund/cash back. 

–prepaid, postpaid: for the postpaid use, you get to link your new Climate Card Plus to your local bank account, which leads you to receive either the refunded cash directly on your bank account (for debit cards) or to only pay the already discounted bill (if you use a credit card). If you prefer the prepaid method, you only need to register your card (T-Money, EZL)  on the K-Pass app. You pre-charge and then use your card like a regular T-money and the discounted amount will be dropped back on your app account.

Adding to that, you must have heard of the Modu Card. Not actually a card but rather a system, you can simply see it as the national/governmental version of the Seoul-only Climate Card. The only thing that you need to know about this one is that the new Climate Card Plus will encompass its cashback-based rebate and its nationwide nature.

Now that we made things a little clearer (we hope so), a new question might appear to you: but why? When so many people only got the original Climate Card not long ago, why change again? 

Well, the most important reason might be to reduce Seoul’s financial burden: where the city used to support 100% of the discounted price, the central government will be funding 40% of the Climate Card Plus. If you also wonder if the short-stay travelers will get to take advantage of the discounts, the answer is still yes! Simply because the 1-day, 2-day, 3-day, 5-day or 7-day Climate Card passes will still be available as it is only the 30-day pass that is being removed from the market.

Some of us will need some time to get used to this new change, and some might have even more questions. Reading some Seoulite reaction to the news, we have learned that for some long-time users of the original K-Pass, the refund sometimes covers the next month fees!

Living in an expensive city, here at SeoulHobbi, we are always happy to hear about cheaper ways to enjoy the every-day life. And we love to share it with you!

#서울호비 #SeoulHobbi #foreignersinKorea #lifeinKorea #ClimateCard #ClimateCardPlus #Kpass #ModuCard #모두의카드 #대중교통

(Source : ErouNews https://www.erounews.kr)