International travelers in South Korea can now use their iPhone or Apple Watch to pay for public transport through the MobileTmoney app.

The service launched with the MobileTmoney transit app on the Apple App Store.

Visitors can top up their balance in Apple Wallet using a Mastercard debit or credit card, removing the need for cash or physical transit cards.

They can then tap their iPhone or Apple Watch to pay for subways, buses and taxis.

The service was launched through a collaboration between MobileTmoney and Apple, powered by Mastercard’s global payments network.

Sandeep Malhotra, Executive Vice President, Core Payments, Asia Pacific at Mastercard, said,

“Travel should feel effortless, especially when you’re exploring a new destination. By enabling contactless transit payments through the devices people already use every day, we’re giving travelers more choice and a smoother, more confident way to get around overseas.”

Youngju Kim, Director of Payment Business Division at Tmoney, said,

“We want every visitor to Korea to move around as easily as locals do. By working closely with Apple and Mastercard, we’re extending our transit infrastructure to support all users, making public transport an easy option for international travelers to discover and enjoy destinations across Korea.”

To use the service, travelers need to download the MobileTmoney app, complete registration and top up their balance using a Mastercard card in Apple Wallet.

Android users can also make contactless public transport payments through the KOREA TOUR CARD app on Google Play, which supports top-ups using Mastercard cards.

Featured image: Edited by Fintech News Hong Kong, based on image by asylab via Freepik