Apple Pay is finally introducing public transit payments to iPhone and Apple Watch. The long-awaited feature has the capability to pay for subway and bus fares nationwide over two years following its launch in South Korea.
Although this development is a game-changer for commuters, a fresh contactless pilot scheme may later sit out Apple Pay before it can gain full traction.
Apple Pay’s Long Journey towards Transit Access in South Korea
Apple Pay Finally Coming to South Korea’s Public Transit, But
JUNG YEON-JE/AFP via Getty Images
According to a local news outlet Korea JoongAng Daily, as spotted on Reddit, Apple Pay formally launched in South Korea in 2023, but its failure to incorporate transit systems disappointed many locals.
In a nation where tap-to-pay transit has been the norm for almost a decade, owing to Samsung Pay’s pioneering move in 2015, the absence of Apple Pay integration left iPhone users to continue using physical Tmoney cards or other bypasses to travel.
As reported by Tmoney, South Korea’s largest transit card operator, this will no longer be the case. Apple Pay support is rolling out to iPhone and Apple Watch users, the company officially confirmed on Monday. Once activated, commuters will be able to tap their devices to pay for journeys on subway stops and buses throughout the country.
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Why Did the Delay Happen?
So why the holdup in Apple Pay transit support? As reported by 9to5Mac, the delay was reduced to two primary hurdles: hardware constraints and transaction fee issues.
Apple Pay demands EMV contactless terminals for safe transactions. In contrast to Samsung Pay, which employs magnetic secure transmission (MST) to mimic card swipes, Apple Pay uses exclusively NFC and EMV contactless technology. South Korea’s transit operators required time and capital to transition to this new equipment.
In addition, Apple’s charges per transaction left transit agencies in awe. Contrary to other mobile payment systems, Apple charges a percentage of every transaction, which contributes to the reluctance from operators who already operate on thin margins.
Tmoney Eyes Future Without Tapping at All
Just as Apple Pay transit integration is set to begin, a new pilot program may render it useless before it gets off the ground. Beginning in October 2025, Seoul will pilot a “tagless” Bluetooth-based fare system on 580 city buses across 36 routes.
This cutting-edge system eliminates the need to tap a card or device altogether. All passengers need to do is download the Tmoney app and leave Bluetooth on. Fares will be automatically computed and deducted as passengers get off and on the bus, simplifying the whole process.
Although this pilot is currently in its early stages, the initiative marks Tmoney’s vision for the future of public transportation: contactless, touchless, and perhaps Apple Pay-less.
The Bottom Line for iPhone Users in Korea
Even if there’s uncertainty about changes in the future, the immediate upside is unmistakable: Apple Pay customers in South Korea will soon have complete access to mobile payments on transit, a capability they’ve been asking for years.
Whether this support continues over the long term will depend on how well Seoul’s tagless solution takes off, and whether Apple can stay competitive with Korea’s fast-changing transit tech environment
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