Seoul Metropolitan Government says 30-day pass holders who used the card from April through June will receive 30,000 won ($22) per month; residents of Gimpo, Gwacheon, Guri, Seongnam and Hanam in Gyeonggi Province are also eligible; applications accepted through Aug. 31

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon inspects Climate Card usage at Euljiro 1-ga Station on Line 2 on April 14. [Seoul Metropolitan Government]
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon inspects Climate Card usage at Euljiro 1-ga Station on Line 2 on April 14. [Seoul Metropolitan Government]

By Shin Sang-yoon, The Herald Business

Seoul will begin accepting applications Wednesday for a 30,000-won ($22) monthly cash-back refund for Climate Card users, the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced Sunday. The city had earlier unveiled the program in April to ease residents' transportation costs amid prolonged high fuel prices, offering the monthly rebate to holders of the card's 30-day pass.

Eligible applicants are Seoul residents — as well as residents of Gimpo, Gwacheon, Guri, Seongnam and Hanam in Gyeonggi Province — who charged and fully used a Climate Card 30-day pass between April 1 and June 30 this year. Regardless of card type or pass category, users can receive up to 90,000 won in total, at 30,000 won per month for up to three months.

Both prepaid cards — physical and mobile — and postpaid cards qualify for the refund. All pass categories are covered equally, including general, youth, teenager, multi-child parent and low-income tiers. Passes that include access to Seoul's public bike-sharing service Ttareungyi and the Han River bus are also eligible.

Applications open Wednesday and run through Aug. 31 via the T-money Card & Pay website. Refunds will be deposited sequentially into the applicant's own bank account through September, following a verification process.

Only accounts held in the applicant's own name are accepted. Accounts subject to seizure, suspended accounts, closed accounts, brokerage accounts and virtual accounts are not eligible. Users who charged the card but requested a refund before the expiration date, short-term pass holders, and those not registered on the T-money Card & Pay website — making personal verification difficult — are excluded from the program.

For residents aged 65 and older who have difficulty using the internet, the city plans to run a separate application process in August through mail and other offline channels. The city has also posted a list of frequently asked questions on the Seoul Metropolitan Government website for users' reference.

"Please be sure to apply within the designated period, taking into account your current pass type and usage dates," said Park Ju-seon, head of the city's transportation policy division.


ken@heraldcorp.com