Finally! K-Pass is Now Available on iPhone
Until recently, there was one thing that made iPhone users envious of Android users. It was K-Pass.
Last July, when Apple finally added transit card functionality about two years after its domestic launch, many iPhone users cheered… But the fact that K-Pass and the Climate Companion Card couldn’t be used was quite disappointing.
However, T-money has now added K-Pass service to Mobile T-money, making it finally possible to use K-Pass on iPhone!
What is Apple Pay Transit Card?
Apple Pay Transit Card is a feature that allows you to register and use a transit card on your iPhone. It’s really convenient because you just need to tap your iPhone without needing a physical card.
What’s especially great is that you don’t even need to turn on your phone screen. Just tap it once like a regular transit card and you’re done. They say it works even when the battery is dead, which is such a smart feature.
What is K-Pass?
K-Pass is a transportation discount program created by the government to promote public transportation use and reduce the burden of transportation costs.
When you use public transportation in designated areas such as the Seoul metropolitan area, a certain percentage of the fare is refunded:
- General public: up to 20%
- Youth: up to 30%
- Low-income: up to 53%
The refund starts after you use public transportation more than 15 times a month, so it’s quite a significant benefit for those who frequently use public transit for commuting or going to school.
Additional Benefits with Mobile T-money
If you get K-Pass through Mobile T-money, you’ll receive additional benefits beyond the basic ones.
First, you can get an additional transportation refund of up to 7,000 won per month based on usage. They say 10% of your monthly public transportation expenses accumulates as T-mileage for the next month.
What’s interesting is that they also provide customized public transportation insurance. There are benefits like 5 million won in traffic accident coverage and 5 million won in commute time traffic accident coverage, and T-money covers the full insurance premium for one year, which is not bad at all.
iPhone’s Usability Just Got Better
To be honest, both myself and other iPhone users around me often carried a separate physical card for transit or gave up on K-Pass benefits and just used a regular transit card.
With K-Pass now supported, it really feels like an era has come where you can go out with just your iPhone. It’s like having one less thing to carry in your wallet.
It would be great if the Climate Companion Card gets supported on Apple Pay in the future too… But for now, K-Pass alone seems like it will help a lot of people.
For iPhone users, I hope you now enjoy convenient public transportation while receiving K-Pass benefits ;-)