What do I do if the ticket gate won't open?
Short answer
Top up at a fare adjustment machine near the turnstiles. It handles both a T-money card and a single journey ticket.
The machine that fixes it
Fare adjustment machines sit near the turnstiles. If a T-money card or a single journey ticket is short, that is where you add money, and then the gate opens.
You tap in and tap out on the subway, so a short balance shows up on the way out rather than the way in. That is why the machine is positioned where it is — the problem happens at the end of the journey, not the start.
The single journey ticket has two machines, not one
Buying one, you select your destination and insert the fare plus a 500 won deposit. The card that comes out gets you in and out of the gates as normal.
The deposit is the part people miss. After you exit, you put the card into a separate deposit refund machine and the 500 won comes back. Walk out of the station holding the card and you have simply donated it.
Before it happens
A prepaid transit card runs until the balance is gone, so keeping it comfortably loaded avoids the whole situation. A post-paid card puts the fare on a credit card bill instead and cannot run short.
Check you are at the right gate for your direction while you are at it. Tapping through the wrong side is the other reason a gate feels like it is refusing you.
Good to know
- A single journey ticket's 500 won deposit comes back from a separate refund machine after you exit
- Subway requires tapping both in and out
Use the fare adjustment machine inside the gates to top up in cash, or take it to the staffed gate beside them.