Apple has rolled out Apple Pay's Express Mode in Korea, letting iPhone and Apple Watch owners pay for public transport simply by holding their devices near ticket terminals.
Express Mode, as well as some variations, have been rolling out slowly since it was first introduced with iOS 12.3 back in 2019. It's a convenient enhancement to Apple Pay that means users can unlock their device, then just hold the iPhone or Apple Watch over a reader.
Now Apple has announced that the feature has come to Korea for users of the country's T-Money payment service.
"Korea has a world-class public transportation system, and this new feature allows you to use public transportation throughout Korea through easy and secure payments with a light tap on your iPhone or Apple Watch," said Jennifer Bailey, vice president of Apple Pay and Apple Wallet in the announcement ().
"Whether you're commuting or discovering a new place, public transportation is an important part of everyday life," she continued. "We are very happy to be able to provide a smoother public transportation experience through the T-money added to Apple Wallet."
Express Mode is different from the similar Express Transit option that is now supported in places such as London. With Express Transit set up, users don't even have to unlock their device — they can just walk by a reader, holding their iPhone or device near it on the way.
There's no indication that this feature will be coming to Korea.
What Korea is getting from Express Mode, though, is how both iPhone and Apple Watch will work even if their batteries need charging. There has to be a limit, but Low Power Mode keeps enough charge for accessing public transport.
Use Apple Pay via Apple Watch as well — image credit: AppleWhat you need
Users in Korea can add an eligible T-Money payment card to Apple Wallet, to make it available for Apple Pay over both iPhone and Apple Watch. It requires an iPhone Xs or iPhone Xr with iOS 17.2 or later, or an Apple Watch Series 6, Apple Watch SE second generation or later, with watchOS 10.2 or later.
Express Mode is automatically limited to just one T-Money card. If a user has more than one, they have to manually select the one they want to use.
Only prepaid T-money cards can be added. And while users can add money to top up their T-Money card via Apple Wallet, they have to use a credit or debit card issued in Korea.
There are also some limitations in the use of Apple Pay with T-Money, specifically certain taxis and intercity buses. Apple has published a link to a T-Money with more details, but at the time of writing, the site is unavailable.
The launch of Apple Pay Express Mode in Korea follows the release in April 2025 of Apple's Find My service in South Korea. This had been available everywhere worldwide except South Korea until public demand got Apple to add the country.
