How international travelers, nomads & expats can pay with QR codes in South Korea
Tteokbokki at Gwangjang Market, a café in Seongsu, a guesthouse on Jeju: South Korea's small businesses run on ZeroPay QR, and now so can you. Moreta Pay scans the code at the counter, funded from your own bank or card, so you pay in won without a Korean account or a Korean phone number.
SeoulPay
Costs, limits and tips
Paying in South Korea
Guide updated
What it costs
- Transaction fee
- 1.5%
- Exchange rate today
- 1 USD = 1,328 KRWLive rate, updated recently
Limits
- Max payment
- 4M KRW
- Weekly limit
- 8M KRW
The app always shows the live rate and the exact cost before you pay.
Local tips
- Look for the ZeroPay or SeoulPay sticker, usually by the till. Department stores and chains will still take cards.
- T-money transit cards are cash or card only, so load one at a convenience store on arrival.
- Kakao Map beats Google Maps here, so keep data on and scanning and directions both work.
Why QR code is the best way to pay in South Korea
QR codes are how people pay in South Korea: hold up a phone, scan the code on the counter, done. Korea is card-happy, but its small shops, markets and independent cafés have adopted ZeroPay, the QR system the government built to cut merchant fees, and Seoul residents pay it through SeoulPay. It is where foreign cards most often fail, so having a QR wallet that works there fills the gap.
Moreta gives you the same thing as a visitor. A scan is contactless, so there is no card to hand over and no cash to carry, and each payment costs one flat fee at the live rate instead of a foreign transaction fee and a marked-up rate from your bank at home.
The problem with paying abroad as a tourist, expat or nomad
Paying abroad with the card in your wallet is easy until it is not. Your bank may block the first charge as suspicious. When it goes through, most cards add a foreign transaction fee and convert at a rate of their choosing, and some terminals offer to charge you in your own currency at a worse one.
Cash is no better. ATMs stack your bank's withdrawal fee, the operator's fee and a poor rate, and you still end up carrying more South Korean won than you need and changing the rest back at the airport. Paying by QR from a wallet you fund yourself skips all of it: one fee, the live rate and no plastic.
Card or cash
- A foreign transaction fee on most cards
- Your bank's rate, or the terminal's worse one
- ATM fees from your bank and the operator
- Leftover South Korean won to change back
Moreta
- One flat fee, shown before you slide to pay
- The live rate at the moment you pay
- No ATM and no card to hand over
- What you do not spend stays for the next country
How Moreta Pay works
Moreta is a wallet on your phone that pays SeoulPay codes as if a local had scanned them. Set it up once, at home or on the plane, and it is ready before you land in South Korea.
01Verify your identity
Download Moreta, scan your passport and take a selfie. Verification usually takes a few minutes, and your account can move money as soon as it passes.
- 02
Load funds to your Moreta Pay wallet
Link a US bank through Plaid, or send a SEPA, Faster Payments, Interac or PayID transfer. Cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay and USDC work too, and you can top up from the road.
- 03
Scan QR codes at local shops & restaurants
Tap Scan and point your camera at the SeoulPay code on the counter. Moreta reads it the way a Korean bank app would.
- 04
Get seamless payments on the go
Check the amount in South Korean won, what it costs in your own currency and the fee, then slide to pay. The merchant sees the payment in their own app the moment it clears.
USD
EUR
GBP
CAD
AUD
Why Moreta Pay is better than alternatives
No local bank account required
Pay from the bank or card you already have. Nothing to open, nothing to close when you leave.
Seamless integration with SeoulPay & ZeroPay
ZeroPay is Korea's public QR network for small businesses, and SeoulPay is the city's app on top of it. Moreta pays ZeroPay codes directly, so the market stall that waves off your card takes your scan.
Designed for international travelers, expats & nomads
A two-week trip or a year abroad, it works the same, and what you do not spend stays for the next country.
Several accepted payment types
Top up by bank transfer in US dollars, euros, pounds, Canadian or Australian dollars, or with a card, Apple Pay, Google Pay or USDC.
Lower fees compared to cash or card alternatives
One flat fee per payment, shown before you confirm. No ATM fees, and most banks add no foreign transaction fee.
Instant, contactless QR payments
Scan, check, slide. Nothing to hand over, and the merchant is paid in seconds.
Real exchange rates
Every payment converts to South Korean won at the live rate at the moment you pay.
See today's rate
Frequently asked questions
What travellers ask before paying by QR in South Korea.
Showing 6 of 9 questions
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More ways to pay
Activate your Moreta Pay account before your trip
Set up Moreta, add money and land in South Korea ready to scan. No cash to change, no card to worry about, and one flat fee at the live rate on every payment.
Also works in 
Vietnam, 
Thailand, 
Cambodia, 
the Philippines, 
Laos, 
Malaysia, 
Mongolia, 
China, and 6 more countries