Where can I get cash with a foreign card?
Short answer
Look for the word "Global" on the machine. Those take foreign cards, and many but not all of them run around the clock.
Which machines will take your card
Not every ATM here accepts a foreign card, and the ones that do say so. They are marked with a "Global" sign, or with the logos of the international networks whose cards they accept. Reading the machine before queueing saves the walk.
Once you are in, language is not the obstacle. Most offer English, Chinese and Japanese alongside Korean.
An ATM with opening hours
This is the part that surprises visitors: a cash machine can be closed. Many run 24 hours, but plenty stop around 23:00, which matters if your plan involves getting cash after a late dinner.
Bank branches keep shorter hours again — roughly 09:00 to 16:00 — so anything that needs a counter rather than a machine has to happen inside the working day.
The convenient option costs more
Convenience stores have machines, and they are the easiest to find at an awkward hour. They also often charge higher transaction fees than a bank's own machine, so convenience is priced in.
For changing notes rather than withdrawing, banks handle currency exchange, and government-certified exchange booths in the tourist districts cover the hours banks do not.
Good to know
- Machines marked "Global" are the ones that take foreign cards
- Many ATMs stop around 23:00 — not all run 24 hours
- Convenience-store machines usually charge more
A convenience store ATM. They take overseas cards, run around the clock, and there are tens of thousands of them.
At ATMs carrying your card network's logo. UnionPay is accepted broadly; Visa and Mastercard work on a narrower set of machines.
ATMs are everywhere and international cards work at more than 20,000 of them — but local-bank machines cap each withdrawal low, so the machine you choose decides your fees.