Korea perks for visitors and overseas Koreans: everything live in October 2026

Every time I come to Korea, I end up hunting for the same perks again.

Duty-free tiers, department store cards, card offers, government coupons.

They're all over the place.

I matched my Marriott status to Shinsegae Duty Free VIP and used the Myeongdong lounge.

You only get that kind of thing if you know to ask.

So here's everything a Canadian passport holder can get in Korea right now, in one place.

That includes Korean-Canadians visiting on a Canadian passport.

A bare list is useless once you're standing at the counter, so for the good ones I wrote down how to actually get them, and the catches.

Status (Oct 7): I checked everything below on each company's or government's own pages.

These change often, so I'll update this post in the first week of every month.

Duty-free prices are in US dollars, so I write them as US$.

First: do you qualify?

"Foreigner" means slightly different things for different perks.

This is where overseas Koreans get tripped up most, so it comes first.

F-4 holders are foreigners under Korean law, so the foreigner test applies.

Under Article 10 of the Foreign Exchange Transactions Act decree, you become a resident if you work in Korea or stay 6 months or more.

The visa type and the residence card don't matter.

If you do become a resident, 3+ months abroad makes you a non-resident again.

The "2 years abroad + under 3 months" rule is for Korean nationals.

Guides mix the two up all the time.

One open question: the law doesn't say whether the 6 months count this stay only or add up across stays.

KORAIL PASS and WOWPASS are off-limits to Korean nationals.

On an F-4, use your Canadian passport for WOWPASS.

KORAIL's terms don't rule F-4 holders out, but confirm with KORAIL.

Check this site first: VisitKorea

If you only look at one site before your trip, make it VisitKorea, the Korea Tourism Organization's English site.

It has a coupon hub.

On Oct 7 it listed 48 coupons, mostly department stores, duty free and attractions.

New government programs like the K-Tour Pass below get announced there first, too.

Using it is simple:

1. Sign up for a free VisitKorea account
2. "Save" the coupons you want, and they land in My Page
3. Show that screen and your passport at the store

The ones worth saving right now:

Lotte's coupon is collected at the gift desk at Myeongdong, Jamsil, or the Busan stores (Main, Gwangbok, Dongnae, Centum City), with your receipt and ID, once per person.

Hyundai's coupons need the H.Point app with a global membership.

You pick them up at the Global Service Desks: Apgujeong 3F, Trade Center 3F, Sinchon 1F, Pangyo 10F.

The 5% coupons don't work at The Hyundai Seoul.

Shinsegae's are used at the Main store, Gangnam, Centum City and Times Square, and you need Shinsegae's foreign customer membership too (see department stores below).

There's also a giveaway.

Vote on VisitKorea content in October and you're entered to win Lotte or Shinsegae ₩30,000 vouchers or a US$10 Amazon card (non-Korean citizens only, winners Nov 5).

K-Tour Pass: a no-brainer if you're going to Busan

The Ministry of Culture and the Korea Tourism Organization launched this foreigner-only pass in Busan on Oct 1, as a pilot.

It costs ₩15,000.

Every pass includes:

• A WOWPASS card (transit card + prepaid card; you top it up yourself)
• 50% off a one-way AREX express train ticket (up to ₩6,000 off)
• Free entry to 1 of about 35 paid attractions in Busan
• Discounts at about 50 cafes, workshops and experiences in Busan (use them as often as you like)

Then you pick one of two versions:

The WOWPASS card (₩6,000) and the AREX discount (up to ₩6,000) nearly pay for it on their own.

Add the Busan transport discount and you're clearly ahead.

Taking the train from Seoul to Busan once? Get Pass 1.

Buying a KORAIL PASS anyway? Get Pass 2.

You buy it on Klook or hopnhop.

Pick up the WOWPASS card at the kiosks in Incheon, Gimpo and Gimhae airports, Seoul Station or Busan Station, with your 8-digit booking number and your passport.

The transport coupons and the mobile ticket are good until Dec 31.

Once you use any coupon, no refund.

Screenshots don't work either: they need the live barcode.

The government plans to expand it to five regions, centred on regional airports, next year.

This month's deadlines

Duty free: hit the service desk first

Before you look at a single product, go to the downtown store's service desk.

Bring your passport, your departure flight details and any coupon screens (VisitKorea, event pages).

Sign up, collect every tier upgrade and coupon, and only then start shopping.

Coupons often don't combine, so ask the desk which combination comes out cheapest.

Also: Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Hermès, Dior and the like, plus tobacco, electronics and anything already 30%+ off, are excluded from almost every coupon.

Lotte Duty Free: the most open deals right now

Lotte has the most perks that need no partner at all.

1) Government "Fall in Korea" coupons (to Oct 25)

This one is run with the Ministry of Culture and the Visit Korea Committee.

No partner card, no tier needed: any foreign individual traveller qualifies (not tour groups).

The barcodes are printed right on Lotte's event page, so you just show them at checkout.

Each barcode works once per downtown store.

Show your passport and the event page at the service desk (Myeongdong 11F, World Tower 9F) and they'll also give you Gold tier (up to 15%) and ₩10,000 in PRE LDF PAY.

PRE LDF PAY is Lotte store credit.

You can only spend it the day you get it, on a single receipt of US$50+, and only once during the event.

It works at the Myeongdong, World Tower, Busan and Jeju downtown stores.

It has more tiers than the Uber coupons below, so if you're there before Oct 25, use this one.

2) Online code KVISITOR (to Dec 31)

Log in to Lotte's online duty-free store and enter KVISITOR as a coupon code.

You get US$5 / 9 / 15 / 27 off at US$100 / 180 / 300 / 550, once a day, same-day use.

It's the exact same online coupon the Uber app gives out, so you don't need Uber for it.

Online orders need your passport and departure flight registered, and you collect at the airport pickup counter.

3) Uber (to Dec 31)

Show your passport and the Uber partnership page at a downtown service desk.

You get the in-store coupon set (US$10 / 20 / 30 / 50 off at US$100 / 200 / 300 / 500) plus Gold, one set per event.

Lotte advertises "up to US$110".

That's the four coupons added together, not US$110 off one purchase.

Downtown stores only, not the airport.

The Uber ride codes (UBERLOTTE and so on) ended June 30 🥲

4) Amex (to Dec 31)

Any Amex issued outside Korea works, so Canadian cards qualify.

Show your passport and card at the service desk for Gold for a year plus ₩10,000 PRE LDF PAY (once per account).

Amex's terms say it doesn't combine with other promotions.

Ask the desk whether it stacks with the Uber or Fall in Korea coupons.

Also at Lotte

• LDF PAY payback (to Oct 11): store credit based on your daily spend, e.g. ₩240,000 at US$1,000+ or ₩920,000 at US$5,000+. Good for 3 years.
• JCB: in-store coupons up to US$172 + Gold + ₩10,000 PRE LDF PAY (to Dec 31)
• Mastercard (to Oct 31): Lotte's page says "Mastercard cardholders", but Mastercard's own terms say Asia-Pacific cards only. Ask at the desk.
• Lotte Hotels: any Lotte Duty Free member, at any tier, gets 25% off the regular rate at Lotte Hotel Seoul, World, Jeju and Ulsan (show your tier in the app; not in peak season)

Shinsegae Duty Free: if you have Marriott status

The Marriott status match (to Dec 31)

Shinsegae turns your Marriott tier into one of its own.

How it works:

1. Sign up at Shinsegae Duty Free with the same email as your Marriott account
2. Verify Marriott under My Page > Shopping Service > Affiliate Mileage/Points
3. The tier shows up with a "Partners" tag under your tier logo

You can't undo or change it once verified.

VIP (Partners) gets up to 20% off, the 9F VIP lounge at Myeongdong (once a day, 2 people including you, passport check) and a VIP queue number at the Incheon pickup counter.

Normally VIP takes US$16,000 of spending over two years.

The only thing Partners loses is the ₩100,000 points reward that spend-earned VIPs get.

The lounge still works.

That's how I used it, and I'm writing it up properly on the blog.

Earning points and the vouchers

Pick Marriott as your partner program and you earn 2 Bonvoy points per ₩1,000 (up to 1,000 a month, credited the month after pickup).

You can only pick one partner per month.

You grab the vouchers from the event page:

Here's the catch: one voucher per receipt.

Spend US$600 in one go and you use one ₩75,000 voucher, not all three.

To use the full "up to ₩120,000", you'd need three separate receipts in the same month.

Vouchers expire at the end of the month you get them.

The terms disagree on how often you can claim them: once per event in English and Korean, once a month in Japanese.

Also at Shinsegae

• Myeongdong payback: duty-free points by daily spend with any payment method, from ₩40,000 at US$300+ up to ₩920,000 at US$5,000+ (12F customer centre, once a day)
• Cathay Asia Miles members: Gold tier + 1 mile per ₩1,000 + vouchers (to Dec 31)
• KrisFlyer members: double miles, 2 per ₩1,000 (to Nov 30)

Hyundai Duty Free: the World Pass

If you're going to the Trade Center store (COEX, Samseong), the World Pass is the best deal there.

Any foreign passport works, until Dec 31.

Show your passport at the 9F membership desk and they bump you to Gold (up to 15%) for free.

Normally that takes US$2,000 of spending.

Vouchers too:

One per receipt, up to four times per person, so ₩175,000 if you use them all.

You need a full Hyundai Duty Free membership with your passport number, and it doesn't combine with other partner coupons.

The same World Pass covers a few things around COEX:

• Airport bus 6103 to Incheon: ₩15,000 instead of ₩18,000
• SEA LIFE COEX aquarium: 20% off for you and up to 3 others
• Two free drinks at Café H in the Hyundai Department Store

There's also a Trade Center voucher event to Oct 12: ₩20,000 at US$150+ up to ₩660,000 at US$5,000+.

Amex upgrades you from Silver to Black depending on your card tier (MEMBER, SELECT, PREMIER, ICON).

Amex doesn't say which tier a Canadian card counts as.

Shilla Duty Free

• Fall in Korea coupons (to Oct 25): ₩10,000 / 20,000 / 30,000 off at US$100 / 200 / 300, each once a day. Seoul, Jeju and Incheon. No Korean passports.
• Prepaid-card payback (to Oct 31): Seoul and Jeju, from ₩50,000 at US$300+ up to ₩850,000 at US$5,000+ a day. The prepaid card lasts 3 years.
• Taxi rebate (to Dec 31): show a same-day taxi receipt for your ride to the store at the 1F gift desk and get a ₩10,000 prepaid card (once a month, same-day use). Valet parking at the Seoul store is free too.
• Amex: any international Amex gets Gold Plus (5 to 15%)

Heads up: Shilla stopped selling cosmetics, liquor and tobacco at Incheon Airport on April 16.

Lotte and Hyundai run those zones now.

Department stores, outlets and shopping

Lotte Department Store Tourist Card

A free card for foreign tourists that doubles as a transit card.

Get it at the Myeongdong main store 1F Tax Refund Lounge (next to Gucci), the Jamsil 1F Tax Refund Desk, or Busan main store 1F.

Show your passport and verify your email, and you walk out with it.

It doesn't work at Lotte World Mall.

With an overseas-issued Mastercard you get three more 5% coupons at the Tax Refund Desk (to Dec 31), and the VisitKorea ₩5,000 voucher stacks on top.

Shinsegae Global VIP Club

Shinsegae Department Store's membership for foreign customers.

Sign up with your passport at a Foreigner Center (Main store 13F The Estate, Gangnam 8F, Centum City 3F/B1, Times Square 10F) and you get a physical card.

New members start at MEMBERS: 5% off up to 5 times a month, plus Members Bar drink vouchers (two single-drink tickets).

The Members Bar is Shinsegae's members-only lounge café.

Spend ₩5M / 10M / 30M in a year and you move up to VIP / VVIP / SVIP, with 7% off and more drink vouchers.

Grab the VisitKorea coupon too and you get extra drink vouchers.

Hyundai H.Point Global

Download the H.Point app and join as a global member.

Up to 7.2% back, 2 free Café H drinks a month, and you can register your tax refund in the app instead of queueing at a kiosk.

It works at Hyundai outlets too, with 15,000 bonus points on ₩300,000+ at participating fashion brands until the end of October.

Also worth knowing

• Galleria (Apgujeong): sign up with your passport at the West 5F foreigner service centre. 5% new-member coupon, and 7% back in gift certificates when you spend ₩1M+ in a day.
• Shinsegae Simon outlets: 121 foreigner-only e-coupons right now (Yeoju, Paju, Busan, Siheung, Jeju). On your phone, tap "Get Coupon" on the outlet site and answer a short survey. Think Under Armour 20%, an extra 5 to 10% at Daks, Hazzys, Barbour, Ecco and Mulberry, Levi's 10% over ₩100,000. Mostly to Dec 31.
• Olive Young: show that you follow Olive Young Global on Instagram, TikTok, Threads or LINE at checkout for 5% off ₩100,000+ (up to ₩20,000, once per person, not at self-checkout). Spend ₩15,000+ and they'll do the tax refund on the spot with your physical passport.
• Daiso: only stores marked "택스리펀드" in the store finder do tax refunds, and the two in Myeongdong are claim-later, not instant.

Card offers (only ones Canadian cards get)

Amex

Amex Korea's "Explore Korea" offers are for all international Amex cardmembers visiting Korea, so Canadian cards count.

Everything runs to Dec 31.

• Duty free: tier upgrades at Lotte, Shilla, Shilla IPark and Hyundai. Show your passport and card at the information desk before you shop.
• Restaurants: Saint Augustin 20% (8 locations incl. Gimpo Airport, not set menus); Butcher's Cut, Twoppul, Roastok, Osteria Cotto and Sun The Bud 10% (up to ₩100,000 off, drinks excluded)
• Hotels: JW Marriott Seoul 10% on rooms and dining, Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas 10%, Grand Josun Busan 20 to 40% off rack rate, Parnas Hotel Jeju 10%, Hotel Naru Seoul MGallery 10%, 12 hotels in all

Most hotel discounts are off the rack or public website rate.

Compare them with a points stay or the member rate before you book.

Visa

This is the one Canadians miss.

Visa's Asian sites list 16 Korea offers for "a Visa card issued outside Korea".

None of them show up on visa.ca.

Most run to Dec 31, and Goodlugg and movv run to the end of 2027.

With a Visa Infinite, book through the Luxury Hotel Collection for breakfast, a US$25 credit and an upgrade when available at 11 Korean hotels, including Park Hyatt Seoul and Busan, Andaz Gangnam, Signiel Seoul and Busan, The Shilla Seoul, Fairmont and Sofitel.

Mastercard

Most Mastercard Korea offers are for Asia-Pacific cards only, so Canadian cards get little:

• Three 5% coupons at Lotte Department Store (overseas-issued card + foreign passport, to Dec 31)
• Lotte Rent-a-Car: up to 89% off in Jeju, 60% on the mainland (to Dec 31)

Tax refunds: how they work

Nothing changed in 2026.

• Spend ₩15,000+ at a tax-free shop and you qualify.
• Show your physical passport at checkout and they take the tax off right there (instant refund). Under ₩1,000,000 per purchase, ₩5,000,000 total per trip.
• Bigger than that, keep the receipt and claim at an airport kiosk or a downtown refund counter when you leave. Downtown refunds go up to ₩6,000,000 per purchase.
• Hotels too: 30 nights or fewer at a designated hotel gets the VAT back (list of 118 hotels).
• The VAT refund on cosmetic procedures ended at the end of 2025.

Getting in and getting around

No word yet on whether the K-ETA exemption gets extended into 2027.

I'll update this when it's announced.

Government and Seoul events

What a Canadian passport won't get you

• Shinsegae RED+ (department store Members Bar 4 times a month and more): Korean passports with Korean Shinsegae cards only
• Lotte Duty Free Uber ride codes: ended June 30
• Lotte Duty Free Visa offer: cards issued in Greater China only
• Shilla and Hyundai Duty Free card deals: Japan and China only
• SKYPASS miles at Hyundai Duty Free: Korean passports only
• Kakao Pay and K-Pass: need an alien registration number
• Hyundai Duty Free hotel booking codes: ended Sep 30 (the banner is still up)
• The Shinsegae Duty Free page on Amex's site: a 2024 offer that was never taken down

Final Thoughts

Putting this together, the thing that struck me is how much Korea hands foreign visitors.

Nobody gives it to you unless you ask, though.

Save the VisitKorea coupons before you fly, and hit the duty-free service desk before you shop.

Going to Busan? Just buy the K-Tour Pass.

Of the Canadian cards, Amex gets you the most.

The Visa offers are the easiest to miss because visa.ca doesn't list them.

I'll update this every month.

If you've used any of these, or spot something that changed, drop a comment.

Sources: VisitKorea, K-Tour Pass (VisitKorea), Shinsegae Duty Free × Marriott, Shinsegae Duty Free membership, Lotte Duty Free offers, Shilla Fall in Korea, Hyundai World Pass, Lotte Tourist Card, Shinsegae foreign customers, H.Point Global, Shinsegae Simon traveler coupons, Olive Young social coupon, Amex Explore Korea, K-ETA, KORAIL PASS