Introduction

If you want to make your Seoul trip even more special, you should pay attention to "how to custom design a NAMANE card" instead of using a standard transportation card. The NAMANE card, which is as much a hot topic on Reddit and Google as the Climate Card, has become an essential souvenir among travelers because you can create a one-of-a-kind card using your own photos or images of your favorite idols.

Specifically for the 2026 season, the newly released NAMANE card K-pop collaboration 2026 limited edition designs are stimulating the desire of fans to collect them even more.

The overall flow of using a NAMANE card involves "Designing - Manufacturing - Registering on the app - Recharging - Using - and finally, Refunding." In this post, I will guide you through how to "recharge your card using a CU convenience store" so you can actually start using it.

(Recharging your NAMANE Card with cash at a CU convenience store by using the official app for a quick top-up.)

---

Table of Contents

1. The Concept of Recharging
2. Pros and Cons of Recharging at CU Convenience Stores
3. How to Recharge Your NAMANE Card at a CU Convenience Store
4. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

If you are curious about the previous steps, you can check the information you need below:

• [NAMANE Card #1: Introduction and How to Pre-design Your Card]
• [NAMANE Card #2: How to Find Kiosks and Manufacture a Physical Card / K-pop Collaboration News]
• [NAMANE Card #3: How to Sign Up for the NAMANE App and Register Your Card]
• [NAMANE Card #4: How to Recharge Your NAMANE Card via Kiosk]
• [NAMANE Card #5: How to Recharge Your NAMANE Card via the App]

---

1. The Concept of Recharging

Think of the NAMANE card itself as a vessel for holding money. Therefore, the card cannot do anything on its own. You must put money into this vessel to use it for both general payments and as a transportation card.

This is where a concept arises that confuses many people: the part responsible for payment functions uses IC chip technology, while the part responsible for transportation functions uses NFC technology. Consequently, you must recharge the "Pay Balance" for payment functions and also recharge the "Transit Balance" for transportation functions.

2. Pros and Cons of Recharging at CU Convenience Stores

• Pros: Recharging through a CU convenience store means you don't have to wander around looking for a kiosk. You can recharge anytime at CU, which has the largest number of stores in Korea. Recharging with cash through a CU convenience store has no service fee. In contrast, card recharges typically incur a high service fee of 6% unless there is a promotion running.
• Cons: Recharging at a CU convenience store is only possible with cash. Not every convenience store employee knows how to recharge a NAMANE card (though the app is designed to show a guide for staff). The barcode validity period is short, as explained below.

3. How to Recharge Your NAMANE Card at a CU Convenience Store

[Step 1] Launch App & Login

Open the app and log in by entering your password.

(Logging into the app by entering the password for the automatically saved user ID.)

[Step 2] Select "Pay Balance" & "Add Money"

Tap "Wallet" on the far left of the menu bar at the bottom of the screen. Select "Pay Balance" and tap "Add Money."

(Navigating to the wallet menu, "pay" and selecting "Add Money" to recharge the NAMANE Card pay balance.)

[Step 3] Select Payment Method

Choose "CU CVS Cash."

• Recharging is only possible with Korean Won (KRW) cash.

(Selecting "CU CVS Cash" in the NAMANE Card app to recharge your balance at a CU convenience store.)

[Step 4] Select Recharge Amount

Choose the amount you want to recharge and tap "Next."

• Recharges can be made in increments of 1,000 KRW.
• The maximum recharge amount per transaction is 200,000 KRW.

(Entering the specific amount you wish to recharge via CU convenience store cash payment.)

[Step 5] Confirm Input Amount

Check if your desired amount has been entered correctly and tap "Next."

(Verifying the entered recharge amount on the NAMANE Card app before clicking "Next" to continue.)

[Step 6] Agree to Terms

Check the box to agree to the terms and tap "Yes, add money please!"

(Agreeing to the terms and clicking "Yes, add money please" to finalize the NAMANE Card recharge.)

[Step 7] Enter Password

Enter the password you have previously set.

(Entering your secure 6-digit passcode to proceed with the CU convenience store recharge process.)

[Step 8] Present Cash and Barcode

Prepare the exact amount of cash you entered and show the barcode to the CU staff.

• Convenience store recharges are only possible while the barcode is valid; if the validity period (2 minutes) expires, you must re-authenticate to issue a new barcode.

(Presenting the generated barcode and guide to the CU clerk within the 2-minute time limit.)

[Step 9] Proceed with Recharge

The convenience store staff will process the recharge. Once finished, tap "Confirm" at the bottom.

(Completing the CU cash recharge process by clicking "Confirm" after the transaction at the store.)

4. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q. Can I recharge both Pay Balance and Transit Balance at CU?

A. No, you cannot directly top up the Transit Balance with cash at CU. However, you can recharge the Pay Balance with cash first and then transfer that amount to your Transit Balance using the NAMANE app.

Q. Is there a limit on the cash recharge amount at CU?

A. Yes, recharges can be made in increments of 1,000 KRW, with a maximum limit of 200,000 KRW per transaction.

Q. What should I do if the store clerk doesn't know how to process it?

A. The NAMANE app includes a 'Staff Guide' button. You can show this to the clerk; it provides clear instructions in Korean for their POS system.

---

If you are curious about the next steps, you can check the information in the following posts:

• [NAMANE Card #7: How to Use the NAMANE Card / Converting Pay Balance to Transit Balance]
• [NAMANE Card #8: How to Refund and Withdraw Your NAMANE Card Balance]

---

Image Source: NAMANE Official Website, waytoseoul team