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 further stimulating the desire of fans to collect them.

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 the process of "recharging your card using the dedicated app" so you can actually start using it. I will provide a simple yet detailed guide to make it easy for everyone.

(Topping up your NAMANE Card balance through the official app using a credit card for instant use.)

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Table of Contents

1. The Concept of Recharging: Pay vs. Transit Balance
2. How to Recharge "Pay Balance" via the App
3. How to Recharge "Transit Balance" via the App
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]

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1. The Concept of Recharging: Pay vs. Transit Balance

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 the "Transit Balance" for transportation functions. If you have registered your NAMANE card on the dedicated app, you can easily top up using a credit card or other methods within the app.

2. How to Recharge "Pay Balance" via the App

[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 the "Wallet" icon on the far left of the bottom menu bar. 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 your preferred payment method.

• Note: A 6% service fee applies when recharging with a card.

(Choosing from three different options to add money to your NAMANE Card via the mobile app.)

[Step 4] Select Recharge Amount

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

• The minimum recharge amount is 10,000 KRW, and you can enter amounts in increments of 1,000 KRW.
• Maximum limits: 2,000,000 KRW per day / 5,000,000 KRW per month.

(Entering the desired recharge amount and reviewing the important notifications on the NAMANE Card app.)

[Step 5] Confirm Transaction

Review the details, agree to the terms of use, and tap "Top-up."

(Confirming the transaction details and agreeing to the terms before finalizing the NAMANE Card recharge.)

[Step 6] Enter Card Information

Select your card issuer and enter the card number, expiration date, etc. Follow the specific instructions provided by your card issuer.

(Inputting credit card information into the NAMANE Card app for a secure recharge payment.)

[Step 7] Recharge Complete

Check the message confirming that the recharge is complete and that you need to verify your balance, then tap 'Confirm' at the bottom.

(Successful completion of the pay balance recharge, with a prompt to click "Confirm" to finish.)

3. How to Recharge "Transit Balance" via the App

[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 "Transit Balance" & "Add Money"

Tap the "Wallet" icon on the far left of the bottom menu bar. Select "Transit Balance" and tap "Add Money."

(Starting the transit balance recharge by selecting the wallet, "transit" and "Add Money" in the NAMANE Card app.)

[Step 3] Select Payment Method

Choose your preferred payment method.

• Note: A 6% service fee applies when recharging with a card.

(Choosing from three different options to add money to your NAMANE Card via the mobile app.)

[Step 4] Scan Physical Card

Turn on NFC and place your physical card against the top-back of your phone. Wait until the screen advances.

(Tagging the NAMANE Card to the phone via NFC to verify the card for transit balance recharge.)

[Step 5] Select Recharge Amount

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

• The minimum recharge amount is 10,000 KRW, with increments of 1,000 KRW.
• Maximum limits: 2,000,000 KRW per day / 5,000,000 KRW per month.

(Entering the amount for transit balance recharge and proceeding by clicking the "Next" button.)

[Step 6] Confirm Transaction

Review the details, agree to the terms, and tap "Top-up."

(Confirming the transaction details and agreeing to the terms before finalizing the NAMANE Card recharge.)

[Step 7] Enter Card Information

Enter your card issuer, card number, and expiration date. Follow the specific prompts from your card issuer.

(Inputting credit card information into the NAMANE Card app for a secure recharge payment.)

[Step 8] Scan Physical Card

Once again, place the physical card against the top-back of your phone and tap "Next."

(Following the guide to place the NAMANE Card on the back of the phone for NFC recharging.)

[Step 9] Wait

Keep the card in place and wait until the screen advances.

(Waiting briefly for the NFC connection to finish updating the NAMANE Card transit balance.)

[Step 10] Recharge Complete

Check the message confirming that the recharge is complete and that you need to verify your balance, then tap 'Confirm' at the bottom.

(Successful completion of the transit balance recharge, with a prompt to click "Confirm" to finish.)

4. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q. Can I recharge the NAMANE card with a foreign credit card in the app?

A. Yes, the NAMANE app supports international credit cards such as Visa and Mastercard. Please note that a 6% service fee is applied to recharges made with a card.

Q. Why do I need to scan my physical card for Transit Balance recharges?

A. While the Pay Balance is managed on the server, the Transit Balance is stored directly on the card's NFC chip. Therefore, you must tag the physical card to your phone to update the balance information.

Q. Is there a maximum limit for recharging through the app?

A. Yes, the maximum recharge limit is 2,000,000 KRW per day and 5,000,000 KRW per month, allowing for flexible management of your travel funds.

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

• [NAMANE Card #6: How to Recharge Your NAMANE Card at CU Convenience Stores]
• [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]

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Image Source: NAMANE Official Website, waytoseoul team