[Seoul 101] Korea App Guide: How to order food, shop & skip lines without a Local Number 0️⃣1️⃣0️⃣

Did you check out the previous “Must-Have Apps for Traveling in Korea” post? If not, go check it out first! → [Must-Have Apps for Traveling in Korea]

1. 🍕 Korea App Guide: Getting Food Delivered to Your House/Hotel

In Korea, you can get delivery anywhere—your house, hotel, or even Han River Park. Here is a comparison of the top 3 delivery apps that are great for foreigners.

💳 2 Payment Methods Foreigners Must Know for Delivery Apps

Foreign cards often get declined because online payment (PG) security rules are super strict. There are two main ways to fix this:

In-App Foreign Card / Easy Pay (Online Foreign Card / Apple Pay):
- Using the ‘Foreign Card’ payment option supported in the app.
Pay on Delivery (Meet & Pay / Pay on Delivery):
- Selecting ‘Meet the rider and pay’ at the payment stage.
- When the delivery driver (rider) arrives, you hand them your physical foreign card (Visa/Mastercard) directly to pay, which completely bypasses online ID checks.

📱 Choosing the Best Korea Food Delivery App for Foreigners

1. Coupang Eats — Best English Support, Most Convenient Interface

Features: The entire app supports clean English, making it the easiest to order without knowing Korean.
Sign-up: SMS verification works pretty well with foreign phone numbers.
Payment Method:
- Sometimes in-app foreign card registration fails depending on the system.
- Fix: If in-app payment fails, pick ‘Meet & Pay’ in the payment options to pay the rider directly with your overseas credit card.

2. Baemin (Baedal Minjok) — Most Restaurants & Apple Pay/WeChat Pay Available

Features: The #1 app in Korea with the largest number of registered restaurants. (App interface is mostly Korean)
Sign-up: Non-member ordering is available, or you can sign up with a foreign number.
Payment Method ( 👯‍♀️ Foreigner-friendly):
- Overseas Cards (Visa / Mastercard): Direct in-app payment works well through the ‘Non-member/Foreign Card’ option in payment methods.
- Apple Pay: Officially supports Apple Pay with registered foreign cards.
- Chinese Mobile Pay: Equipped with WeChat Pay and Alipay+ payment options, which is super convenient for Chinese and Asian tourists.

3. Yogiyo — Can Use Web Browser Translation

Features: A major delivery platform just like Baemin. The app interface is basically in Korean.
Sign-up: Email sign-up is available, but some service uses may require local Korean phone ID verification (ARC number needed).
Payment Method:
- If app payment gets blocked, accessing the Yogiyo website on mobile and turning on Google Translate to order is super useful.
- Selecting ‘Pay on Delivery (Credit Card)’ at the payment step to pay the rider with a physical foreign card online upon receiving food is the safest way.

💡 Food Delivery Tips Summary for Foreign Friends

Want an English app? 👉 Coupang Eats
Using Apple Pay, WeChat Pay, or Alipay? 👉 Baemin
Foreign card keeps throwing errors? 👉 Whatever app it is, select ‘Meet & Pay’ and hand the driver your physical card!

2. 💄 Olive Young Tips ‘Today’s Drive’ (오늘드림): Getting K-Beauty Delivered Same-Day

When you urgently need skincare or daily essentials, here’s how to get it delivered to your stay in just a few hours without going to the store.

App Download: Olive Young
- Note: You must download the domestic Korean Olive Young app, not ‘Olive Young Global’, to use the same-day delivery service.
Sign-up Tip Without a Korean Number:
- Domestic app sign-up strictly requires Korean phone ID verification.
- If you don’t have a Korean number, use ‘Guest Checkout’! You can buy right away using your address and a foreign card without signing up.
How to Use Today’s Drive & Pay:
1. Check if there is a ‘오늘드림’ (Today’s Drive) badge on your wanted product page and add it to your cart.
2. Pick a delivery option (Fast delivery: arrives within 3 hours / Midnight delivery: arrives between 10 PM – 12 AM, etc.).
3. Enter your address and pay as a guest using an overseas credit card (Visa/Mastercard) and you’re done!

👉 Check these out too:

3. 🍽️ Catchtable Remote Waitlist: Skip Lines at Famous Spot without Korean Phone Number

Don’t stand in front of trendy restaurants or cafes waiting for an hour. You can line up in advance using the app.

App Download: Catchtable Global
- Reason: Standard Tabling or Korean waitlist apps require a Korean phone number, but Catchtable Global fully supports features meant for foreigners.
Sign-up: You can sign up in 3 seconds by linking your Google or Apple account! Zero Korean number required.
Remote Waitlist Method:
1. Open the ‘Catchtable Global’ app and search for the restaurant.
2. Tap the ‘Join Remote Waitlist’ button.
3. Select the number of people and finish registering! (Joining the waitlist is basically free.)
📌 Most Important Tip (Confirm Number):
- When your turn gets close, you MUST enter the ‘Confirm Number’ from the board/kiosk at the store entrance into your app or scan the QR code to lock in your spot! Make sure to arrive near the store before your turn comes up.

3.5. 📸 Want Aesthetic Travel Vlogs Without the Effort? Try Setlog (셋로그)

Eating and shopping are top-tier, but memories hit different when they’re on video. If editing long travel vlogs sounds exhausting, this app is currently blowing up with Korean Gen Z. 👉 Setlog

What is it?: Every hour, the app pings you to record a quick 2-to-4-second clip. At the end of the day, it automatically mashes them together into a seamless mini vlog of your entire day.
Why it’s a game changer for travel: Zero video editing skills needed! It cuts and stitches everything for you automatically.
Best feature (Friends Mode): Create a “Set” room with your travel buddies. Your clips get combined into a side-by-side split screen so you can see everyone’s perspective of the day.
How to use it: Capture tiny moments like grabbing boba, walking Seongsu streets, or unboxing your Olive Young haul. By bedtime, you’ve got a high-vibe travel recap ready to share! 🎬

💡 4. How to Solve Korea Payments & Transit Card in One Go: WOWPASS

The parts where foreigners panic the most are “app payment errors” and “transit cards.” If you’re super worried about these two, I recommend getting a ‘WOWPASS’ card!

What is WOWPASS? It’s a prepaid card exclusively for foreigners where you put in foreign currency and it auto-converts to Korean Won. (T-money transit card feature built-in by default)
How to Use on App Payments: When online payment gets blocked on delivery apps, select ‘Meet & Pay’ as the payment method and hand the rider your physical WOWPASS card for 100% successful payment!
👉 If you’re curious about WOWPASS, check out the previous post [Korea Travel card Guide]!

💡 Final Summary for Foreign Friends

No Korean number: Use Coupang Eats for delivery (foreign number sign-up works), Olive Young ‘Guest Checkout’, and Catchtable Global for restaurant lines!
Foreign card online error: Select ‘Meet & Pay’ on delivery apps and pay the rider with a physical card!

I think the true magic of food delivery isn’t just ordering at home—it’s eating spicy Yeopdduk (spicy rice cakes) and fried chicken at Han River Park. So I put together my Han River picnic tips in this guide 👉 [Tips for Han River Food Delivery!] As soon as the heat cools down, I’m grabbing a picnic mat and heading straight to the river. Honestly, that’s easily one of the best ways to experience Seoul~

If anything’s confusing, drop a comment! let’s go on a delicious food tour and Catch you in the Seoulbits!🍟🏍️