Ahead of World Environment Day on Thursday, Seoul will begin offering a discount of 300 won ($0.22) for customers purchasing beverages with personal cups at coffee shops from Wednesday, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Government.
The new discount system announced Monday is in line with the pilot program the city government initiated for four months in September 2023, where Seoul offered a 300 won discount on drinks ordered with personal cups at coffee shops.
The discount provided by Seoul at the time was on top of the discount coffee shops provided for customers using their own cups. It was piloted in 100 coffee shops across the city.
Similar to the pilot program initiated two years ago, the city government will subsidize a discount of 300 won to customers purchasing their drinks with personal cups, in addition to the discounts already provided by coffee shops of 100 won or more.
The 300 won will primarily be given as points through the Seoul Pay application — a mobile payment system introduced by the Seoul Metropolitan Government that allows the points to be used like actual money.
Since 2024, the city government has operated a “Personal Cup Point System” in conjunction with Seoul Pay, where points are given to customers at coffee shops who order their drinks with their own cups. According to the city government, this has resulted in the use of approximately 120,000 personal cups and contributed to the reduction in single-use cups in the city.
The coffee shops participating in this city-funded discount program must also be registered on Seoul Pay. These shops typically display a Seoul Pay sticker in a visible spot for easy recognition by customers.
Even those unable to use Seoul Pay can receive the 300-won discount provided by the city government in addition to the coffee shop’s discount. The city government will reimburse the store for the discount.
To encourage further participation from customers and coffee shops, Seoul will also sponsor participating coffee shops to run a “Tumbler Day” event once a month, where customers can receive a 2,500 won discount per drink when purchasing drinks with their personal cups.
lee.jungjoo@heraldcorp.com
