Main Frequent Flyers Programs Korean Air SkyPass

Korean Air SkyPass

Program overview 

SkyPass is the loyalty program of Korean Air, a member of SkyTeam and Korea's largest airlines. This program allows you to earn and redeem miles for flights on Korean Air, SkyTeam partners and 8 non-SkyTeam partners (including American Airlines and Alaska Airlines). 

Alliance

SkyTeam

Program website 

https://www.koreanair.com/ 

Approximate miles value 

1.5 cents per mile 

Miles validity 

10 years 

Program accrual

Based on distance flown plus bonuses

Limit on amount of miles you can purchase 

No option to purchase miles 

Waitlist option

No

Courtesy Hold for award reservation

Not allowed 

Do you need to open an account to check availability?

Yes 

Stopover option 

Not permitted on Korean Air. 1 stopover for roundtrip on SkyTeam 

Family account

Yes 

Upgrade option

Yes 

Online booking 

Yes 

Airline partners 

Aeromexico, Delta, Air France, KLM, Aeroflot, Aerolineas Argentinas, Air Europa, Alitalia, China Airlines, China Eastern, Czech Airlines, Garuda Indonesia, Kenya Airways, MEA, Saudia, Tarom, Vietnam Airlines, Xiamen Air, Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, China Southern Airlines, Emirates, Etihad Airways, GOL, Hawaiian Airlines, Japan Airlines

Credit card partners

No transfer partners

Hotel partners 

Marriott Bonvoy (3:1, 2 days transfer), World of Hyatt (2.5:1, 6-8 weeks transfer), Accor Live Limitless (2:1, 4-6 weeks transfer)

Co-branded credit cards 

SkyBlue SKYPASS Visa Card, SKYPASS Visa Business Card, SKYPASS Visa Classic Card, SKYPASS Visa Secured Card, SKYPASS Visa Signature Card

Point/Miles Conversion Chart

Pros 

  • Miles pooling 
  • Low change fee (USD $30) and redeposit fee (3,000 miles) 
  • Great availability for Korean Air flights, better than any other program

Cons 

  • One ways are not allowed on partner flights 
  • Award tickets can only be booked for yourself or family members only
  • No credit card transfer partners (Chase Ultimate Rewards partnership was discontinued)
  • Outdated website and interface for award bookings and account servicing
  • Poorer than average availability for partner airlines

Excellent for

  • Korean Air one way flights from the US to Seoul start from 80,000 miles in First Class. 
  • Hawaiian Airlines round trip from the US to Honolulu for 30,000 miles in Economy or 60,000 miles in Business Class. 
  • Etihad round trip from the US to Abu Dhabi for 140,000 miles in Business Class and no fuel surcharges. 

Insider Tip 

  • Although officially holding an award reservation is not allowed, Korean Air call center agents have the discretion to put your award reservation on courtesy hold in some circumstances.
  • One way trips are allowed on Korean Air flights only, partner flights require round trips. 
  • This program is only worthwhile for Korean Air redemptions.
  • The Homebase Stopover Strategy works fairly well for Seoul based travelers.

Do you use this program? Share your experience and tips in the comments below. Your thoughts would be very valuable to us!

 

 

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