You don’t need to frequently fly to Korea to find value in the Korean Air SKYPASS program. Easily earn miles on flights with partner carriers or with a co-branded credit card. Then use those miles to book flights all over the world with Korean Air or one of its many airline partners.
See our best credit card bonuses here.
Keep reading to learn everything you need to know about Korean Air’s frequent flyer program, often regarded as one of the world’s best frequent flyer programs for earning & redeeming points/miles.
| Airline Alliance | SkyTeam |
| Hubs | Seoul-Incheon (South Korea) |
| U.S. Destinations | Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Honolulu, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York City, San Francisco, Seattle, Washington D.C. |
| Credit Cards | SKYPASS Select Visa Signature Card SKYPASS Visa Signature Card SKYPASS Visa Business Card |
| Redemption Options | Award flights, upgrades, lounge passes, excess baggage, luxury bus transportation, airport coat check, hotel stays, rental cars, Korean Air merchandise, Jeju activities |
| Average Mile Value | $0.017 |
SKYPASS Elite Status
As with any other frequent flyer program, you’ll want to move up elite status tiers. With each tier, you’ll unlock benefits designed to make your travel easier and more comfortable. SKYPASS has three status tiers: Morning Calm Club, Morning Calm Premium Club and Million Miler Club.
To earn SKYPASS status, you must meet the following requirements:
| TIER | REQUIREMENTS |
| Morning Calm Club | 50,000 Korean Air miles, 40 qualifying flights, or 50,000 Korean Air & SKYPASS partner miles* |
| Morning Calm Premium Club | 500,000 Korean Air & SkyTeam partner miles |
| Million Miler Club | 1,000,000 Korean Air & SkyTeam partner miles |
* At least 30,000 of those miles on Korean Air.
To maintain your Morning Calm Club membership for an additional two years, you must fulfill one of the following during your membership period:
- Accumulate at least 30,000 flown miles on Korean Air
- Fly 20 or more qualifying segments on Korean Air
- Accumulate at least 30,000 combined flown miles with Korean Air and partner airlines (at least 20,000 miles or 15 qualifying flight segments on Korean Air)
Once you achieve Morning Calm Premium Club and Million Miler Club, you’ll keep that status for life!
Source: For updated information, see Korean Airlines Elite Member Status at a Glance.
Unlock VIP perks as you move up in SKYPASS elite status. Notable benefits include:
Morning Calm Club
- Special check-in counter
- Additional baggage allowance
- Priority baggage
- Priority waitlist
- SkyTeam Elite membership
- Lounge access
Morning Calm Premium Club
- Morning Calm Club benefits
- Exclusive check-in counter
- Unrestricted lounge access
- Off-peak redemption mileage during peak times
- Reissue fee waived on bonus tickets
Million Miler Club
- Morning Calm Premium Club benefits
- Exclusive hotline in Korea
- Waived award ticket change fees
- Special gifts
Source: For updated information, click here.
Earning SKYPASS Miles
Earn SKYPASS miles when you fly on Korean Air. The amount depends on route and booking class. Keep in mind, you won’t earn miles on award tickets, baby tickets and some discount tickets.
You can also earn SKYPASS miles on flights with partner carriers, including:
- Aeroflot
- Aerolineas Argentinas
- AeroMexico
- Air Europa
- Air France
- Alitalia
- China Airlines
- China Eastern
- Czech Airlines
- Delta
- Garuda Indonesia
- Kenya Airways
- KLM Royal Dutch Airlines
- Korean Air
- MEA (Middle East Airlines)
- Saudia
- Tarom
- Vietnam Airlines
- Xiamen Air
*Visit skyteam.com for the current list of members
Make sure to book with your SKYPASS number and present your SKYPASS card when you check-in at the airport. Hold onto your ticket and boarding pass until the miles post to your SKYPASS account (up to 14 days after travel).
Source: For updated information on partner airlines, click here.
U.S. Bank issues four co-branded credit cards that earn SKYPASS miles. Check them out below.
SKYPASS Select Visa Signature Card ($450 annual fee). Earn 30,000 bonus miles ($510 value) when you spend $3,000 within your first 90 days. You’ll also receive 10,000 bonus miles at renewal if you spend at least $35,000 annually. Get 2x miles on Korean Air ticket purchases, 2x miles on airline tickets, car rentals and hotel stays, and 1x miles for all other purchases. Extras include an annual $200 travel credit, TSA Precheck/Global Entry credit, an annual $100 Korean Air ticket coupon, two annual Korean Air in-flight duty free $25 coupons and two annual KAL Lounge coupons.
SKYPASS Visa Signature Card ($95 annual fee). Earn 30,000 bonus miles ($510 value) when you spend $3,000 within your first 90 days. You’ll also receive 2,000 bonus miles every year at renewal. Get 2x miles on Korean Air ticket purchases, 2x miles at gas stations and hotels, and 1x miles for all other purchases. Extras include an annual Korean Air ticket $50 coupon and two annual KAL Lounge coupons.
SKYPASS Visa Business Card ($95 annual fee). Earn 30,000 bonus miles ($510 value) when you spend $3,000 within your first 90 days. You’ll also receive 2,000 bonus miles every year at renewal. Get 2x miles on Korean Air ticket purchases, 2x miles at gas stations and hotels, and 1x miles for all other purchases. Extras include an annual Korean Air ticket $50 coupon and two annual KAL Lounge coupons.
Unfortunately, Korean Air has ended its partnership with Chase Ultimate Rewards®. SKYPASS is now down to one flexible point program partner: Marriott Bonvoy. Utilize this partnership by earning points on Marriott Bonvoy credit cards, then transferring them to your SKYPASS account when you’re ready to redeem. See below for more information on Marriott Bonvoy credit cards.
Marriott transfers to SKYPASS at a 3:1 ratio. And for every 60,000 Marriott points you transfer directly to your SKYPASS account, you’ll get a 5,000-point bonus. So instead of 20,000 SKYPASS miles for 60,000 Marriott points, you’ll receive a total of 25,000 miles.
Earn SKYPASS miles by traveling with the following hotel partners:
- ALL
- KAL Hotel
- Hotels.com
- Hotel Nikko & JAL City
- Hyatt Hotels & Resorts
- IHG
- Lotte Hotel
- Marriott
- Okura Hotels & Resorts
- Seoul Shilla Hotel
- Shangri-La Hotels
- Waikiki Resort Hotel
And the following car rental partners:
- AJ (Korea)
- Alamo
- AVIS
- Han Jin (Korea)
- Hertz
- Lotte (Korea)
- National
- Rentalcars.com
Source: For updated information on all SKYPASS partners, click here.
Earn SKYPASS miles when you:
- Shop on Korean Air SkyShop (earn SkyPoints which you can then convert to SKYPASS miles)
- Follow the Korean Air Facebook and Twitter accounts
- Hosting an event at Marriott
- Participate in a Korean Air limited-time promotion
For all the ways you can earn SKYPASS miles, click here.
Earning SKYPASS Miles With Marriott Bonvoy Points
Marriott transfers to SKYPASS at a 3:1 ratio. And for every 60,000 Marriott points you transfer directly to your SKYPASS account, you’ll get a 5,000-point bonus. So instead of 20,000 SKYPASS miles for 60,000 Marriott points, you’ll receive a total of 25,000 miles.
Chase offers two personal credit cards that earn Marriott points, while American Express (Amex) offers one personal and one business card. If you’re looking to apply for a Marriott credit card, keep in mind:
- The Chase 5/24 rule. If you opened five or more new credit cards in the past 24 months (from any bank), you won’t be approved for a new credit card from Chase.
- The Amex once-in-a-lifetime welcome bonus rule. You can only qualify for the introductory offer on each Amex personal and business card once in your lifetime.
MARRIOTT BONVOY BRILLIANT™ AMERICAN EXPRESS® CARD
Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.
The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant™ American Express® Card has an offer for 75,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 in the first 3 months. We value these 75k points at around $675.
This card earns 6 points per $1 at hotels participating in the Marriott BonvoyTM program and 3 points at U.S. restaurants and on flights booked directly with airlines. You’ll receive 2 points per $1 spent on all other purchases.
You’ll get a Free Night Award (redemption level up to 50,000 points) every account anniversary year, and up to $300 in statement credits each year for eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott BonvoyTM program. Resort fees may apply. Other benefits include unlimited airport lounge visits with the Priority Pass Select membership and no foreign transaction fees.
This premium card comes with an Annual Fee of $450. See Rates & Fees, Terms Apply.
MARRIOTT BONVOY BOUNDLESS® CREDIT CARD
The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card from Chase has an offer for 3 Free Nights after spending $3,000 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening.
New to the card, you will earn 3x Bonvoy points on the first $6,000 spent in combined purchases each year on grocery stores, gas stations, and dining. The card is also offering an Elite Night Credit towards Elite Status for every $5,000 spent.
The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card earns 17 points for every $1 spent at over 7,000+ participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels. You’ll receive 2 points per $1 spent on all other purchases.
You’ll get a Free Night Award (valued up to 35,000 points) every account anniversary year and automatic Silver Elite Status. Additionally, you’ll receive 15 Elite Night Credits each calendar year.
This card has no foreign transaction fees and the annual fee is $95.
MARRIOTT BONVOY BOLD® CREDIT CARD
The Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card has an offer for 30,000 bonus points when you spend $1,000 within the first 3 months. We value these 30k points at around $270.
This card earns 14 points per $1 at participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels. Other travel purchases (from airfare to taxis and trains) will earn 2 points per $1. All other purchases will earn 1 point per $1.
You’ll receive 15 Elite Night Credits each calendar year, qualifying you for Silver Elite status.
There are no foreign transaction fees and no annual fee.
MARRIOTT BONVOY BUSINESS™ AMERICAN EXPRESS® CARD
Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.
The Marriott Bonvoy Business™ American Express® Card has a limited time offer for 75,000 bonus points when you spend $3,000 on purchases within the first 3 months of Card Membership. We value these 75k points to be worth around $675.
This card earns 6 points per $1 at participating hotels in the Marriott BonvoyTM program. It’s 4 points per $1 at U.S. restaurants and U.S. gas stations, on wireless telephone services purchased directly from U.S. service providers, and on U.S. purchases for shipping. And 2 points per $1 on all other purchases.
Every year after your account anniversary you’ll get 1 free night award. You can earn an additional free night award after spending $60,000 in purchases in 1 calendar year.
There are no foreign transaction fees and the annual fee is $125. See Rates & Fees, Terms Apply.
Redeeming SKYPASS Miles
The best way to redeem your SKYPASS miles is to fly with Korean Air or one of its many partners. When pricing out an award flight, keep in mind:
- On-peak and off-peak travel dates
- Award charts show roundtrip pricing
- Korean Air flights can be booked one way
- Partner flights are always charged roundtrip pricing
You’ll want to utilize the Korean Air award chart, the SkyTeam award chart, and the non-alliance award chart.
Use your SKYPASS miles to make your travel more enjoyable, including:
- Korean Air upgrade awards
- SkyTeam member airline upgrade awards
- Korean Air Lounge passes
- Excess baggage rewards
- KAL luxury bus awards
- Coat check awards
Source: For more details, click here.
Besides Korean Air and SkyTeam partner awards, trade in your SKYPASS miles for:
- Hotel stays
- Rental cars
- Korean Air merchandise
- Hanwha Aqua Planet Jeju passes
- Jeju Island Folk Village Museum passes
Source: For more information, click here.
SKYPASS miles are valid for 10 years.
SKYPASS Tips & Tricks
SKYPASS has three different award charts that can be migraine-inducing when you’re trying to price out awards. Fret not, we’ve done the research for you. Below are our favorite SKYPASS sweet spots:
| FLIGHT DETAILS | MILES |
| North America – Europe | Roundtrip | SkyTeam | Business | 80,000 |
| North America – Africa | Roundtrip | SkyTeam | Business | 120,000 |
| North America – Hawaii | Roundtrip | Delta | Economy | 25,000 |
| North America – Hawaii/Mexico/Puerto Rico | Roundtrip | Delta | Business | 45,000 |
| North America – Northeast Asia | One Way | Korean Air | First | 80,000 |
| North America – Australia | One Way | Korean Air | Business | 97,500 |
| North America – Australia | One Way | Korean Air | First | 120,000 |
Keep in mind, Korean Air allows one complimentary stopover on one-way awards, so you get two complimentary stopovers on roundtrip awards. That’s both generous and rare in the frequent flyer world.
Book a Round The World award for just 140,000 miles in economy or 220,000 miles in business. Your itinerary must:
- Pass through the Pacific and the Atlantic
- Must be a continuous route, either East or West
SKYPASS members can transfer their miles to registered family members to redeem for awards. Below are some notable Family Plan rules:
- Up to 5 family members are allowed to redeem rewards through the Family Plan at a time
- Authorization from family members is required
- Family members are defined as spouses, children, parents, siblings, parents-in-law, sons-in-law, daughters-in-law, grandparents and grandchildren
To apply for a Family Plan, click here.
Bottom Line
Although you can no longer earn SKYPASS miles via Chase Ultimate Rewards®, the Korean Air loyalty program still offers plenty of earning potential. In fact, SKYPASS ticks all our boxes: easy to earn, easy to burn and great value.
READ MORE: SEE THE BEST BANK BONUSES HERE AND THE BEST INVESTING BONUSES HERE.
Discover more from MoneysMyLife
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
