What is Korean Air SKYPASS?

SKYPASS is the frequent flyer loyalty program of Korean Air. Members earn SKYPASS miles to redeem for travel rewards.

How do you earn Korean Air SKYPASS miles?

Earn Korean Air SKYPASS miles by booking flights on Korean Air and its partner carriers, including SkyTeam members. Other ways to earn miles include booking with travel partners (hotel, car rental, etc.) and shopping at the e-SKYSHOP.

How do you sign up for Korean Air SKYPASS?

Register for Korean Air SKYPASS on its website.

What is the Korean Air SKYPASS Family Plan?

The Korean Air SKYPASS Family Plan is a program that allows up to 5 immediate family members to pool their miles. Members can also endorse awards to family members.

Does Korean Air SKYPASS offer a sign-up bonus?

There is no sign-up bonus for joining Korean Air SKYPASS.

How can I contact Korean Air SKYPASS?

Contact Korean Air SKYPASS customer service from the U.S. and Canada by calling 800-438-5000. Customer service is available in English, Korean, Japanese, and Chinese.

What are the Korean Air SKYPASS partner airlines?

The SkyTeam partner airlines can be found in our dedicated article on the alliance. Other affiliated airlines include Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, China Southern, Emirates, Etihad Airways, GOL Linhas Aereas Inteligentes, Hawaiian Airlines, and Japan Airlines.

Does Korean Air SKYPASS have transfer partners?

Marriott Bonvoy points can be transferred to SKYPASS miles.

15 Best Ways To Earn Lots of Korean Air SKYPASS Miles [2023]

Korean Air is a founding member of the SkyTeam Alliance which includes Delta Air Lines, KLM, Air France, and other well-known airlines. It serves ~50 countries with its fleet of 160+ aircraft and has a hub at Incheon International Airport (ICN).

SKYPASS, Korean Air’s frequent flyer loyalty program, provides members with many opportunities to earn SKYPASS miles, other benefits, and discounts.

This guide will detail the many ways to earn SKYPASS miles. When you finish reading, you’ll be prepared to accrue SKYPASS miles as quickly as possible. Then it’s simply a matter of redeeming them for award travel!

Table of contents

Korean Air SKYPASS Loyalty Program

1. Join Korean Air SKYPASS

Sign up for Korean Air SKYPASS to begin earning miles based on the following factors: route flown, booking class, and cabin. It’s important that the name you use for your account matches the name on your passport.

Unlike some airline loyalty programs, you can’t claim miles for flights you took before enrolling in SKYPASS. In addition, miles aren’t earned for award flights, discounted flights, and infant tickets.

Korean Air SKYPASS has elite membership tiers, but they don’t earn bonus miles. However, if you think you’d enjoy perks like lounge access, priority boarding, and priority baggage handling, you’ll want to qualify.

Plus, members who have elite status with any SkyTeam carrier (including Korean Air) are eligible for a SkyTeam elite membership without meeting any other requirements.

2. Book a Korean Air Flight

A great reason to fly Korean Air is its first class award availability. However, with cash tickets, you can still earn points for travel on Korean Air and its partner airlines.

Miles earned are determined by the route and booking class of each ticket. Here is the mileage accrual chart for North America to give you an idea of the mileage earned by route (based on one-way economy class):

Route	Mileage	Route	Mileage
Incheon – Atlanta	7,132	Incheon – New York	6,879
Incheon – Boston	7,047	Incheon – San Francisco	5,636
Incheon – Chicago	6,538	Incheon – Seattle	5,196
Incheon – Dallas	6,824	Incheon – Toronto	6,602
Incheon – Honolulu	4,560	Incheon – Vancouver	5,088
Incheon – Las Vegas	6,009	Incheon – Washington, D.C.	6,944
Incheon – Los Angeles	5,973	Tokyo – Honolulu	3,831

The table below shows the accrual rates for each fare class from January 1 to March 31, 2023:

	Domestic Within Korea	International	Accrual Rates
First Class	–	F	200%
First Class	–	A	No accrual¹
Prestige Class	–	J	135%
	C, D	C, D, I, R	125%
	Z	Z	100%
	O	O	No accrual
Economy Class	Y, B, M, S, H, E	W, Y, B, M, S, H, E, K, L, U	100%
	G	G	80%
	Q, T²	Q, T	70%
	K, L, W U, X, V	X, V	No accrual

The table below shows the accrual rates for each fare class as of April 1, 2023:

	Domestic Within Korea	International	Accrual Rates
First Class	–	F	300%
First Class	–	A	No accrual¹
Prestige Class	–	J	200%
	C	C	175%
	D	D	150%
	–	I, R	125%
	Z	Z	100%
	O	O	No accrual
Economy Class	Y, B, M, S, H, E	W, Y, B, M, S, H, E	100%
	K, L, U	K, L, U	75%
	G	G	50%
	Q, W, T, V	Q, T	25%
	X	V, X	No accrual

Earn SKYPASS Miles With Credit Cards

3. Korean Air Credit Cards

While there is no shortage of Korean Air co-branded credit cards, most of them are from Korean and Japanese banks, so they aren’t available in the U.S.

Luckily, there are several credit cards to choose from in the U.S., shown in the table below:

Korean Air U.S. Credit Card	Earned Miles
SKYPASS Visa® Business Card	1 mile for every eligible $1 spent
SKYPASS Select Visa Signature® Card	1 mile for every eligible $1 spent
SKYPASS Visa Signature® Card	1 mile for every eligible $1 spent

The U.S.-issued Korean Air credit cards are from U.S. Bank. For the vast majority of us, earning Korean Air SKYPASS miles via its transfer partner Marriott Bonvoy is much more viable.

Here are the co-branded Korean credit cards that can be used to earn Korean Air SKYPASS miles:

BC Card
Hyundai Card
Jeju Bank Card
KB Card
KEB
Hana Card
Korea Citibank Card
Lotte Card
NH Card
Samsung Card
Shinhan Card
Suhyup Bank Card

Here are the co-branded Japanese credit cards that can be used to earn Korean Air SKYPASS miles:

DC Card
Diners Club International
JCB Card
MUFG/AMEX Card

There is even a credit card option available in Vietnam with Shinhan Bank Vietnam.

4. Marriott Bonvoy Credit Cards

You can earn Marriott Bonvoy points and transfer those points to Korean Air at a transfer rate of 3:1. The time it takes to transfer Marriott Bonvoy points to Korean Air can vary wildly from 1 business day up to 3 weeks!

Recommended Marriott Bonvoy Cards

Korean Air SKYPASS Travel Partners

5. Fly SkyTeam Carriers

SkyTeam Airline Alliance — There are loads of SkyTeam partner airlines. Partners can be used to earn miles in other partners’ loyalty programs, or for award travel. Image Credit: SkyTeam

Fly with carriers in the SkyTeam alliance and earn up to 150% in mileage bonuses! Each airline has its own earnings rate.

You must include your SKYPASS number when booking to receive mileage bonuses and show your SKYPASS card to receive discounts from SKYPASS partners.

The Mileage Accrual Chart per Route displays all domestic and international routes.

It’s a good idea to keep your ticket receipt and boarding pass until the miles are applied (typically 3 to 14 days from the date of travel). SKYPASS and SkyTeam miles expire 10 years from accrual.

Code-share flights must be issued on a KA flight number to earn miles if serviced by a partner carrier. Also, you cannot transfer miles between carriers.

Hot Tip: Need help finding award space? Check out our guide to searching for SkyTeam award availability.

6. Fly Other Partner Airlines

Korean Air non-alliance partners. Image Credit: Korean Air

Other Korean Air-affiliated carriers also offer up to 150% in mileage bonuses:

Alaska Airlines
American Airlines
China Southern
Emirates
Etihad
GOL
Hawaiian Airlines
Japan Airlines

Mileage can only be credited to one frequent flyer program at a time. Miles are not earned on complimentary tickets, award tickets, any tickets discounted 50% or more, or other special discounts.

Marketing Airline	Operating Airline	Mileage Accrual
Alaska Airlines, China Southern Airlines, Emirates, Etihad Airways, GOL, Hawaiian Airlines, Japan Airlines	Korean Air	Eligible
	Non-Korean Air	Ineligible

Hot Tip: For more information, check out our in-depth guide to help you know where to credit your airline miles.

7. SKYPASS Car Rental Partners

Choose from a variety of rental car partners to earn additional SKYPASS miles, including Alamo, Avis, Hertz, National, and Rentalcars.com.

Here is the earning structure for all car rental partners with SKYPASS:

Car Rental Company	Earning Structure	Car Rental Company	Earning Structure
Alamo	500 miles per rental	National	500 miles per rental
Avis	500 miles per rental and 250 miles for commercial contract rates	Rentalcars.com	500 miles per rental
Hertz	500 miles per rental, 250 miles per rental in some Asian countries (Bangladesh, Brunei, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, and Thailand), and 250 miles for commercial contract rates	SK Rent-a-Car	100 miles per 24 hours with a maximum of 1,000 miles per rental
Lotte rent-a-car	100 miles per 24 hours with a maximum of 1,000 miles per rental

As always, provide your SKYPASS membership number when making reservations and show it at pickup. Miles are credited to the renter (driver) only 2 to 4 weeks from the date of service. Again, hang onto your receipt or voucher until the miles are credited to your SKYPASS account.

8. SKYPASS Tour Partners

SKYPASS members can earn miles with a variety of tour partners.

Tour Company	Earning Structure
JTB MyBus	1 mile per ¥100 spent
KLOOK	1 to 2 miles per $1 spent
Veltra	1 mile per ¥100 spent

9. SKYPASS Hotel Partners

Stay at SKYPASS partner hotels in the table below and receive miles! It takes 2 to 4 weeks for miles to be applied to your SKYPASS account.

Hotel	Offer	Hotel	Offer
Agoda	1 mile per $1	Okura Nikko Hotels	250 to 500 miles per stay
Booking.com	2 miles per $1	Paradise City	500 miles per stay
Dusit Hotels & Resorts	300 to 500 miles per stay	Seogwipo KAL Hotel	500 miles per stay
Grand Hyatt Incheon	500 miles per stay	Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts	500 miles per stay
Hotels.com	1 mile per $1	The Shilla Seoul	500 miles per stay
Hyundai Card PRIVIA Travel	100 to 300 miles per night	TOURVIS	100 to 300 miles per night
IHG Hotels & Resorts	1 to 2 miles per $1	Trip.com	3 miles per $1
InterContinental LADT	2 miles per $1	Waikiki Resort Hotel	500 miles per stay
Lotte Hotels & Resorts	500 miles per stay	World of Hyatt	500 miles per stay
Marriott Bonvoy	1 to 2 miles per $1

You can also transfer miles from ALL – Accor Live Limitless at a rate of 2,000 miles per 4,000 ALL points (once a day).

Special SKYPASS Programs

10. Pool Family Points

With the SKYPASS Family Plan, up to 5 members (including the SKYPASS member) can pool miles and redeem awards. You must register your family before endorsing an award to them or redeeming an award through the Family Plan.

Members must be immediate family, including spouse, children, parents, siblings, parents-in-law, children-in-law, grandparents, or grandchildren.

Applications with family proof documents can be submitted through the website, fax, or a local office. The U.S. and Canada fax number is 310-417-5696 for reference.

11. Book International Services

If you are in Korea, there are several opportunities to earn SKYPASS miles.

Specifically, if you exchange or transfer money from these partners, you can also earn Korean Air SKYPASS miles:

Money Exchange/Transfer Company	Offer	Money Exchange/Transfer Company	Offer
Citi Bank	Earn 1 mile for every $3 (cash) or $4 (traveler’s check) when buying U.S. dollars. Earn 1 mile for every $15 when the 3-month balance is over $1,000 for money transfers (limited to $75,000 per quarter).	NongHyup Bank	Earn 1 mile for every $5 when exchanging over $500 and 1 mile for every $20 when transferring over $1,000. Earn 1 mile per $10 through online money transfers or overseas automated transfers when transferring over $500. You are limited to 2,000 miles per transaction and 100,000 miles per year.
KB Kookmin Bank	Earn 1 to 3 miles for every $5 when exchanging over $500 and 1 to 3 miles for every $10 when transferring over $1,000 with a maximum of 30,000 miles per transaction	Shinhan Bank	Earn 1 mile for every $5 when exchanging over $500 and 1 mile for every $2 when exchanging over $300. Also, earn 1 mile for every $3 and 1 mile for every $10 when the complimentary exchange rate is applied for internet money transfers.

12. SKYPASS Insurance Partners

SKYPASS also has 2 insurance partners you can earn miles with.

Insurance Company	Offer
Assist Card	10 miles per ₩3,000 paid Miles earned once a day from the coverage start date, up to 500 miles
DB Insurance	Car Insurance: 1,000 miles when ₩300,000 or more is paid Applicable for new insurance purchases and first-year insurance renewals Overseas Traveler’s Insurance: 10 miles per ₩3,000 paid Miles earned once a day from the coverage start date, up to 500 miles Application must be submitted through the links provided

13. Miscellaneous SKYPASS Partners

The miscellaneous shopping and points partners you can earn SKYPASS miles with are:

Company	Earning Structure	Company	Earning Structure
BMW Korea	Transfer at a ratio of 1 mile:20 coins	Hyundai Department Store	1 mile per $5 paid when $100 or more is paid (per receipt) Applicable only to Republic of Korea passport holders Applicable Branches: Trade Center, Dongdaemun, Incheon Int’l Airport (Terminal 1), Internet Duty Free
eMart	1 mile per ₩3,000 paid when 70,000 or more is paid Up to 1,000 miles per calendar month	Lotte Members L.POINT	Transfer at a ratio of 220:10 with a limit of 150,000 miles per year and 1 transaction every 24 hours
eMart24	1 mile per ₩2,000 paid when ₩10,000 or more is paid Up to 1,000 miles per calendar month	Naver Pay	Transfer at a ratio of 220:10 with a limit of 15,000 miles per month
e-Xanadu	Transfer at a ratio of 1:24	OK Cashbag	Transfer at a ratio of 22:1 with a limit of 120,000 miles per year and 1 transaction every 24 hours
H.Point	Transfer at a ratio of 22:1 with a limit of 1 transaction every 24 hours	S-oil	Transfer at a ratio of 20:1 with a limit of 10,000 miles per year
Hanjin Express	Earn 50 to 200 miles for delivery service (when paying over ₩50,000 or $50)

14. Ongoing SKYPASS Promotions

Participate in ongoing SKYPASS promotions to earn additional miles. Check the Korean Air website for updates.

Shopping for Miles

15. Korean Air e-SKYSHOP

Earn SkyPoints for duty-free purchases you make at the e-SKYSHOP, then transfer 1,000 points for 500 SKYPASS miles.

Final Thoughts

As you can see, there are plenty of ways to earn Korean Air SKYPASS miles, whether booking travel with Korean Air and its partners or participating in non-travel partner opportunities.

Of course, one of the quickest ways to accumulate SKYPASS miles is by transferring points earned with credit cards. SKYPASS is transfer partners with Marriott Bonvoy, so that’s probably going to be the go-to method for many U.S.-based travelers. Happy earning!

The information regarding the SKYPASS Visa® Business Card, SKYPASS Select Visa Signature® Card, and SKYPASS Visa Signature® Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.

For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express^® Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card, click here.

2 comments

Kay May 15, 2019

Chase Ultimate Rewards points can no longer be transferred to Korean Air, right? Then, I wonder why you commend the card to earn KAL miles.

- Stephen Au May 22, 2019
  
  Kay,
  
  It’s true that Korean Air was removed as a transfer partner from Chase. However, our post is updated and doesn’t contain any information regarding Chase as a transfer partner. Rather, the only transfer partner is Marriott Bonvoy.