Korean Air Skypass Program Guide: Everything You Need to Know

The flag carrier of South Korea, Korean Air has its hubs in the nation’s capital city of Seoul and operates a fairly extensive route network between Korea and the United States. Today, Korean Air operates flights between Seoul and Boston, New York/John F. Kennedy, Washington-Dulles, Atlanta/Hartsfield-Jackson, Dallas/Fort Worth, Chicago/O’Hare, Los Angeles, Las Vegas/Harry Reid, San Francisco and Seattle/Tacoma. So, if you’re a U.S.-based traveler with an interest in visiting East Asia, Korean Air is definitely an airline worth paying attention to.

And, like most other major airlines, Korean Air has its very own frequent flyer program known as Skypass. This program allows you to earn Skypass miles through a wide variety of different activities, including flying with Korean Air, flying with one of Korean Air’s airline partners, spending on Korean Air co-branded credit cards, booking hotels, renting cars and much more.

Unfortunately, one major drawback of the Skypass program is that it’s not a transfer partner of any of the major transferable credit card rewards programs (such as American Express Membership Rewards or Chase Ultimate Rewards). This makes earning Skypass miles considerably more challenging.

If you’re determined to earn Skypass miles, luckily, Korean Air is a member of SkyTeam Alliance, which means that you can earn Skypass miles for flying with any other alliance member (including popular airlines like Aeromexico, Air France, KLM and Virgin Atlantic).

And, indeed, it may be worth it for you to credit your SkyTeam flights to Korean Air Skypass as this program definitely offers some high-value redemptions, particularly when you leverage the sweet spots in its partner award charts.

In this article, we’re going to discuss everything you need to know about the Korean Air Skypass program, including elite status, how to earn Skypass miles, how to redeem Skypass miles and which of those redemption methods offer the best value per mile.

Korean Air Skypass Program Overview

Korean Air traces its roots back to a company called Korean National Airlines, which was the first-ever air carrier in Korea founded in 1946. This company was then acquired by the government of the Republic of Korea in 1962 and the name was changed to Korean Air Lines. In 1969, the state-owned airline was acquired by a private company called the Hanjin Group and the name was finally shortened to Korean Air in 1984.

Korean Air first began operating international freight routes in 1971 and its first-ever international passenger services to Los Angeles commenced in 1972. Today, however, Korean Air has expanded its international route network to include flights to North America, Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Oceania.

Alongside Aeromexico, Air France and Delta Air Lines, Korean Air was a founding member of SkyTeam Alliance in 2000, which vastly expanded the number of destinations that Korean Air customers could reach through the airline’s partner network.
On top of being able to book SkyTeam flights through Korean Air, you can also earn and redeem Skypass miles with any member of SkyTeam Alliance. Here is a complete list of every SkyTeam Alliance member:

• Aerolíneas Argentinas
• Aeroméxico
• Air Europa
• Air France
• China Airlines
• China Eastern
• Czech Airlines
• Delta Air Lines
• Garuda Indonesia
• ITA Airways
• Kenya Airways
• KLM
• Korean Air
• Middle East Airlines
• Saudia
• TAROM
• Vietnam Airlines
• Virgin Atlantic
• XiamenAir

In addition to the previously listed SkyTeam Alliance partners, Korean Air also has partnerships with several other airlines with which you can earn and redeem Skypass miles. Here are all of Korean Air’s non-SkyTeam Alliance partners:

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

Korean Air has a very impressive list of partners. And its award charts for these partners can often be very generous. Additionally, the miles you can earn with the airline partners listed above can help you earn elite status in the Korean Air Skypass program.

Korean Air Skypass Elite Status Program

Like many other airlines, Korean Air offers certain elite status benefits for Skypass members who fly frequently with Korean Air or one of its airline partners. The elite status program currently has four tiers: Skypass Club, Morning Calm Club, Morning Calm Premium Club and Million Miler Club.

Skypass Club is earned as soon as you sign up for the Skypass program. Morning Calm Club is earned by racking up a set number of Skypass miles or qualifying segments and is only valid for two years. However, you can maintain your Morning Calm Club status by earning a set number of Skypass miles or qualifying segments during your two-year membership period.

Morning Calm Premium Club and Million Miler Club are lifetime elite statuses, meaning that you earn them by racking up a set number of Skypass miles over your lifetime and, once you earn that status, you will retain it for as long as you live.

The following table explains further how to earn and maintain each elite status tier:

Only flight segments that are eligible to accrue Skypass miles and that have a Korean Air flight number will be counted towards earning or maintaining Morning Calm Club status. Domestic flights on Korean Air will count as half of a qualifying segment towards earning or maintaining Morning Calm Club status.

Now that you know the requirements for earning each elite status tier, the following chart outlines the different benefits that you’ll be entitled to at each status tier:

Korean Air’s elite status program isn’t quite as extensive as many other airlines, which offer many different temporary elite statuses as well as several more lifetime elite statuses. However, the program is fairly easy to understand.

Plus, earning Morning Calm Club status is fairly easy (as it only requires you to earn 50,000 Skypass miles or complete 40 Korean Air segments over your lifetime) and offers surprisingly solid benefits like lounge access, free advance seat selection and additional checked baggage allowance.

How to Earn Korean Air Skypass Miles

The most straightforward way to earn Skypass miles is to take eligible flights on Korean Air. However, as previously mentioned, you can also earn Skypass miles in a variety of other ways, including flying with partner airlines, booking hotels, renting cars, enrolling in Korean Air co-branded credit cards and more.

In the following sections, we’ll explain the different ways to earn Skypass miles and how to take advantage of them.

Flying with Korean Air

Of course, you can earn Skypass miles by taking both domestic and international flights with Korean Air. When flying with Korean Air, the number of miles that you’ll earn depends on the actual mileage of your flight as well as the booking class.

The following table explains how many miles you’ll earn per actual mile flown in each fare class:

For instance, a flight from Seoul/Incheon (ICN) to Dubai (DXB) has a distance of 4,203 miles according to Korean Air. Flights in Economy Class (fare code W) earn 100% of the actual miles flown. So, if you were to take this flight in Economy Class (fare code W), you would earn 4,203 Skypass miles (4,203 actual miles flown x 100% = 4,203 Skypass miles). However, flights in First Class (fare code F) earn 200% of the actual miles flown. So, if you took the same flight in First Class (fare code F), you would earn 8,406 Skypass miles (8,406 actual miles flown x 200% = 8,406 Skypass miles).

It’s worth noting that certain exception fares with Economy Class fare codes Q and T are not eligible for mileage accrual.

Of course, if you want a quick and easy way to find out how many Skypass miles you could earn on a specific flight, you can use the mileage calculator tool on the Korean Air website.

Flying with Partner Airlines

Much like when flying with Korean Air, the number of miles that you’ll earn for flying with a partner airline is calculated based on the actual distance flown in miles and the fare class that you’re booked in.

However, each partner has its own accrual chart based on the fare classes that it offers. So, if you want to learn how many Skypass miles you could earn for a partner flight, you’ll need to visit the Partner Airlines page on the Korean Air website. Then, you will need to select either the “SkyTeam Airlines” or “Non-SkyTeam Airlines” option, find the specific airline that you’ll be flying with and click the “See details” button.

For instance, here’s the accrual chart for Aeromexico:

As you can see, this accrual chart looks very similar to the accrual chart for Korean Air flights and works in essentially the same way. For example, if you were to take a flight from Newark (EWR) to Puerto Vallarta (PVR), which has a distance of 2,287 miles (according to the Great Circle Mapper), in Business Class (fare code C), you would earn 2,859 Skypass miles (2,287 actual miles flown x 125% = 2,859 Skypass miles). However, if you were to take the same flight in Economy Class (fare code N), you would only earn 1,144 Skypass miles (2,287 miles x 50% = 1,144 Skypass miles).

Regardless of whether a partner is a member of SkyTeam Alliance or not, all partner accrual charts work the same way as the Aeromexico accrual chart above.

Spending on Korean Air Co-Branded Credit Cards

Korean Air offers a wide variety of co-branded credit cards that allow users to earn Skypass miles for making everyday purchases. Some of these cards are issued by well-known companies including Citi, tech giant Samsung and automotive giant Hyundai. Sadly, none of these credit cards are only available in South Korea.

So, if you’re a citizen of South Korea, you may want to consider signing up with one of these cards if you frequently fly with Korea Air. Otherwise, you won’t be able to sign up for a Korean Air co-branded credit card.

Transfer Partners

Unfortunately, Korean Air Skypass isn’t a transfer partner of any of the major transferable credit card rewards programs (such as American Express Membership Rewards, Capital One Rewards or Chase Ultimate Rewards). So, you can’t transfer credit card points into Skypass, which is a major disadvantage of this program.

However, do have the option of transferring Marriott Bonvoy points to Korean Air Skypass at a 3:1 ratio. You’ll also get a bonus of 5,000 miles every time you transfer 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points in one transaction.

For instance, if you were to transfer 30,000 Bonvoy points to Korean Air, you would receive 10,000 Skypass miles. However, if you were to transfer 60,000 Bonvoy points, you would receive 25,000 Skypass miles with the 5,000-mile bonus.

You can also transfer points from the Accor Live Limitless (ALL) program at a 2:1 ratio, from the Shangri-La Circle program at a 1:1 ratio and from the World of Hyatt program at a 5:2 ratio.

However, we’d recommend redeeming your hotel points in their native program rather than transferring them to any frequent flyer program, including Korean Air Skypass. By transferring your points at these ratios, you’ll get far less value out of them than you would by spending them through their native programs.

Hotel Stays

On top of transferring points from hotel rewards programs, you can also earn miles directly for booking hotel stays with certain hotel chains and third-party hotel booking engines. The following table includes all of the different hotel partners with which you can earn Skypass miles directly:

Some of these hotel partners (such as IHG Hotels & Resorts, Marriott Bonvoy, Shangri-La Circle and World of Hyatt) have their own rewards programs. And, in most cases, you’ll forfeit the opportunity to earn that hotel’s own rewards currency when you choose to earn Skypass miles for a hotel stay. So, before you choose to earn Skypass miles on your next hotel stay, you may want to consider whether you’d be better off earning that hotel’s native rewards currency.

Car Rentals

You also have the option of earning Skypass miles for completing eligible car rentals with certain car rental companies. The following table includes all of the different car rental partners with which you can earn Skypass miles and how many miles you could earn with each respective partner:

Unlike hotel partners, most rental car companies don’t have their own rewards programs, so there’s really no downside to earning airline miles for your car rentals. However, many of the companies listed above also have partnerships with several other frequent flyer programs. So, you may want to consider whether you’d rather earn a different airline rewards currency before you choose to earn Skypass miles on your next car rental.

Booking Tours

Skypass miles can also be earned by booking flights with certain tour companies. The following table includes the different tour companies with which you can earn Skypass miles and their respective Skypass miles earnings:

It’s worth noting that you can also convert Skypass miles to Hanjin Travel points at a ratio of 1:20. So, if you were to transfer 1,000 Skypass miles to Hanjin Travel, you would receive 20,000 points. In general, though, we would recommend against transferring miles to Hanjin Travel.

You should also be aware that some of these partners only award Skypass miles for bookings made through the links provided on the “Rental Cars/Tours” page of the Korean Air website.

Shopping Partners

The Korean Air Skypass program also partners with several shopping and retail partners that allow you to earn Skypass miles for making purchases. The following table includes all of Korean Air’s shopping partners and their respective Skypass miles earnings:

As you can see, many of the shopping partners listed above are only available in South Korea. So, if you live in Korea, it may be worth trying to earn some extra Skypass miles when shopping with these partners.

Exchanging Dollars

If you visit South Korea often, you’re probably used to exchanging dollars for South Korean won. And, through the Korean Air Skypass program, you can actually earn miles by exchanging dollars with certain partners. The following table includes all of the banks with which you can earn miles for exchanging dollars for South Korean won:

So, if you frequently exchange dollars for South Korean won during your travels or for business, then you should consider doing so with one of Korean Air’s partners listed above so you earn Skypass miles for your exchanges.

Buying Insurance

Korean Air also partners with two insurance companies that allow you to earn Skypass miles for paying for insurance. Here are those two companies and their respective earnings rates:

These insurance services are only available in South Korea. So, if you’re a U.S.-based reader, then you won’t be able to earn Skypass miles for purchasing insurance.

How to Redeem Korean Air Skypass Miles

Now that you’re aware of all of the different ways to earn miles, let’s look at the many ways that you can redeem your Korean Air Skypass miles. Of course, you can redeem your Skypass miles for both domestic and international flights on Korean Air.

However, you can also redeem your miles for flights with any of Korean Air’s airline partners, both SkyTeam members and non-SkyTeam airlines.

Additionally, you can also redeem Skypass miles through Mileage Mall for a variety of products and vouchers for hotel stays, food, beverages, memberships, tours and more. However, redeeming your miles through Mileage Mall tends to provide far less value than redeeming them for flight awards.

In the following sections, we’ll look at all of the different ways to redeem Skypass miles and the value per mile that each redemption method offers.

Flying with Korean Air

The most obvious way to redeem your Skypass miles is to book flights with Korean Air. Skypass miles can be redeemed for both domestic and international flights on Korean Air and all Korean Air-operated flights are priced according to a series of region-based award charts. Additionally, award prices also vary based on whether the flight award is during peak season or off-peak season.

To find out what a Korea Air-operated award flight would cost, you can visit the Korea Air website, click the “Skypass” drop-down menu and click on the Korean Air page under the “Use Mileage” section. Then, you can choose the “Redemption Table” option and select your desired region of origin.

From there, you’ll be presented with an award chart that gives you the award rates for flights from that region to all other regions for both peak season and off-peak season. For instance, here is the award chart for flights originating in the North American region:

The redemption table above is based on one-way travel.

It’s also worth mentioning again that members of Morning Calm Premium Club and Million Miler Club will be charged off-peak award prices even for flights within peak season.

Peak season and off-peak season dates vary depending on whether you’re flying domestically within Korea, flying internationally (excluding departures from the Americas) or flying internationally departing from the Americas. To see the full seasonality chart for all of these types of routes, you can go to the Korean Air page under the “Use Mileage” section and click the ”Peak Season by Route per Year” button at the bottom of the page.

You can get excellent value by redeeming Skypass miles for flights operated by Korean Air, particularly in premium cabins. For example, you can often find great deals on flights between the U.S. and South Korea.

We found a flight from Boston to Seoul in Prestige Class (the Korean Air equivalent of Business Class) for 92,500 miles one-way. However, you’d also have to pay about $384 in taxes and fees for this booking.

If you were to book the same flight on the same date in cash, it would cost you $5,043.

By booking this flight with Skypass miles instead of cash, you’d be getting a value of over 5 cents per mile (factoring in the $384 in taxes and fees you’d have to pay on the award booking). That’s an excellent value.

It’s also worth noting that you can purchase Korean Air flights with a combination of cash and miles. However, doing so provides significantly less value per mile than booking the entire fare with miles. In general, you’ll get about 0.6 cents per mile when using the “Cash and Miles” option whereas you’ll typically get at least 1 cent per mile and sometimes much more (as seen above) when redeeming for award flights.

Flying with Partner Airlines

You can also redeem Korean Air Skypass miles for award flights operated by airline partners. Similar to Korean Air-operated flights, SkyTeam partner flights are priced according to a series of region-based award charts. However, unlike Korean Air-operated flights, SkyTeam partner flights aren’t affected by seasonality. SkyTeam flights have the same award prices year-round.

To find the price of a SkyTeam partner-operated flight, you can go to the “Skypass” drop-down menu on the Korean website homepage. Then, select the “Partner Airlines” option. Once you’re redirected to that page, choose the “SkyTeam Award” option and click on the “Redemption Table” tab.

From there, you can select the region that you’ll be departing from and you’ll be presented with the award rates for flights to all other regions in the world in Economy Class, Business Class and First Class. For instance, here’s the award chart for SkyTeam flights departing from North America:

The redemption table above is based on round-trip travel.

Flights within the North American region and between North America and Central America in First Class are priced the same as flights between the same regions in Business Class. So, if you’re planning to take a flight within North America or between North America and Central America on a SkyTeam partner (most likely Delta Airlines), you may want to look for First Class award availability to get even more value out of your miles.

When it comes to award flights on non-SkyTeam partners, each partner has its own award chart based on the regions that that partner serves. For instance, here’s the award chart for Hawaiian Airlines-operated flights:

The redemption table above is based on round-trip travel.

Unfortunately, non-SkyTeam partner awards can’t be booked online. If you want to book a flight with Alaska Airlines, China Southern Airlines, Emirates, Etihad Airways, GOL, Hawaiian Airlines or Japan Airlines with Skypass miles, you’ll have to call the Korean Air Service Center or visit one of their offices.

Of course, certain partner award flights offer more value than others. So, if you want to maximize the value of your miles, it’s important to identify sweet spots in the Korean Air Skypass program.

To get you started, here are a few of the best sweet spots in the Skypass program that offer solid value for your miles:

Fly Round-Trip from the U.S. to Mexico in Delta Air Lines Economy Class for 25,000 Miles

One of the best and most accessible sweet spots in the Korean Air Skypass program is flying between the U.S. and Mexico on Delta Air Lines. You can fly within the North American region (which includes Mexico, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands) on Delta Air Lines for just 25,000 miles in Economy Class, 45,000 miles in Business Class and 45,000 miles in First Class.

Of course, you’ll get the best value if you book one of these flights in First Class and great value if you book one in Business Class. Unfortunately, premium cabin award space is very difficult to find on these flights. But that doesn’t mean you can’t still find solid value in Economy Class awards from between the U.S. and Mexico.
For instance, we found an Economy Class round-trip itinerary between New York City (LGA) and Mexico City (MEX) for 25,000 miles plus $145 in taxes and fees.

Unfortunately, the out-of-pocket costs of these flights are fairly high. However, if you were to book the same itinerary on the same dates through Delta Air Lines entirely with cash, it would cost you $673.

So, factoring in the $145 in taxes and fees that you would have to pay for the award booking, this redemption would yield a value of over 2.1 cents per mile, which is very good for an Economy Class award.

Fly Round-Trip from the U.S. to South America in Delta Air Lines Economy Class for 50,000 Miles

You can find solid value on flights between the U.S. and South America operated by Delta Air Lines. Round-trip flights between North America and South America cost 50,000 miles in Economy Class, 110,000 miles in Business Class and 110,000 miles in First Class. Again, you can get amazing value per mile if you’re able to find award flights on these routes in Business Class or First Class, but premium cabin award space is very difficult to find.

However, you can still find good value on Economy flights between the U.S. and South America. We found a round-trip flight between New York City (LGA) and Santiago (SCL) in Delta Air Lines Economy Class for just 50,000 miles and $54 in taxes and fees.

If you were to book the same flight through the Delta Air Lines website with cash, it would cost you $1,157.

So, factoring in the $54 in taxes and fees that you’d have to pay for the award booking, this redemption would yield a value of over 2.2 cents per mile, which is great value for an Economy Class flight.

There are plenty of other sweet spots in the Skypass partner award charts to take advantage of. Unfortunately, the Korean Air Skypass website can often be difficult to book partner awards with, particularly in Business Class or First Class.

Nonetheless, if you’re willing to do some searching, you can find some partner flight redemptions that offer outstanding value through the Skypass program.

Upgrade Awards

Korean Air Skypass miles can also be redeemed for upgrades on Korean Air flights as well as SkyTeam partner-operated flights. Korean Air upgrade award prices depend on your departure region, your arrival region, whether you’re upgrading from Economy Class to Prestige Class or from Prestige Class to First Class and whether you’re flying in peak season or off-peak season.

Here is the Korean Air upgrade award chart for flights departing from the North American region:

The award prices above are based on one-way travel. If you want to upgrade a round-trip flight, you’ll have to double the prices shown above. Upgrade awards are not available on Korean Air flights that have been discounted by 50% or more. Additionally, you’re only allowed one upgrade per flight, which means that you can’t upgrade from Economy Class to Prestige Class and then from Prestige Class to First Class.

SkyTeam upgrade award prices depend only on your departure region and your arrival region. Each SkyTeam upgrade award can be used only to upgrade from Economy Class to Business Class. SkyTeam upgrades to First Class can’t be purchased with Korean Air Skypass miles.

Here is the SkyTeam upgrade award chart for flights departing from the North American region:

SkyTeam upgrade awards are only available when an e-ticket has been issued on a regular flight operated by a SkyTeam partner. SkyTeam upgrade awards aren’t available for routes between the U.S./Canada and Mexico or routes between the U.S./Canada and Hawaii.

On certain routes where Business Class tickets are far more expensive than Economy Class tickets, using your Skypass miles to book a SkyTeam upgrade award might be a decent idea. However, in general, redeeming your miles for award flights typically provides far more value than redeeming for upgrade awards.

Hotel Stays

Skypass miles can also be redeemed for hotel stays with certain properties through the Mileage Mall portal. Unfortunately, your options are fairly limited when it comes to redeeming Skypass miles for hotel stays. You can redeem miles for stays at the following hotels:

• Grand Hyatt Incheon
• InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown
• KAL Hotel Seogwipo
• Waikiki Resort Hotel

Two of the aforementioned hotels are located in South Korea, one is in Hawaii and the other is in Los Angeles.

Unlike many other frequent flyer programs, booking hotel stays with Skypass miles can actually provide pretty solid value per mile. For instance, if you were to book a “Partial Ocean View” room at the Waikiki Resort Hotel through Mileage Mall, it would cost you 20,000 miles.

If you were to book the same room on the same night with cash through the Waikiki Resort Hotel website, it would cost you $348.

Thus, this redemption would yield a value of more than 1.7 cents per mile, which is far better than hotel stay redemptions through most other frequent flyer programs. You can also find similar value by redeeming miles for stays with Korean Air’s other eligible hotel partners.

So, while you can still get better value by redeeming miles for certain award flights, redeeming Skypass miles for hotel stays is actually a pretty good deal.

You also have the option of converting Korean Air Skypass miles to Marriott Bonvoy points at a 2:1 ratio (with a minimum transfer amount of 5,000 miles). So, for every 5,000 Skypass miles that you transfer, you’ll receive 2,500 Marriott Bonvoy points. Unless you have no use for your Skypass miles whatsoever, you should avoid transferring miles to Marriott Bonvoy.

Travel Packages

Skypass miles can also be redeemed for vouchers that can be applied to purchases from certain travel companies, including Aqua Planet Jeju, Jeju Folk Village and Hanjin Tour.

Both Aqua Planet Jeju and Jeju Folk Village are located on Jeju Island, South Korea’s largest island that lies south of the country’s mainland. You can redeem 3,600 miles for an individual full package voucher for Aqua Planet Jeju. You can also purchase an adult ticket to Jeju Folk Village (one of the main historical attractions on Jeju Island) for 1,800 miles or a child ticket for 1,200 miles. Of course, both of these redemptions are only relevant if you plan on visiting Jeju Island.

Finally, you can redeem your Skypass miles for vouchers that can be redeemed for Hanjin Tour products. These vouchers can be redeemed toward the booking cost of special travel experiences including honeymoon packages, cruises, golf, spa and photography tours across the globe in Japan, China, East Asia, Oceania, Africa, Europe and Latin America. Here are the prices and values of each voucher:

Redeeming your miles for these vouchers provides a fairly poor value per mile. When redeeming miles this way, you’ll get at least 0.6 cents per mile and at most slightly over 0.7 cents per mile. So, you’re much better off redeeming your miles for award flights than for Hanjin Tour vouchers.

Merchandise, Subscriptions, Food and Beverages

Through the Mileage Mall portal, you can redeem your miles for Korean Air-branded merchandise through the KAL Store, food and beverages (only available in South Korea), vouchers and subscriptions through online service partners and merchandise through Korean Air’s SKYSHOP online in-flight duty-free shop.

You can redeem miles for a variety of Korean Air-branded merchandise through the KAL Store, including golf balls, travel bags, keychains, blankets, toothbrushes and much more. Redemptions through the KAL Store range between 300 and 13,000 miles.

Through the Korean Air food and beverage delivery service (which is only available in South Korea), you can redeem miles for boxes of Jeju Pure Water. These redemptions range between 2,000 miles and 3,000 miles. You can also redeem for Jeju Beef (grade 1+), with redemptions ranging from 12,500 miles to 18,000 miles.

You also have the option to redeem Skypass miles for vouchers that can be redeemed for merchandise through Korean Air’s SKYSHOP online in-flight duty-free shop. Through this service, you can purchase items such as toys, office supplies, accessories and more. You can purchase a $20 voucher for 2,800 miles, a $50 voucher for 6,800 miles and a $100 voucher for 12,900 miles. These vouchers are only valid for one month.

You can redeem 1,400 Skypass miles for a voucher for either Kyobo Book (an online book, e-book and music store) or Emart (an online discount retail chain) worth 10,000 South Korean won (equal to about $7.52 at the current conversion rate). And, finally, you can redeem 600 miles for a one-month subscription to Naver Plus Membership.

All of the aforementioned redemptions offer far less value than redeeming for award flights. In general, redeeming Skypass miles for merchandise, subscriptions, vouchers, food and beverages is a poor idea.

The Bottom Line

Korean Air Skypass is a frequent flyer program that most U.S.-based travelers probably aren’t familiar with. And, unfortunately, earning Skypass miles is fairly difficult considering that the program isn’t partnered with any of the major transferable credit card rewards programs (such as American Express Membership Rewards or Chase Ultimate Rewards).

However, if you’re planning a trip to Asia in the future, you may want to start crediting your SkyTeam flights to the Korean Air Skypass program as it offers some great redemptions on Korean Air-operated flights between the U.S. and Korea (as well as certain surrounding countries). Korean Air also operates flights out of several major U.S. airports, including Boston, New York/John F. Kennedy, Washington-Dulles, Atlanta/Hartsfield-Jackson, Dallas/Fort Worth, Chicago/O’Hare, Los Angeles, Las Vegas/Harry Reid, San Francisco and Seattle/Tacoma.

You can also use the Skypass program to get great redemption rates on Delta-operated flights within the U.S., between the U.S. and Mexico and between the U.S. and Central and South America. Plus, for all of these Delta flights, award rates for Business Class and First Class are the same. So, if you’re lucky enough to find First Class award space on one of these Delta routes, you can get incredible value out of your Skypass miles.

All in all, Korean Air Skypass is an easy-to-use frequent flyer program with several excellent sweet spots, some great partner airlines (including Aeromexico, Alaska Airlines, Delta Air Lines and Hawaiian Airlines) and elite status that’s pretty easy to achieve. If you fly to Asia often, you should definitely have this program on your radar. Or, if you’re looking for a good program through which to book Delta flights, Skypass might also be a good option.