Who Is the SKYPASS Visa Classic Card Good For?
If you fly on Korean Air and use its loyalty program, SKYPASS, you’ll probably want one of the five co-branded credit cards offered to residents of the United States. And if you want to minimize your annual fee, but don’t want bare-bones benefits, the SKYPASS Visa Classic card is probably the right option for you.
These are the five Korean Air cards:
- SKYPASS Visa Signature card: $80 annual fee
- SKYPASS Classic card: $50 annual fee
- SkyBlue SKYPASS card: No annual fee
- SKYPASS Secured card: $50 annual fee
- SKYPASS Visa Signature Business card: $75 annual fee
The Classic card is one step below the Visa Signature card. It has a lower annual fee, and correspondingly fewer benefits. In general, it offers more than the SkyBlue, but less than the Visa Signature. For instance, the Classic card has a better earning scheme than the SkyBlue, as well as an annual bonus.
Korean Air also has a U.S.-based mile transfer partner, Chase Ultimate Rewards, so you can speed up your accrual of SKYPASS miles if you need to.
| AIRLINE TRANSFER PARTNER | Korean Air |
| ANNUAL FEE | $50 |
| APR | 12.99% to 19.99% based on creditworthiness |
| RECOMMENDED CREDIT SCORE | N/A |
| TYPE OF CARD | Visa |
| ISSUER | U.S. Bank |
Sign-Up Bonus:
You’ll get 5,000 miles after your first purchase. The card also has a 1,000-mile anniversary bonus.
Miles Earned:
- 1 mile per dollar spent
What Do Your Miles Get You?
Korean Air flies to 129 cities in 46 countries and is a founding member of the SkyTeam. In addition to the 20 SkyTeam partners, Korean Air is also partners with Alaska Airlines, Emirates, Etihad, GOL, Hawaiian Airlines and Jet Airways.
Usage Perks:
- Annual miles bonus
- One stopover and one open jaw allowed per roundtrip
- One-way awards available on Korean Air
- Miles don’t expire for 10 years
Usage Quirks:
- Low sign-up bonus
- High cancellation and change fee of 10,000 miles
- Fuel surcharges on most award flights
- No one-way redemptions on partner airlines
How Far Do Your Miles Go?
Korean Air has many good redemption options. Here are some of the best deals:
- From 10,000 miles per domestic roundtrip in Korea
- 25,000 miles in economy and 45,000 in business between the U.S. and Hawaii or Mexico
- 50,000 miles in economy and 80,000 in business between the U.S. and Europe
- 60,000 miles in economy and 90,000 in business between the U.S. and Tahiti
- 50,000 miles in economy between the U.S. and South America
Additional Cardholder Benefits:
- Free FICO score
- Zero liability
- $250,000 in travel accident insurance
- Online purchase security
- EMV chip technology
- Auto rental collision damage waiver
- Warranty manager service