US Bank offers a few different types of Korean air credit cards and one of the most popular is the SKYPASS Visa Signature Card.
It’s a pretty decent co-branded airline credit card but there are a few key things that you want to know about the card before applying.
In this article, I’ll tell you everything you need to know about the SKYPASS Visa Signature Card.
Table of Contents
SKYPASS Visa Signature Card Overview
- 2X on Korean Air ticket purchases
- 2X at gas stations and hotels
- 1X on everything else
- $50 Off coupon for Korean Air ticket purchases
- 2 KAL Lounge coupons each year
- $95 annual fee
Welcome Bonus
The bonus for this card can vary dramatically.
We’ve seen it as low as 15,000 bonus miles after meeting the minimum spend and other times up to 30,000 bonus miles after spending $3,000 in the first 90 days.
Sometimes, you might even be sent targeted offers which go out for something like 45,000+ bonus miles.
So what can you do with your miles?
You can check out the Korean Air award chart here or here to see what your redemption possibilities would be like but I would suggest you take a look at our article for the best uses of Korean Air miles.
You can also take advantage of some pretty decent redemptions from the US with partner airlines.
Korean Air is a member of the Sky Team alliance so you can book partners like Air France and KLM.
They also have some other interesting partners like Etihad and Emirates.
You will need to book a round-trip if you are booking on a partner airline but some of these rates can be pretty cheap like 80,000 miles round-trip in business class from the US and Europe.
Now that Chase is no longer a partner with Korean Air, it’s tougher to earn a lot of Korean Air miles.
To maximize your miles, you might want to consider getting the business version and the personal version.
If you were able to take advantage of some of the best offers, you might have enough to fly the amazing first class experience on Korean Air from the US to Korea on the A380.
It’s a special flight experience because it has one of the best in-flight bars in the sky. In fact there are a couple of different bars including one exclusive first class bar that you can enjoy.
There’s also even a duty-free shop in the plane which is pretty crazy but also very cool.
So if you are looking for a memorable way to cross Pacific, this card can help you do that by flying on Korean Air.
Related: Top 10 First Class Cabins
Bonus categories
- 2X on Korean Air ticket purchases
- 2X at gas stations and hotels
- 1X on everything else
2X on Korean Air purchases
Earning 2X on Korean Air purchases is pretty standard for an airline credit card.
2X at gas stations and hotels
2X on gas stations and hotels it’s not bad.
However, I would prefer to put hotel purchases on a card that earns more on travel such as the American Express Green Card which earns 3X on travel or the Chase Sapphire Reserve which has great travel protections and also earns 3X on travel.
Tip: Check out the free app WalletFlo so that you can optimize your credit card spend by seeing the best card to use! You can also track credits, annual fees, and get notifications when you’re eligible for the best cards!
Korean Air benefits
- $50 Off coupon for Korean Air ticket purchases
- 2 KAL Lounge coupons each year
- SKYPASS Visa card purchases help you reach and maintain Morning Calm Club Membership
$50 coupon
The primary cardmember will receive a $50 discount coupon upon account opening and every anniversary date.
The coupon should be available about 10 business days after you open the account and approximately 4 to 6 weeks after the anniversary of your account.
The catch with this discount is that it applies to Korean Air ticket purchases on Koreanair.com made within 90 days from the date the coupon is deposited into your account.
That 90 day limit greatly reduces the value of this discount.
But there are also restrictions on the type of routes you can use the coupon on.
For example, the coupon is only valid from Korean Air North American gateways to Asia on Korean Air operated flights with the same outbound (departure route) and inbound (return route) trip itinerary and may not be applied to tickets with stopovers and multi-leg journey.
Also, it can only be applied to prestige and economy class fares.
And just in case you were wondering, it cannot be used on award tickets or upgrade awards.
So if you are constantly flying Korean Airlines you might be able to make use of this discount but if you rarely fly them or only fly them on occasion, the restrictions might make it impossible for you to utilize this perk.
KAL Lounge passes
Each year you will be given two lounge coupons that are valid for one lounge use each.
In order to use this perk, you must be flying on a Korean Air operated flight and must be using it at a Korean Air gateway city in North America or at ICN.
Once again, there are pretty restrictive terms with another benefit.
You will need to show your coupon to the lounge when you visit.
The primary card member can expect to receive the two lounge coupons 8 to 10 weeks after the annual fee is paid.
I’ve visited a few Korean Air lounges and they are not exactly the most remarkable lounges you’ll find. I enjoyed the time I spent in the Korean Air First Class Lounge at ICN but overall the standard business class lounges are not always super impressive.
Tip: If you are interested in a card that offers the best lounge access, you should look into the Platinum Card.
2,000 mile bonus
Every year after you renew your account you will receive an annual bonus of 2,000 miles. This bonus is not enough to make up for the cost of the annual fee but it’s nice to have a way to supplement your mileage balance.
Visa Signature
Since this card is a Visa Signature card, you’ll get to take advantage of additional benefits which include:
- Purchase security
- Lost luggage reimbursement
- Auto rental collision damage waiver
- Roadside dispatch
- Travel Accident Insurance
- Travel and Emergency Assistance Services
- Visa Signature Luxury Hotel Collection
SKYPASS Visa Signature Card FAQ
The annual fee is $95.
No, card does not have foreign transaction fees.
Each year you will be given two lounge coupons that are valid for one lounge use each.
Final word
The SKYPASS Visa Signature Card is a decent travel rewards card especially if you can catch it at one of the higher bonuses.
It offers respectable earning rates and some good perks when flying on Korean Air but they do come with some pretty limiting restrictions.
Daniel Gillaspia is the Founder of UponArriving.com and the credit card app, WalletFlo. He is a former attorney turned travel expert covering destinations along with TSA, airline, and hotel policies. Since 2014, his content has been featured in publications such as National Geographic, Smithsonian Magazine, and CNBC. Read my bio.