Our Verdict
With such a lackluster spread of benefits offered with this entry-level card, it’s hard to imagine any specific set of people that could benefit from including it in their portfolio.
Pros
- Earns 2 points per dollar spent on streaming and rideshare services
- No annual fee
Cons
- Uninspiring welcome offer
- No bonus earn on Korean Air purchases
- 3% foreign transaction fee
Highlights
- Earn 10000 bonus miles after spending $1000 in the first 90 days
- Earn 2 miles on rideshare services, on streaming services, and 1 mile on all other eligible purchases
- Bilingual automated 24-hour account access
- No annual fee
Introduction
The SKYPASS SkyBlue Visa® Card* earns bonus miles on streaming and rideshare services but does not bonus spending on Korean Air flights, keeping those purchases at 1 mile per dollar. While the card does not charge an annual fee, it does charge a foreign transaction fee, which is unexpected for a travel-related card, especially one for a non-U.S. carrier.
The card does offer a welcome bonus, but it fails to deliver. The miles earned through this welcome offer are just enough to redeem for two towel sets.
Compare SKYPASS SkyBlue Visa® Card with Other Cards
Quick Facts
- No annual fee
- Earn 2 miles per dollar spent on rideshare services, 2 miles on streaming services and 1 mile per dollar on other purchases
- Earn 10,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 in the first 90 days of account opening
SKYPASS SkyBlue Visa® Card Rewards
Earning Rewards
The SKYPASS SkyBlue card earns 2 miles per dollar spent on rideshare services, 2 miles on streaming services and 1 mile per dollar on other purchases.
You can also earn 10,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 in the first 90 days of account opening.
Redeeming Rewards
The miles you earn with the SKYPASS SkyBlue Visa® Card* can be redeemed for award tickets on Korean Air and its partner airlines, by paying them in full with miles or a mix of miles and cash. You can also use SKYPASS miles toward award tickets for your family members and even buy additional seats if you’re bringing a large musical instrument, as well as paying for upgrades to a premium cabin.
Additional services like unaccompanied minor tickets, checked baggage allowance, pet award tickets and access to Korean Air lounges can also be purchased and paid for by using your miles, as can items from the Mileage Mall.
Rewards Potential
Forbes Advisor uses data from various government agencies to determine both baseline income and spending averages across various categories. The 70th percentile of wage earners bring in $116,000 annually and we base our sample household spending on that number.
Based on Forbes Advisor’s estimate, a household spends $732 on streaming services per year, which would earn 1,464 points. Another $573 is spent on rideshare services annually, yielding 1,146 points. The remaining $34,802 left in general spending would earn you another 34,802 points.
Cardholders who follow this spending pattern could expect to earn 37,412 SKYPASS miles per year in rewards, in addition to the first-year welcome offer. Because every family’s spending patterns may differ, we suggest that you examine your budget and compare rewards for any card that you are considering.
|
Category
|
Earning Rate
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Estimated Annual Spend
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Estimated Annual Earnings
|
|
Streaming and rideshare services
|
2X
|
$1,305
|
2,610
|
|
All other purchases
|
1X
|
$34,802
|
34,802
|
|
37,412 SKYPASS Miles
|
|||
Other SKYPASS SkyBlue Visa® Card Benefits
- Auto rental collision damage waiver. You can be reimbursed for damages caused by theft or collision up to the actual cash value of most rented cars.
- Travel and emergency assistance services. Assistance with emergency translation services, medical prescription services, valuable document delivery arrangements and pre-trip assistance are provided through this card. Note that services incurred would be at a cost to you.
- Bilingual English/Korean customer service. Both 24/7 automated voice support and customer service are provided in both languages.
Fine Print
Interest Rates
- Regular APR: 23.24% - 29.99% variable APR
- Purchase intro APR: N/A
- Balance transfer intro APR: N/A
Fees
- Annual fee: $0
- Balance transfer fee: $5 or 3% of the balance transfer amount, whichever is greater.
- Foreign purchase transaction fee: 3% of the amount of each foreign transaction
How the SKYPASS SkyBlue Visa® Card Stacks Up
SKYPASS SkyBlue Visa® Card* vs. SKYPASS Visa Signature® Card*
An upgraded version of this card, but with a low annual fee of $99, the SKYPASS Visa Signature® Card* comes with a few more benefits a Korean Air flyer can enjoy. Among them is the ability to earn bonus miles when purchasing Korean Air tickets. It also bonuses hotel and restaurant purchases, including takeout and restaurant delivery.
A larger welcome offer of 40,000 bonus miles after spending $4,000 in the first 90 days of account opening. Cardholders can also benefit from a voucher, awarded yearly, for the purchase of Korean Air tickets with a 5% discount for both the cardholder and a companion.
You also receive two coupons every year to visit KAL Lounges free of charge in the U.S. and Incheon airports. This card charges no foreign transaction fee.
SKYPASS SkyBlue Visa® Card* vs. Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
For those not closely attached to flying Korean Air exclusively, but would still like to retain the ability to earn points that would help them get to Asia, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card would prove useful with its ability to transfer your hard-earned points to multiple partner airlines you can book flights with.
The card earns a substantial welcome bonus helping you get closer to that desired award trip, as well as earning 5 points per dollar on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3 points per dollar on dining, select streaming services, and online grocery purchases (excluding Walmart, Target and wholesale clubs), 2 points per dollar on all other travel purchases and 1 point per dollar on other purchases. The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card also rewards your spend on streaming services like the SKYPASS SkyBlue card, but adds dining and online grocery purchases as well. It also comes with over $200 in value from DoorDash and Instacart credits and other benefits.
SKYPASS SkyBlue Visa® Card* vs. Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card
The Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card allows you to earn valuable Mileage Plan miles, which you can use to redeem for flights on Korean Air. The card comes with a welcome offer large enough for a round-trip flight on Korean Air to Seoul, plus a whole host of benefits for U.S. flyers who can make Alaska Airlines their domestic airline of choice.
You will earn unlimited 3 miles per dollar on eligible Alaska Airlines purchases, unlimited 2 miles per dollar on eligible gas, EV charging, cable, streaming services and local transit including ride share purchases and unlimited 1 mile per dollar on all other purchases. Additionally, you can earn your Alaska Companion Fare, which allows you to buy a flight for yourself and pay only $99 plus taxes and fees for your companion, potentially saving you hundreds of dollars. And, when you’re a cardholder, the first checked bag for you and up to six companions on the same reservation flies free.
Is the SKYPASS SkyBlue Visa® Card for You?
The SKYPASS SkyBlue Visa® Card* fails to deliver any value to help it differentiate from other no annual fee cards. In fact, it delivers much less value than many other entry-level airline cards. With an underwhelming welcome offer, no bonus category for spending on its own airline and no other ancillary benefit to write home about, it becomes rather difficult to justify setting aside a slot in your wallet for this credit card.
Methodology
Forbes Advisor considers a variety of criteria when assigning credit cards a rating. Cards are graded based on numerous factors including:
- Annual fees
- Welcome bonus offers
- Ongoing earning rates
- Value of individual points or miles
- Included travel or merchant credits
- Additional cardholder benefits
Card features we expect cardholders to use the most often are weighted more heavily in our ratings. Altogether, the factors came together to provide a star rating for each individual card.
Read more: How Forbes Advisor Rates Credit Cards
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Do SKYPASS miles ever expire?
Yes, mileage earned after July 1, 2008 will expire ten years after they have been earned. Any mileage not redeemed before expiration will be forfeited. Any miles earned before June 30, 2008 will not expire.
Can I earn miles booking someone else’s tickets?
While you cannot earn miles for reservations someone else flies, you are still able to earn miles when you use your SKYPASS SkyBlue card to book their flights, and you would be earning 1 mile per dollar spent on booking those Korean Air flights.
Can I book flights on other airlines with my SKYPASS miles?
Yes, you can use your SKYPASS miles to redeem flights on several Korean Air Partners, whether they’re a member of the SkyTeam alliance—like Delta Air Lines, Garuda Indonesia or Air France—or other partner airlines that aren’t part of that alliance, like Alaska Airlines, Emirates, Etihad and Japan Airlines.
*The information for the following card(s) has been collected independently by Forbes Advisor: SKYPASS SkyBlue Visa® Card, SKYPASS Visa Signature® Card. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
