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Korean Air is South Korea’s national flag carrier and a founding member of the SkyTeam alliance along with Delta. The airline operates multiple routes to North America, Europe, and throughout Asia from its bases in South Korea. Korean Air is renowned for the quality of its premium cabin offerings. Couple the excellent service with the Korean Air SKYPASS program, and there are plenty of reasons the Korean Air SKYPASS program should be on your radar.
Like all other loyalty programs, Korean Air has a mileage expiration policy. However, Korean Air SKYPASS miles have one of the longest validity periods in the industry. Here is all you need to know about Korean Air mileage expiration.
Do Korean Miles Expire?
Korean Air miles expire 10 years after the date they were earned. However, any miles earned before June 30, 2008, will not expire. According to the Korean Air SKYPASS FAQ Page:
“SKYPASS miles are valid for 10 years.
– Miles are valid until December 31 of the 10th year following their accrual (based on KST).
– Flight miles and partner miles are valid for 10 years from the date of flight and the date of credit respectively.
– Miles earned on/before June 30, 2008 do not expire and are valid for the lifetime of the members.
– The mileage with the shortest remaining validity period is redeemed first. Lifetime mileage with no validity period is used after all mileage with a validity period has been used.”
Track your points and miles expiration for 630+ loyalty programs and get email alerts before your miles expire by signing up for a free AwardWallet account.
One thing to note about Korean Air SKYPASS miles is that, despite their long lifespan, there is no way to extend their validity or reinstate them once they have expired.
Related: How to redeem Korean Air SKYPASS miles
Boosting Your Korean Air SKYPASS Mileage Balance
Unfortunately, your options for boosting your Korean Air mileage balance via transfers are minimal. Historically, you could transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards or Marriott Bonvoy to Korean Air. However, both relationships ended a few years back.
Korean Air hotel transfer partners
You can also transfer points from a couple of other hotel programs to Korean Air SKYPASS. However, the value is really bad. That said, if you need a few miles for an award to use your miles before your Korean miles expire, then at least you have these less-than-ideal choices:
Accor Live Limitless points transfer to Korean at a ratio of 2:1, although this is poor value since you redeem Accor points at a fixed value of 2,000 points for a €40 discount on your stay. Transferring 2,000 points to receive 1,000 Korean Air SKYPASS points is not a great deal.
You can also transfer World of Hyatt points over to Korean at a ratio of 5:2. Again, this is poor value, and you are much better off using your Hyatt points for stays. You can get substantially more value from 50,000 World of Hyatt points (e.g., ten nights at a Category 1 property) than from the measly 20,000 miles they would transfer to Korean SKYPASS.
Use AwardWallet to Track Korean Air Mileage Expiration
Even though 10 years may feel like forever, it still pays to keep track of your mileage balance so you don't forfeit a single mile. The easiest way to keep track of your Korean Air miles is to use AwardWallet.
Simply link your Korean Air SKYPASS account to your AwardWallet account to be able to check your balances in one place and receive a reminder if your Korean Air miles are ever in danger of expiring.
Related: How to Track Your Rewards Using AwardWallet
Our Take
The Korean Air program is no longer as robust as it once was due to the loss of key transfer partners. However, Korean Air SKYPASS remains a highly valuable program, boasting some excellent redemption sweet spots and a generous mileage expiration policy.
Ten years is virtually unlimited time when it comes to points and miles, since you should never hold onto any points or miles for that length of time. Miles are a devaluing currency, so you are always better off earning and burning them soon after.
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