SKYPASS SkyBlue Visa® Card: Is It Worth It?

The SKYPASS SkyBlue Visa® Card from Korean Air is a basic no-annual-fee credit card that offers some benefits for Korean Air flyers. However, with an unremarkable signup bonus and no bonus categories for Korean Air purchases, is this card really worth a slot in your wallet?

The SKYPASS SkyBlue Visa® Card is the entry-level credit card in Korean Air’s co-branded card lineup. With no annual fee, it may seem like an easy way to start earning SKYPASS miles. However, its lackluster rewards structure makes it hard to justify carrying this card long-term.

In this article, we will cover the pros and cons of the SKYPASS SkyBlue Visa® Card to help you decide if it’s the right card for you. We will compare it to other Korean Air credit cards and similar no-annual-fee travel rewards cards.

SKYPASS SkyBlue Visa® Card Benefits

Here’s a quick overview of the benefits offered by the SKYPASS SkyBlue Visa® Card:

Signup Bonus: 10,000 bonus miles after spending $1,000 in the first 90 days

Earning Rates:

2x miles on streaming services
2x miles on rideshare services
1x mile per $1 on other purchases

Other Benefits:

No annual fee
Auto rental collision damage waiver
Travel assistance services
Bilingual customer service

Limited Signup Bonus

The signup bonus for the SKYPASS SkyBlue Visa® Card leaves much to be desired. You’ll earn just 10,000 bonus miles after spending $1,000 in the first 3 months.

To put that in perspective, 10,000 SKYPASS miles are worth about $100 in airfare. That’s not even enough for a one-way domestic flight on Korean Air.

Many other no-annual-fee travel rewards cards offer signup bonuses of 25,000 points or higher. So the SKYPASS SkyBlue’s bonus falls well short of the competition.

Unimpressive Earning Rates

The SKYPASS SkyBlue Visa® Card offers just 2x miles in a couple of limited bonus categories:

Streaming services: 2x miles
Rideshare services: 2x miles

All other purchases earn only 1 mile per dollar spent.

Surprisingly, Korean Air flights are NOT a bonus category. You’ll earn the standard 1x mile rate when booking directly with Korean Air or its partner airlines.

Most airline credit cards offer 2x or 3x miles on airfare purchased directly with the airline. The fact that the SKYPASS SkyBlue card excludes Korean Air flights from its bonus categories is a major downside.

No Annual Fee

The main appeal of the SKYPASS SkyBlue card is that it has no annual fee. This makes it easy to keep the card long-term without having to justify a high annual cost.

However, there are many other no annual fee cards that offer better rewards earnings and more valuable benefits. So the lack of an annual fee doesn’t necessarily make this card a good option.

Other Benefits Includes:

Aside from the basics above, the SKYPASS SkyBlue Visa® Card does come with a few additional benefits:

Auto rental collision damage waiver: Provides coverage for damage due to collision or theft when renting a car.
Travel assistance services: Get help with things like medical referrals, document delivery, and trip planning.
Bilingual customer service: Available in English and Korean.

However, these ancillary benefits don’t add significant value to make up for the card’s lackluster rewards.

Drawbacks of the SKYPASS SkyBlue Card

Along with its limited benefits, the SKYPASS SkyBlue Visa® Card comes with a few drawbacks to be aware of:

No Mileage Boost for Korean Air Flights

As mentioned above, one of the biggest downsides is that you won’t earn bonus miles when booking Korean Air flights. Most airline cards offer 2-3x miles for airfare, so it’s unusual that the SKYPASS SkyBlue card excludes Korean Air purchases.

Foreign Transaction Fees

This card charges a 3% foreign transaction fee on purchases made outside the U.S. That can add up quickly if you use the card abroad.

Many travel rewards cards don’t charge foreign transaction fees. So it’s disappointing to see this fee on a airline credit card.

Low Rewards Value

The rewards earnings rate of just 1-2x miles makes it challenging to rack up enough miles for a free flight. You’d have to spend $50,000 on the card to earn enough for a one-way economy ticket to Asia.

Cards that offer 2x or more points on all purchases provide much more value.

Alternatives to the SKYPASS SkyBlue Card

Given its lackluster benefits, you may want to consider a different no-annual-fee travel rewards card instead of the SKYPASS SkyBlue Visa® Card. Here are a few better options:

Wells Fargo Active Cash Card

The Wells Fargo Active CashSM Card is a great alternative with no annual fee. You’ll earn:

2% cash rewards on purchases
$200 cash rewards bonus after spending $1,000 in the first 3 months

With an unlimited 2% back on everything, this card out-earns the SKYPASS SkyBlue Visa® Card for most purchases. The signup bonus is also twice as valuable.

Bank of America Travel Rewards Credit Card

The Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card offers:

1.5x points on all purchases
25,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 in the first 90 days

Like the SKYPASS SkyBlue card, there’s no annual fee. But you’ll earn rewards faster and the signup bonus is much bigger. Points can be redeemed for travel at one cent per point.

Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card

With the Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card you’ll get:

1.25x miles on all purchases
20,000 bonus miles after spending $500 in the first 3 months

This is another great pick if you want easy flat-rate rewards without an annual fee. Redeem your miles at one cent each towards travel purchases.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the signup bonus for the SKYPASS SkyBlue Visa® Card?

You’ll earn 10,000 bonus miles after spending $1,000 in the first 3 months.

Does the SKYPASS SkyBlue card offer bonus miles on Korean Air purchases?

No, surprisingly this card does NOT earn bonus miles when booking Korean Air flights directly. You’ll only earn 1x mile per dollar spent.

What are the foreign transaction fees on the SKYPASS SkyBlue card?

This card charges a 3% fee on all purchases made outside the United States.

What credit score do you need for the SKYPASS SkyBlue Visa® Card?

You’ll need a good credit score in the mid-600s to be approved for this card.

Can SKYPASS miles earned with the Blue Sky card be transferred to airline partners?

No, SKYPASS miles are only redeemable for award flights on Korean Air and its partner airlines. There is no option to transfer them to other loyalty programs.

Is the SKYPASS SkyBlue Visa® Card Worth It?

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.

The 10,000 mile signup bonus is worth less than $100 in airfare – not even enough for a one-way domestic flight on Korean Air. And you’ll earn miles at the same rate whether you book directly with Korean Air or not.

Most airline credit cards offer bonus miles specifically for airfare purchases with the affiliated airline. But the SKYPASS Blue card excludes Korean Air from its bonus categories completely.

The only real perk is no annual fee. But with such limited benefits and low earnings rates, there’s no good reason to choose this card over better no-annual-fee options.

Unless you’re a loyal Korean Air customer, you won’t get great value from this card. You can consider a flat-rate cash back card like the Wells Fargo Active CashSM Card instead to maximize your everyday spending.

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