From the bustling metropolis streets of Seoul to the sandy seashores of Busan, South Korea has quite a bit to supply. And though it is a lengthy (and infrequently costly) journey from the U.S., you are able to do it comfortably along with your airline miles or bank card factors. Seoul’s Incheon Worldwide Airport (ICN) has direct flights to a number of North American airports throughout varied South Korean and U.S. airways, providing you with loads of choices.
Right here, we’ll talk about one of the best methods to redeem factors and miles for flights from the U.S. to South Korea by airline.
Air Canada
Air Canada operates an in depth route community to most main U.S. cities, which you should use to hook up with ICN-bound flights from Air Canada’s hubs. The Canadian flag provider operates flights from the next cities to ICN:
- Montreal-Trudeau Worldwide Airport (YUL)
- Toronto Pearson Airport (YYZ)
- Vancouver Worldwide Airport (YVR)
Alaska Airways
Hawaiian Airways additionally flies from Daniel Okay. Inouye Worldwide Airport (HNL) to Seoul. Charges are extra affordable, with financial system class beginning at 35,000 miles and enterprise class beginning at 65,000 miles on many dates. Taxes and charges are the identical: $5.60 when departing HNL and $35 when departing ICN.
You’ll be able to switch Bilt Rewards Factors to Alaska Airways Mileage Plan. You may also switch American Categorical Membership Rewards factors to Hawaiian Airways after which switch these miles to Alaska.
American Airways
American Airways serves ICN from its Dallas Fort Value Worldwide Airport (DFW) hub. You should utilize American Airways AAdvantage miles to guide this route for as little as 35,000 miles in financial system, 66,000 miles in premium financial system or 81,000 miles in enterprise class for the subsequent a number of months. Nonetheless, pricing varies because the AAdvantage program dynamically costs American-operated flights. The excellent news is that taxes and charges are minimal, particularly when departing the U.S. You may pay roughly $35 in taxes and charges when flying from ICN to DFW.
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One other good possibility for reserving American flights to Seoul is Alaska Airways Mileage Plan. Nonstop flights on the DFW-to-ICN route value 37,500 miles in financial system class and 75,000 miles in enterprise class with minimal taxes and charges.
These with Capital One miles, American Categorical Membership Rewards factors or Citi ThankYou Rewards factors can even use Qantas Frequent Flyer to guide these flights. Nonstop flights on this route value 37,600 factors in financial system and 94,900 factors in enterprise class, and taxes and charges are between $250 and $350 one-way.
Asiana Airways
- Daniel Okay. Inouye Worldwide Airport (HNL)
- Los Angeles Worldwide Airport (LAX)
- John F. Kennedy Worldwide Airport (JFK)
- San Francisco Worldwide Airport (SFO)
- Seattle-Tacoma Worldwide Airport (SEA)
In case you have American Categorical Membership Rewards factors, Bilt Rewards factors, Capital One miles or Chase Final Rewards factors, your finest wager is normally reserving with Air Canada Aeroplan. You may pay 55,000 factors for an financial system ticket or 87,500 factors for enterprise class from JFK to ICN. West Coast flights are cheaper at 50,000 and 75,000 factors in financial system and enterprise class, respectively. Taxes and charges vary between $50 and $100 per flight.
In case you have United Airways MileagePlus miles, count on to pay 60,500 miles for an financial system ticket or 110,000 miles for a business-class ticket within the coming months, plus low taxes and charges. Notice that this pricing is identical whatever the U.S. airport from which you depart.
ANA Mileage Membership can current glorious offers as nicely. If you will discover award area, you will pay 60,000 miles in financial system and 130,000 in enterprise class round-trip from the U.S. to South Korea on Asiana or different Star Alliance airways. That mentioned, you may solely guide round-trip tickets (open jaws are allowed) and taxes and charges are average. You’ll be able to switch Amex factors to All Nippon Airways, however transfers take as much as 48 hours to course of.
Delta Air Strains
Seoul is one in all Delta’s fundamental Asian outposts, and you will find flights on the airline from the next airports to ICN:
- Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Worldwide Airport (ATL)
- Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW)
- Minneapolis-St. Paul Worldwide Airport (MSP)
- Seattle-Tacoma Worldwide Airport (SEA)
Reserving these routes with Delta SkyMiles is usually a respectable possibility for financial system flights, however do not count on a deal in enterprise class. The loyalty program costs award tickets dynamically. In our analysis, nonstop tickets on ICN-bound flights from varied U.S. airports begin at 68,000 miles in Most important Cabin financial system, 105,000 miles in Premium Choose (premium financial system) and 160,000 miles in Delta One enterprise class. It can save you 15% you probably have a Delta cobranded bank card.
Different reserving choices embody Air France-KLM Flying Blue and Virgin Atlantic Flying Membership. Nonetheless, no award area was out there in enterprise on the routes we searched. It is price checking these companions earlier than reserving with Delta SkyMiles, as pricing could also be decrease.
Korean Air
Korean Air is the biggest airline in South Korea and one of many largest in Asia. It has an in depth world route community from Seoul. It operates flights from ICN to the next airports:
- Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Worldwide Airport (ATL)
- Boston Logan Worldwide Airport (BOS)
- O’Hare Worldwide Airport (ORD)
- Dallas Fort Value Worldwide Airport (DFW)
- Daniel Okay. Inouye Worldwide Airport (HNL)
- Harry Reid Worldwide Airport (LAS)
- Los Angeles Worldwide Airport (LAX)
- John F. Kennedy Worldwide Airport (JFK)
- San Francisco Worldwide Airport (SFO)
- Seattle-Tacoma Worldwide Airport (SEA)
- Dulles Worldwide Airport (IAD)
Associated: Korean Air simply made enormous modifications to its look, eating and inflight facilities
These with American Categorical Membership Rewards factors, Bilt Rewards factors, Capital One miles, Chase Final Rewards factors or Citi ThankYou factors can switch to Virgin Atlantic Flying Membership to guide awards on Korean Air. From the East Coast, Korean Air flights value 37,000 factors in financial system or 100,000 miles in enterprise class, plus minimal taxes and charges. You’ll be able to guide flights from the West Coast for fewer factors — 31,000 in financial system and 85,000 in enterprise class — however award area is proscribed.
The most affordable solution to guide Korean Air business-class flights with factors and miles is with Alaska Airways Mileage Plan. You’ll be able to redeem 37,500 miles for financial system class and 75,000 miles for enterprise class from the U.S. to ICN every means. Once more, you may switch Bilt Rewards factors on to Alaska or switch Amex factors to Hawaiian after which switch these miles to Alaska.
United Airways
United operates nonstop every day service from SFO to ICN. On this route, you will discover United Polaris business-class seats, which supply a constantly comfy expertise throughout the Pacific.
United MileagePlus makes use of dynamic pricing for its personal flights, that means the worth you will pay varies by route, while you fly and while you guide. The bottom costs you are prone to discover on this route are 42,800 miles in financial system, 65,000 miles in premium financial system or 100,000 miles in enterprise class, plus minimal taxes and charges of $5.60 when departing the U.S. and round $34 within the different route. You’ll be able to switch Chase and Bilt factors to United.
As with Asiana flights, Air Canada Aeroplan is commonly one of the best deal in case you use Amex, Bilt, Capital One or Chase factors to guide United business-class tickets from SFO to ICN. You may pay 50,000 factors in financial system class or 75,000 in enterprise class, plus roughly $57 in taxes and charges on ICN-bound flights and $70 on U.S.-bound flights.
You may also use ANA Mileage Membership to guide round-trip flights on this route for 60,000 miles in financial system and 130,000 in enterprise class. Nonetheless, the constraints we mentioned when reserving Asiana flights with ANA Mileage Membership apply right here.
Finest factors inns in Seoul
Seoul is house to dozens of factors inns spanning all the key lodge loyalty packages. This is a take a look at just a few of our favourite properties within the South Korean capital, alongside pattern award pricing:
- Andaz Seoul Gangnam: 17,000 to 23,000 World of Hyatt factors per night time
- Conrad Seoul: From 70,000 Hilton Honors factors per night time
- Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas: From 44,000 IHG One Rewards factors per night time
- JW Marriott Dongdaemun Sq. Seoul: From 47,000 Marriott Bonvoy factors per night time
- Park Hyatt Seoul: 21,000 to 29,000 World of Hyatt factors per night time
- Voco Seoul Gangnam: From 26,000 IHG One Rewards factors per night time
Bank cards to carry to South Korea
Touring to South Korea means paying in South Korean received, so you need to journey with a credit score that does not cost international transaction charges. This can show you how to get monetary savings in your journey and earn rewards towards your subsequent journey.
Some playing cards to think about embody:
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Backside line
It is a lengthy flight from the U.S. to South Korea, however having factors and miles out there makes it simpler to fly there comfortably with out breaking the financial institution. If you happen to plan to guide any of the flights on this record along with your factors, begin your searches early, as award area is booked rapidly, particularly in enterprise class.
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