Marriott Launches Partnership with Korean Air
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
This week, Marriott a new partnership with Korean Air, adding to its existing partnerships with other airlines like British Airways, American Airlines, JetBlue and more. With this new deal, Marriott Rewards members can now earn Korean SKYPASS miles when they stay at more than 4,300 Marriott properties around the globe, and they can also convert their Marriott Rewards into SKYPASS miles.
This new partnership is a good opportunity for Marriott Rewards members to earn miles with Korean Air just for staying at Marriott properties as they normally would. The Marriott Rewards program is especially known for its seven-night Hotel + Air Packages, which reward members with miles for partner airlines when they use Marriott Rewards points to book a stay. However, because Korean is such a new partner, the carrier hasn't yet been added to a category on Marriott's website. But when the carrier is added, this will be a great redemption for your Marriott Rewards points, letting you convert points while also booking a seven-night award stay.
For Marriott Rewards members who stay at select Marriott properties and designate Korean Air SKYPASS as their preferred airline will receive:
- Two SKYPASS miles per dollar on qualifying hotel charges at JW Marriott, Autograph Collection, Renaissance, Marriott, Marriott Vacation Club and Delta Hotels by Marriott properties
- Two SKYPASS miles per dollar on the room rate only at Ritz-Carlton, EDITION and Gaylord Hotels
- One SKYPASS mile per dollar on the room rate only at Courtyard, AC Hotels, SpringHills Suites, Fairfield Inn & Suites, Residence Inn, TownePlace Suites, Marriott Executive Apartments, Moxy and Protea Hotels by Marriott
In addition, Marriott Rewards members can also choose to convert their Marriott Rewards points to SKYPASS miles at the following rates:
| Marriott Rewards Points | SKYPASS Miles |
|---|---|
| 10,000 | 1,500 |
| 20,000 | 3,500 |
| 30,000 | 7,000 |
| 70,000 | 17,500 |
| 140,000 | 35,000 |
Ideally you should have a specific redemption in mind before transferring your Marriott Rewards points to Korean. There are some good Korean Air redemptions available, such as flying from New York to Seoul one-way in first class for 80,000 SKYPASS miles plus taxes and fees. However, to get to that level, you'd need to convert 350,000 Marriott Rewards points — worth $2,450 based on TPG's most recent valuations.
Although converting Marriott Rewards points to Korean might seem like a good idea (and it well could be if you have excess points you don't know what to do with), you can also transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points to Korean Air at a 1:1 ratio. The new Chase Sapphire Reserve Card comes with a sign-up bonus of 100,000 Ultimate Rewards points after you spend $4,000 in the first three months — that's enough for four round-trip economy flights from anywhere in the US to Hawaii. The card also earns you 3x points per dollar on both travel and dining purchases.