Questions and Answers

I’m looking to travel from Toronto to Seoul – flying first class – and then stay at the Ritz in Seoul. What would be the most cost effective way to do this? I’m not picky about dates, and the amount of time I can spend their is flexible.

What points and miles do you have that can be used for the trip?

Only Korean Air serves flies YYZ-ICN non stop with a first class cabin. The other option is Air Canada. You will need KE SkyPass miles and is 160k round trip ([URL=’https://kr.koreanair.com/global/en/skypass/flight-award/award-ticket/peakseason.html’]240k if on peak season dates[/URL])

If you are able to get US based credit cards, I recommend the Chase Sapphire Reserve when its available, and the Chase Sapphire Preferred. Both cards plus the spend requirement should put you just around 160k UR points.

The Marriott/Ritz cards can help get you into the Ritz in Seoul. Points can also be transferred from Chase UR to Marriott

Hi!

Thank you for the detailed responses. I’m just starting out. Are there any other rewards programs I should be aware of for the flying portion? I don’t necessarily need a direct flight! I signed up for the KE SkyPass. When I’m just starting out am I able to leverage any discounts with the SkyPass or should I just be focused on collecting points? Do people in this community usually try to collect points through their friends and family as well? Any tips to collect points faster would be appreciated.

Second, I am living in Canada and I’m not able to sign-up for those credit cards by the looks of it. Are there any other cards you can suggest that would work for me?

Finally, I signed up for the Marriot Rewards Card. Is this the correct card? Again, how do I leverage this card in the interim – before I travel? I see that these places are offering CC’s as well. Do I sign up for those as well?

Apologies for all the questions, but I’m just starting out.