Bank of America Asiana Airlines American Express card review

Bank of America Asiana Airlines American Express card review

Updated: December 16, 2022
Updated: December 16, 2022
Ratings Policy
Low Interest Rating:
0 rating
0 rating
0 / 5
Rates, Fees, Penalties:0.0
Rewards:0.0
Features:0.0
Issuer Customer Experience0.0

In a Nutshell:

With a nearly $100 annual fee, the Asiana Airlines card is not the best choice for saving on credit card costs, though the interest rate is reasonable for a rewards card. This card offer is no longer available.

Regular APR
16.99-24.99% (variable)

Fair

Introductory Purchase APR
None

Poor

Introductory Balance Transfer APR
None

Poor

Fees

  • $99 annual fee
  • 3% balance transfer fee
  • No foreign transaction fee
  • 3% cash advance fee
Very Good

Penalties

  • $38 late payment fee
  • No penalty APR
  • $27 returned payment fee
Very Good

Bank of America Customer Service Ratings

  • J. D. Power 2020 customer satisfaction rating: 812 (20% of issuers in this category ranked higher)
  • 24/7 customer service?: Yes
  • Online chat available?: Yes
  • Google Play Store mobile app rating: 4.8/5
  • Apple Store mobile app rating: 4.7/5
Average

Other Notable Features: $100 annual rebate on Asiana Airlines ticket, 2 Asiana lounge passes per year, no foreign transaction fee, retail protection coverage, overdraft protection, emergency assistance service, car rental loss and damage insurance, concierge service, identity-theft recovery unit

Ratings Policy
Rewards Rating:
0 rating
0 rating
0 / 5
Rewards Value:0.0
Annual Percentage Rate:0.0
Rewards Flexibility:0.0
Features:0.0
Issuer Customer Experience0.0

In a Nutshell:

One of the few airline cards to offer a bonus on everyday purchases and a reasonable APR for all cardholders, the Asiana Airlines American Express card is a good value for regular visitors to South Korea. This card offer is no longer available.

Rewards Rate

  • 3:1 on Asiana Airline purchases
  • 2:1 gas and groceries
  • 1:1 general purchases
Very Good

Sign-up Bonus

  • 30,000 miles if you spend $3,000 in first 90 days
  • 10,000 annual bonus miles certificate
Very Good

Annual Bonus
10,000 bonus mile certificate

Excellent

Annual Fee
$99

Poor

APR
16.99-24.99% (variable)

Excellent

Rewards Redemption
Pros

  • No blackout dates
  • Large number of partner airlines
  • One-way tickets permitted
  • Open-jaw itineraries permitted with extra miles
  • One stopover allowed per one-way trip
  • No phone booking fee

Cons

  • Miles expire in 10-12 years
  • Moderate fuel surcharges on some Asiana flights
Excellent

Bank of America Customer Service Ratings

  • J. D. Power 2020 customer satisfaction rating: 812 (20% of issuers in this category ranked higher)
  • 24/7 customer service?: Yes
  • Online chat available?: Yes
  • Google Play Store mobile app rating: 4.8/5
  • Apple Store mobile app rating: 4.7/5
Fair

Other Notable Features: $100 annual rebate on Asiana Airlines ticket, 2 Asiana lounge passes per year, no foreign transaction fee, retail protection coverage, overdraft protection, emergency assistance service, car rental loss and damage insurance, concierge service, identity-theft recovery unit

CardMatchFind card offers for you: This card is not currently available on CreditCards.com, but you can still find a great card offer for you! Our CardMatch tool can help match you with prequalified offers and cards that align with your credit history – with no harm to your credit score. Get personalized offers from our partners in seconds.

This card offer is no longer available.

The Asiana Airlines American Express card offers an above-average mile-earning scheme and a few other benefits worthy of your consideration. In addition, Asiana Airlines is a member of Star Alliance, which means you can use Asiana Club miles to fly on nearly 30 airlines anywhere in the world.

However, the sign-up bonus is a bit low for a $99 annual fee card, and the benefits mostly relate to Asiana flights. So if you are not a devoted Asiana flyer, you’ll probably be better off with other airline cards.

Moderate sign-up bonus

You get 30,000 Asiana Club miles if you spend $3,000 in the first 90 days of opening an account. This is on par with many airline co-branded cards, which offer sign-up bonuses of 20,000 miles or more.

The card also rewards loyal cardholders for their ongoing membership. You receive a 10,000 mileage discount coupon every year for as long as you carry the card.

Excellent earning scheme

The Asiana Airlines card comes with one of the best earning schemes among airline cards. You get 3 miles for every dollar you spend on Asiana Airlines purchases, 2 miles per dollar on gas and groceries, and 1 mile for everything else. Gas and groceries are two very lucrative earning categories. Offering twice the miles on these types of purchases should enable most cardholders to build up a large amount of miles simply from using the card on an everyday basis.

Fair award rates and good availability

Asiana Club offers good rates and excellent availability on flights between the U.S. and Asia. Thanks to Asiana’s partnership with 26 Star Alliance airlines, Asiana miles not only get you to Korea and surrounding countries, but can be redeemed for rewards tickets to most major destinations, with excellent coverage around the globe. On the downside, flights with partner airlines can’t be booked through Asiana’s website. Instead, you have to call a reservations agent. But at least there’s no fee for phone reservations.

Asiana does add fuel surcharges to its award flights originating outside Korea, but they are relatively low  – around $200 per round-trip flight between the U.S. and Korea.

Good airline perks

The card comes with a few good airline perks. The most valuable of these is the $100 annual rebate, which you receive after purchasing an Asiana Airlines ticket. The rebate will be credited to your credit card account within one to two billing cycles after the transaction.

You also receive two Asiana lounge passes at U.S. airports annually in the month of your anniversary date.

Why get the Asiana Airlines card?

  • You frequently fly on Asiana Airlines
  • You value the lounge passes.
  • You don’t care about the annual fee, because the $100 rebate cancels it out after the first flight.

How to use the Asiana Airlines card:

  • Pay for your flights with the Asiana Airlines American Express card to make sure you maximize the earnings and get the $100 rebate.
  • Use your card to buy gas and groceries so that you can take advantage of double miles.
  • Avoid redeeming Asiana Club miles on airlines with heavy fuel surcharges (such as most European airlines, including British Airways, Lufthansa and others) for transoceanic travel.

Our reviews and best card recommendations are based on an objective rating process and are not driven by advertising dollars. However, we do receive compensation when you click on links to products from our partners. Learn more about our advertising policy

All reviews are prepared by CreditCards.com staff. Opinions expressed therein are solely those of the reviewer and have not been reviewed or approved by any advertiser. The information, including card rates and fees, presented in the review is accurate as of the date of the review. Check the data at the top of this page and the bank’s website for the most current information.

Responses to comments in the discussion section below are not provided, reviewed, approved, endorsed or commissioned by our financial partners. It is not our partner’s responsibility to ensure all posts or questions are answered.