Compare 14 loyalty programs for San Francisco to Seoul award flights, with economy seats from 30,000 points.
San Francisco to Seoul is a transpacific route, and nonstop award space shows up on Korean Air and United Airlines. Award pricing spans 14 programs, and economy starts at 30,000 points with Delta SkyMiles. With this many programs in play, the same seat can price very differently depending on where you book it. This page lines up every program on SFO–ICN in one place.
Best one-way award prices per airline over the next 12 months.
| Airline | Economy | Premium economy | Business | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 DeltaDL | 30,000Lowest | 80,000pts | 101,500pts | 126,500Lowest |
 Korean AirKE | 31,000pts | Not available | 101,500pts | Not available |
 American AirlinesAA | 35,000pts | 91,000pts | 137,000pts | 177,000pts |
 Alaska AirlinesAS | 35,000pts | Not available | 60,000Lowest | 150,000pts |
 Cathay PacificCX | 38,000pts | 78,000pts | 119,000pts | Not available |
 Qatar AirwaysQR | 38,000pts | Not available | Not available | Not available |
 United AirlinesUA | 39,800pts | 65,000pts | 250,000pts | 306,907pts |
 KLMKL | 40,000pts | 125,500pts | 225,000pts | Not available |
 Air CanadaAC | 41,140pts | 60,000Lowest | 85,000pts | Not available |
EVA AirwaysBR | 41,140pts | 170,000pts | Not available | Not available |
When award seats between San Francisco and Seoul price cheapest over the next year.
| Month | Cheapest award (points) |
|---|---|
| Nov 2026 | 30,000 |
| Dec 2026 | 30,000 |
| Jan 2027 | 31,000 |
| Feb 2027 | 31,000 |
| Mar 2027 | 35,000 |
| Apr 2027 | 31,000 |
| May 2027 | 31,000 |
| Jun 2027 | 41,140 |
| Jul 2027 | 34,000 |
| Aug 2027 | 34,500 |
| Sep 2027 | 34,500 |
| Oct 2027 | No award data |
16 airlines with award seats between San Francisco and Seoul, nonstop or connecting.
American AirlinesAAAir CanadaAC
AeromexicoAMAlaska AirlinesAS
JetBlueB6Cathay PacificCXDeltaDL
EmiratesEK
Etihad AirwaysEY
LufthansaLH
Qantas AirwaysQFQatar AirwaysQR
Singapore AirlinesSQ
Turkish AirlinesTKUnited AirlinesUA
Virgin AtlanticVSWhat to know before booking San Francisco to Seoul with points.
~5,650 miles; ~11h50 nonstop (approximate). Seoul runs 16 hours ahead of San Francisco (17 while San Francisco is on standard time). Data covers November 2026–October 2027, with calendar prices for 11 months. Of the well-covered ones, November and December 2026 are the cheapest (30,000 points); pricier months include March 2027 (35,000) and June 2027 (41,140).
San Francisco to Seoul is served by American Airlines, Air Canada, Air France and 27 more, offering multiple options for award travelers. Compare 14 loyalty programs to find the best value for your points. Award prices start from 30,000 points in economy. Use our search tool to check real-time award availability on this route.
At about 5,650 miles from San Francisco International Airport (SFO) to Seoul's Incheon International Airport (ICN), a nonstop runs roughly 11h50, give or take with the winds. Korean Air and United Airlines both carry nonstop award space in the data. The Boeing 787-10 appears on some of those nonstop award segments. Only about 3% of the award options in the data are nonstop, so most results connect.
The cabin call comes first on San Francisco–Seoul; on a long-haul trip, the right program follows from it. The cheapest economy seat connects once; skipping the connection means an economy nonstop on either carrier at a higher price. Listed taxes on the economy floor, about $11, look incomplete for an international departure, so confirm the cash cost at checkout. Moving up to business costs about double the economy points. Delta SkyMiles is a bank-points transfer partner, but transfers are one-way, so confirm the seat before moving anything.
Delta SkyMiles wins economy at 30,000 points. American AAdvantage takes business class at 60,000 points. First class starts at 126,500 points through Virgin Atlantic Flying Club on a connecting itinerary, often first on one leg only, so confirm the cabin on each flight. The other 11 programs include Air France-KLM Flying Blue, Air Canada Aeroplan, and United MileagePlus. Partner pricing sets the business class floor, so the program and the airline flying the seat differ.
Two airlines show nonstop award space on San Francisco–Seoul: Korean Air (SkyTeam) and United Airlines (Star Alliance). Partner programs in both alliances can price a nonstop here, not just the carriers' own. If you're open to a stop, the better-priced connecting awards in the data run through Los Angeles, Seattle, and Taipei.
Departing the San Francisco area, San Jose (SJC) has priced economy from 55,000 points across the tracked dates, above SFO, so it's a backup for when SFO space is gone. Related award routes at last check: Honolulu to Seoul from 25,500 points and San Francisco to Amsterdam from 13,000. Seoul awards can also arrive at Gimpo (GMP). It's worth confirming the arrival code before moving points.
Alternative corridors travelers consider alongside San Francisco to Seoul.
From 4,000 ptsBusiness 17,300 pts
From 4,900 ptsBusiness 21,000 pts
From 5,000 ptsBusiness 19,300 pts
From 5,000 ptsBusiness 23,000 pts
From 7,000 ptsBusiness 30,000 pts
From 8,000 ptsBusiness 43,600 pts
Common questions travelers ask about the San Francisco to Seoul route.
