Originally Posted by
artemis
Or visa-versa. It's one reason why one-way awards are so handy. Just check first on the Korean Air segment how may points it would cost to book it via United Mileage Plus versus how many points + fuel surcharge fees it will cost to book it via Korean Air's ff program. Then transfer the Chase points to whichever ff program is offering the better deal. Chase points transfer almost instantly. Do make sure you open a Korean Air ff program membership well before you might need it, just to be safe. (In fact, I'd do that now, so you don't forget.)
You're welcome!
Just to be clear, Korean Air is not a United MP partner, so a Korean Air segment cannot be booked via United Mileage Plus.
Whichever UR partner you transfer to, check to make sure there is adequate availability before you make the transfer (and be prepared to redeem as soon as the points transfer). There is no ability to move points
back into UR so if you transfer and there isn't availability, you're out of luck.
Korean Air award charts are on their website, with differing amounts for "peak" (which typically includes parts of Jul and Aug) and "off peak" travel on Korean Air and a different chart for redemptions on their partners.