[SKYPASS Lotte Amex] The best card for business owners with low annual fees for national taxes, National Pension & Health Insurance payments, and overseas spending. Comparison and usage tips. Worth checking out Baekmidang and Artisee. Scheduled for discontinuation on February 28, 2025.

Hello.

I’m a dentist who dreams of being both a master of implants and a gourmet.

Today is the day the credit card introduced last time is being discontinued. The BC Baro Air Plus Skypass, which had built a reputation as a card for local tax payments, has now stopped being issued. The Asiana mileage version is still available for issuance, though..

For cards used to pay local taxes, I especially recommend this card to business owners.

Not many people go without traveling at least once, right? I previously introduced a way to enjoy travel effectively by getting a top-tier Marriott Bonvoy membership tier~~

SKYPASS Lotte Amex Card

This is a card that has built a reputation as a SKYPASS mileage-earning card dedicated to paying national taxes.

Since issuance is scheduled to stop on February 28, 2025, I especially recommend that business owners get one if possible.

National taxes and overseas spending!

That is the reason you should get this card.

The SKYPASS Lotte Amex Card introduced today is a very straightforward card.

Its benefits are simple, and it is easy to use, so I think it is good as a main card and also excellent as a secondary card.

Korean Air miles are earned at 1 mile per KRW 1,000 spent.

Of course, I only use cards that earn at least 1 mile per KRW 1,000 spent. That is the basic option..

It is very appealing that you can earn 1 SKYPASS mile per KRW 1,000 spent without any previous month spending requirement and with no cap.

(However, this applies only to payments under KRW 65,000,000 per transaction. This probably won’t come up often.)

It is also quite appealing that overseas payments earn 2 SKYPASS miles per KRW 1,000 spent without any previous month spending requirement and with no cap. Many credit cards give extra mileage for overseas spending (usually 2 miles per KRW 1,000), but cards that satisfy both no previous month spending requirement and no cap are surprisingly rare.. That is also quite attractive.

Lastly, the mileage earning conditions are very generous. You know cards like this are hard to find these days, right?

Do you remember how enormous the excluded transactions list was for the Lotte Card Hilton Amex I mentioned earlier? This is proof that our Lotte Card has changed.......

In any case, for the SKYPASS Lotte Amex Card, which can only be issued until February 28, 2025, 1 SKYPASS mile is earned per KRW 1,000 spent at all merchants except certain ones such as local taxes and health insurance premiums, and you can even see that the miles are credited quickly, within 2-3 business days after the payment is made.

For the four major insurance types, health insurance and National Pension, which are the largest in amount, are also eligible for mileage accrual if you set up automatic payments.

However, employment insurance and industrial accident insurance do not earn mileage. So I set up automatic payments with the Shinhan Card Marriott Bonvoy.

(It is recognized not only for tier-related spending, but also for monthly spending. This is for when you want to receive certain complicated benefits..)

If you apply it creatively, you can also earn points on maintenance fees, gas bills, electricity charges, insurance premiums, and more. It is truly the strongest all-purpose card.

For maintenance fees, Samsung & Mileage also earns points. I used that card too.. and I think it is also a good card to use as a main one.

A benefit you should not forget.

AMEX brand-only services

All Amex cards can receive the two benefits above even without previous month spending.

I usually make sure to visit Baekmidang, which you can use twice a year. The reference period for that year is 1/1~12/31.

We usually go to the Baekmidang at Yongsan I'Park Mall. It applies even if it is inside a department store~.. I heard the Gangnam branch of Lotte Department Store also works. It also works if it is a directly operated store. I do like the Yeoksam Branch 1 location. Haha

The terms are written kindly, and my spouse and I usually get an iced latte or soft-serve ice cream. It comes to about KRW 5,000. Twice means KRW 10,000 in benefits. The annual fee for the card is KRW 20,000...... I also have the Hyundai Amex Platinum, so we use both cards for two visits.

(The iced latte is my preference, but it is also the most expensive. Haha)

At Artisee, you get one extra iced Americano. In other words, if you buy something, you get one extra iced Americano. They give it six times a year, but since there is no Artisee near where I live, I barely manage to use it about twice a year. Haha There is one at Yongsan I'Park Mall.

In addition, you get a 10% discount at SG Dinehill, a place I am very fond of.

I usually went to SG Dinehill restaurants, which are quite expensive, mainly during Dinehill Week, when they offer a 50% discount... In any case, if you go to Tongue-ggeumsim on the weekend, you can get a 10% discount. The disappointing part is that my favorite, Samwon Garden, is not included.. ㅠㅠ

It seems this was not available last year, but now there is a 10% discount benefit for MUTAN. I remember this because I visited the Apgujeong MUTAN location and gave it a harsh review, then got reported on the blog.......... Hmm, but it is still a long-established famous restaurant, so I will visit again someday..

Unfortunately, although it is an Amex brand card, the tier is low, so you cannot use the BE MY GUEST benefit.

Also, because it has a low annual fee, you probably should not expect airport lounge access, hotel valet service, or free airport coffee.

Who should get the SKYPASS Lotte Amex Card?

All of my cards are focused on helping you accumulate plenty of SKYPASS miles.

As you will know if you actually use them, using mileage to get airline tickets in economy class is clearly inefficient. But it is a bit easier to use.. For miles to really shine, you need a clear intention to use them for business class or first class tickets. Of course, it is also natural that travel should be one of your hobbies.

National taxes come to individuals in various forms.

If you visit the National Tax Service website, you can see what counts as national taxes.

Income tax, corporate tax, comprehensive real estate holding tax, inheritance tax, gift tax, value-added tax, individual consumption tax, and so on that many people have heard of...

These national taxes can be paid online by credit card if you bear an additional 0.8% fee (why do I have to bear it..), and if you use the SKYPASS Lotte Amex Card introduced today, you earn 1 SKYPASS mile per KRW 1,000 spent.

So if you judge that 1 SKYPASS mile can be used for a value of roughly 0.8% or more, then it is worth using.

If you are booking an airline ticket for a longer-haul route such as Southeast Asia, miles can be used for more than KRW 30 per mile if you buy the right award chart ticket. However, for closer destinations like Jeju or Japan, the efficiency drops a lot. You should first understand your own spending and travel patterns.

Also, the fact that overseas spending earns 2 SKYPASS miles per KRW 1,000 with no conditions and without a cap is quite good. As far as I know, the only better card than this is the Korean Air the First Hyundai Card.

As I have lived as a business owner, I am required to pay income tax, and I am also required to pay the four major insurances.

Even if you only use this card for income tax, health insurance, and National Pension payments... you will be able to collect quite a lot of airline miles. Highly recommended..

The annual fee is low at KRW 20,000. If you get the card, the validity period is 5 years, so that is a total of KRW 100,000. It is good for people who expect to have the tax-related payments mentioned above over the next 5 years to apply as well, right? And even if you only occasionally go to Baekmidang, you can recover the annual fee..

In addition, there is no previous month spending requirement and no mileage cap..... I hope you do not miss this....

Every time I introduce a card, it feels like I am writing a paper. Haha I try to write accurately, and I also want to help all of us make wiser spending decisions.

Just as the value of a product shines the better you understand how to use it, credit cards are the same.

If you set them up appropriately, they seem to help much more than simply leaving them alone without thinking about them ^^

As someone with a job that is destined to live as a business owner, I wrote this post diligently because I wanted to share useful information. If I missed anything or got anything wrong, please leave a comment~!!

That is all for Dentist Baek’s Introduction to Credit Card Studies!!