Award System
Cathay Pacific
Max. Point Value 1.20 ¢
Do Points Expire? Yes
Point Transfer Options
Transfer To Spouse/Partner Yes - $$
Transfer To Friends Yes - $$
You load your points. We’ll show you valuation and transfer options.
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Travel Partner Transfers
Outside Point System Cathay Pacific
Transfers In From
2:1 0% value retained
1:1 75% value retained
5:1 0% value retained
1:1 80% value retained
1:1 92% value retained
1:1 75% value retained
10:1 24% value retained
5:1 40% value retained
3:1 57% value retained
5:2 28% value retained
The Highlights
Asia Miles has value, but it's more complex than most programs.
- You can book partners like American and British Airways, but partner awards can be tough to find online.
- Fuel surcharges apply on many carriers, especially British Airways and Cathay itself.
- Award pricing is distance-based, not region-based, which makes it harder to plan optimal redemptions.
- Transfers from Amex, Citi, Capital One, and Bilt make miles easy to earn, but transfers can take 1–2 days.
What to Know About This Point System
Cathay Pacific is a member of the One World Alliance, which includes American Airlines, British Air, Qatar, and Qantas. They’re also partnered with Amex, Citi and Bonvoy for point transfers. What makes Cathay most attractive is they have the best search engine for international One World Alliance flights. Cathay also has a decent transfer value.
Here is a trick, though. American Airlines Awards' search engine leaves much to be desired. But if you have American points, you can usually call and book a One World Alliance flight. Cathay’s search engine can be a good guide as to what’s out there on One World. It might also be the best deal.
Associated Alliance
Airlines within oneworld Alliance
How to Redeem
Redeem for Airfare
The best way to redeem Asia Miles is by booking flights on Cathay Pacific or one of its partner airlines. Cathay does not publish an official reward chart, but award pricing is distance based for both Cathay flights and partner flights.
To search for award flights, log in, hover over “Flights,” then select “Redeem with miles” under “Book your flight.” Enter your trip details and search. Partner awards will appear when available, though some partners require calling to book.
Round the World Trip on Cathay
If you want to book an around-the-world trip with miles, Cathay Asia Miles is one of the best programs to use. Their RTW option offers strong value for long, multi-segment trips. While Cathay doesn’t offer an online RTW booking tool, you can use the Oneworld multicarrier award chart to build a custom itinerary. It can be complex, but the value can be outstanding.
Parameters of putting together a round the world flight on Cathay:
- Up to five stopovers, two transfers or layovers, and two open-jaws.
- Your itinerary can cover up to 50,000 total miles.
- It must include at least three Oneworld airlines, including Cathay Pacific and at least two others.
- Your trip must also begin and end in the same city, but unlike a standard alliance RTW ticket, you do not need to fully circumnavigate the globe.
- Alliance-issued RTW tickets are far more restrictive.
To book one of these tickets:
- You must find award space for every segment
- Then call Cathay to book it
- These itineraries cannot be booked online.
- Pricing follows the multicarrier award chart.
Companion Ticket Award
Cathay also offers a Companion Ticket Award. If you buy a paid business or first class ticket on Cathay Pacific, you can use miles to book a companion in the same cabin at a discounted rate. These companion awards use a dedicated award chart and must be round trip flights.
Status Levels Explained
There are four status levels with Cathay Pacific. The lowest, Green, is earned simply by signing up for a free account. To move up, you must earn Status Points by flying on Cathay Pacific or one of its partners. The easiest way to see how many Status Points you’ll earn for a specific flight is to use their points calculator.
You must earn the required Status Points within a membership year. Once earned, your status is valid for one year from the date you enrolled, renewed, upgraded, or downgraded into your current tier.
When you sign up, you receive Green status. Benefits include:
- Earning Asia Miles and Status Points
- Priority check-in (available up to 48 hours in advance)
- Extra baggage redemption
- Extra legroom seat redemption
- 24-hour free flight ticket cancellation
What to Know Before Canceling
We don’t recommend the Cathay Pacific World Elite Mastercard, since the signup bonus is small and the benefits don’t justify the $99 annual fee. If you do get the card and later decide to cancel, remember that your Asia Miles expire after 18 months of no activity. Any earning or redeeming resets the clock. As always with transfer partners, confirm award space before transferring points, since transfers are one-way.
Breaking Points