Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific is thought to be one of many world’s greatest airline manufacturers, and affords an important expertise in each top quality and enterprise class, together with superb lounges in Hong Kong and at some outstations.
In case you requested me about Cathay Pacific’s Asia Miles program 5 years in the past, I’d in all probability let you know to not even trouble having a look at it. That’s as a result of prior to now, Cathay Pacific has made most of its first and enterprise class award area obtainable to members of accomplice frequent flyer applications, like Alaska Mileage Plan and American AAdvantage.
Sadly post-pandemic, that’s not the case. These days Cathay Pacific restricts a overwhelming majority of its premium cabin award area to members of its personal frequent flyer program. At this level I’d say Cathay Pacific Asia Miles is kind of a mandatory evil if you wish to fly premium cabins on Cathay Pacific with miles. Due to this fact I determine it’s price taking an in depth have a look at this system, as a result of there’s worth available.
Let’s focus on the fundamentals of incomes Cathay Pacific miles, after which the fundamentals of redeeming them, together with the very best redemption values.
The best way to earn Cathay Pacific Asia miles
In case you don’t at present have any Cathay Pacific miles, don’t fear. For these of us in the US with entry to transferable factors currencies, Cathay Pacific miles are among the many best currencies to rack up.
Cathay Pacific Asia Miles companions with Amex Membership Rewards, Bilt Rewards, Capital One, and Citi ThankYou, so any of these factors provide you with entry to Cathay Pacific miles.
Fundamentals of redeeming Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
Earlier than we discuss the very best methods to redeem Cathay Pacific miles, let me focus on among the logistics and phrases that include redeeming, together with mileage expiration insurance policies, award sorts, stopovers, and extra.
Cathay Pacific mileage expiration
With regards to the mileage expiration coverage, Cathay Pacific miles don’t expire so long as you might have at the least some account exercise each 18 months. Nearly any exercise that features incomes or redeeming miles would lengthen the expiration, starting from crediting a flight to this system, to transferring some factors from a bank card accomplice.
Cathay Pacific mileage award charts
Cathay Pacific has totally different award pricing, relying on whether or not you’re seeking to e book journey on Cathay Pacific, a accomplice airline, or a mix of the 2.
The beneath award chart covers journey completely on Cathay Pacific, and it’s distance based mostly, factoring in your total one-way journey.
Cathay Pacific has totally different award pricing for journey on accomplice airways, although sadly there’s not a broadcast award chart for that. So it is advisable simply search on Cathay Pacific’s web site to search out the pricing for a selected flight.
Final however not least, Cathay Pacific has the oneworld multi-carrier award chart, which is distance based mostly and components in your cumulative distance flown. This is applicable for those who’re touring on at the least two oneworld airways excluding Cathay Pacific, or three oneworld airways together with Cathay Pacific. That is nice for those who’re planning a around the world journey, as 5 stopovers are allowed.
Cathay Pacific mileage redemption surcharges
Many airways are identified for charging pesky service imposed surcharges (sometimes called gas surcharges). Within the case of Cathay Pacific, the airline doesn’t move on these surcharges for those who’re redeeming the mileage foreign money for flights on Cathay Pacific.
Nonetheless, Asia Miles does move on service imposed surcharges when touring on accomplice airways. These will sometimes match what the accomplice airline would cost instantly on a income ticket. Nonetheless, in some instances there are discrepancies, which I’ll cowl in additional element beneath.
Cathay Pacific mileage stopover coverage
In order for you a stopover on an award ticket, Cathay Pacific permits one stopover on a roundtrip award. This consists of for journey on Cathay Pacific, in addition to for journey on accomplice airways. For the oneworld multi-carrier awards, you’re allowed as much as 5 stopovers.
The catch is that no matter the kind of award you e book, it is advisable reserve by telephone as a way to make the most of the stopover function.
Cathay Pacific mileage change & cancelation charges
With regards to Cathay Pacific’s coverage on award ticket modifications and cancelations, the charges differ relying on whether or not you’re altering or canceling a ticket:
- Altering an award ticket will price you both $50 or 7,500 miles
- Redepositing an award ticket will price you both $120 or 17,000 miles
You possibly can select which approach you’d wish to pay, although based mostly on my valuation of miles, I are likely to suppose that paying money is the higher worth. With many airways having lowered or decreased change and redeposit charges, that is positively among the many increased charge constructions on the market.
Cathay Pacific mileage award redemption nominees
To keep away from fraud, many frequent flyer applications (notably in Asia) limit who you may redeem your miles for, both limiting redemptions to relations, requiring you to appoint solely sure individuals to your account, and so on. That’s additionally the case with Cathay Pacific.
Cathay Pacific solely helps you to redeem miles for your self or for a redemption nominee. You possibly can nominate as much as 5 redemption nominees for gratis over the lifetime of your account. Due to this fact, you may change as much as three nominees per yr, with a service charge of $50 per redemption change. This is applicable to every nominee who’s added when you attain the restrict (which requires changing present nominees).
The most effective makes use of of Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
I attempt to be sensible on the subject of protecting the place I see worth with a selected frequent flyer program. As I discussed firstly of this publish, 5 years in the past I assumed that Cathay Pacific Asia Miles was a ineffective program for these of us with transferable factors. That’s as a result of accomplice applications had entry to a lot of the identical award area on Cathay Pacific because the service’s personal program, whereas Asia Miles has pretty few accomplice candy spots.
That has modified, so let’s focus on that in a bit extra element.
Unlocking award availability on Cathay Pacific
The one Most worthy side of Cathay Pacific Asia Miles is having the ability to redeem for first and enterprise class journey on Cathay Pacific, given how a lot that availability has been restricted by accomplice applications. Availability is significantly better by Asia Miles than by accomplice applications. Availability nonetheless isn’t good, although, however it’s higher.
Simply to spotlight a few of Cathay Pacific’s premium cabin redemption charges:
- Extremely-short one-way enterprise class flights inside Asia will price you 16,000 miles, barely longer flights inside Asia will price you 28,000 miles, and lots of the longest flights inside Asia will price you 32,000 miles (or 50,000 miles in top quality, for routes like Hong Kong to Tokyo)
- Flights from Hong Kong to the US west coast will price you 84,000 miles in enterprise class or 125,000 miles in top quality
- Flights from Hong Kong to the US east coast will price you 110,000 miles in enterprise class or 160,000 miles in top quality
What’s award availability like on Cathay Pacific for premium cabin journey?
- I discover enterprise class award area inside Asia to typically be fairly good, and available
- Lengthy haul enterprise class award area is certainly higher to the Center East, Europe, and Australia, than to North America, the place it’s extraordinarily powerful to return by
- I’ve written individually about Cathay Pacific top quality awards, that are additionally powerful to search out availability for, however it’s not unimaginable
How do you discover Cathay Pacific award availability? You’ll must go to Cathay Pacific’s web site and log into your loyalty account, which you’ll sign-up for at this hyperlink (for those who’re not but a member). Upon getting an account and are logged in, simply go to the “Redeem flights” tab, after which enter the route you’re taking a look at. For instance, beneath is a search of the Los Angeles to Hong Kong route.
Thankfully there’s a solution to see calendar availability, so that you could view obtainable seats for 2 months at a time. Slightly than clicking “Redeem flights” immediately, simply choose your entire preferences (together with the category of service), after which click on the “Departing on” subject. You’ll then see a calendar that exhibits you little icons that replicate availability, based mostly on the cabin you’re trying to find.
In case you see a date that has the little seat icon, which means there’s availability for a selected cabin (the brown colour is for top quality, whereas the turquoise colour is for enterprise class or economic system).
From there you may go forward and e book your ticket.
Cathay Pacific Asia Miles award availability is under no circumstances superb — it’s not like how EVA Air Infinity MileageLands has entry to a whole lot of EVA Air enterprise class award area. However it’s higher than nothing, and higher than what you’ll discover by different applications.
Are Asia Miles accomplice award redemptions price it?
In case you’re thinking about Cathay Pacific Asia Miles for accomplice redemptions, there are two important alternatives to contemplate. For probably the most half, Cathay Pacific’s accomplice award pricing isn’t very profitable, and also you’ll discover higher worth by different applications.
One candy spot price calling out is that Asia Miles has decrease surcharges on British Airways than you’d pay if reserving instantly with Govt Membership or one other accomplice program. For instance, a Boston to London British Airways top quality award would price you 100,000 Cathay Pacific miles plus a complete of ~$236 in taxes and costs.
As some extent of comparability, reserving that very same award by American AAdvantage would price you 85,000 miles plus ~$731 in taxes and costs.
The potential financial savings in surcharges are huge, as you may inform.
The one different potential candy spot is the Asia Miles oneworld multi-carrier award chart, which might be a good way to plan a around the world journey. For instance, for 250,000 miles you may e book an award in enterprise class protecting a distance of 20,001-25,000 miles. That has the potential to be an important deal, although personally it’s one thing I’d draw back from:
- Discovering availability for all segments after which reserving by telephone has an enormous problem issue
- There are service imposed surcharges on many companions, so that you’ll probably be paying fairly a bit of money for such an award
- Reserving a single award with so many stopovers limits your flexibility to alter plans, particularly given what number of applications allow you to e book easy one-way awards these days with much more flexibility
So for those who’re tremendous affected person, and expert at discovering award availability, and have very agency plans, there’s worth available. Nonetheless, personally I don’t suppose the juice is well worth the squeeze, so to talk.
Backside line
Cathay Pacific Asia Miles is an more and more helpful frequent flyer program, for the easy indisputable fact that it’s one of the simplest ways to e book premium cabin awards on Cathay Pacific. These days Cathay Pacific has restricted a overwhelming majority of its first and enterprise class award area to members of its personal frequent flyer program.
Whereas Cathay Pacific doesn’t have nice award area throughout the board, enterprise class awards inside Asia are typically fairly available, and first and enterprise class awards can be found on lengthy haul flights with a whole lot of planning and suppleness.
Whereas there are a few accomplice candy spot alternatives with Cathay Pacific Asia Miles, I’d primarily think about this system for Cathay Pacific redemptions.
What has your expertise been with redeeming Cathay Pacific Asia Miles?
