Cathay Pacific: The Complete Guide To Asia Miles, Asia’s Leading Travel & Lifestyle Rewards Program

Asia Miles is not just Cathay Pacific’s frequent flyer program. Members have extensive opportunities to earn rewards by spending from a wide range of lifestyle categories as well. This will include: hotels, dining, financial services, retail, technology, and much more. Asia Miles also offers great awards: such as hotel stays at 60,000 hotels, car rental services in 21 countries and thousands of lifestyle and experience options. To date, Asia Miles has over 12 million members, more than 800 program partners and 1,000+ destination with 20+ airline partners.

Check out our list with the best credit card bonuses here.

Read below for more information on what they have to offer.

Asia Miles Quick Facts

Earning Asia Miles

Compared to Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan, Delta SkyMiles and other frequent flyer programs based in the United States, earning rewards with Asia Miles comes with a little more difficulty, but it’s not impossible. Uncover all the ways to earn Asia Miles below.

Cathay Pacific Visa Signature Credit Card

American Express Membership Rewards & Other Transfer Partners

Another excellent way for Americans to rack up on Asia Miles is to transfer points from American Express Membership Rewards, Capital One Rewards, Citi ThankYou Rewards, Marriott Bonvoy, or World of Hyatt.

Amex Membership Rewards has great earning potential, with members earning thousands of points through welcome bonuses, upgrade offers, bonus categories, spending and their special Rakuten partnership. Amex also occasionally offers bonuses between 10% to 30% for transfers from Membership Rewards to Asia Miles.

Credit cards that earn Amex Membership Rewards include:

The Platinum Card from American ExpressAmerican Express Gold CardThe Business Platinum Card from American ExpressAmerican Express Business Gold Card

The Platinum Card® from American Express offers 125,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $8,000 on eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. You'll earn: • 5X Membership Rewards Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year. • 5X Membership Rewards Points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel. • $200 Hotel Credit: Get up to $200 back in statement credits each year on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts(R) or The Hotel Collection bookings through American Express Travel using your Platinum Card(R). The Hotel Collection requires a minimum two-night stay. • $240 Digital Entertainment Credit: Get up to $20 back in statement credits each month on eligible purchases made with your Platinum Card on one or more of the following: Disney+, a Disney Bundle, ESPN+, Hulu, The New York Times, Peacock, and The Wall Street Journal. Enrollment required. • With American Express Global Lounge Collection you can enjoy access to over 1,400 airport lounges globally, including The Centurion Lounge, Unlimited Delta Sky Club® Access when flying an eligible Delta flight, Escape Lounges, Lufthansa Lounges when flying Lufthansa Group, Plaza Premium, Priority Pass Select Lounges, & Additional Global Lounge Collection Partner Lounges subject to visit limitations. Lounges may have their own rules, like additional access rules and guest fees, and for Priority Pass Select, you need to enroll and there are unlimited airport lounge visits for Card Members. With Delta Sky Club Access, Card Members will receive 10 Visits to the Delta Sky Club to be used from February 1 until January 31 of the next calendar year and can unlock Unlimited Delta Sky Club Access by spending $75,000 in eligible purchases on their Card in a calendar year. To find a lounge, visit the membership section in the American Express App or visit http://www.americanexpress.com/findalounge#/loungefinder. • $155 Walmart+ Credit: Save on eligible delivery fees, shipping, and more with a Walmart+ membership. Use your Platinum Card to pay for a monthly Walmart+ membership and get up to $12.95 plus applicable taxes back on one membership (excluding Plus Ups) each month. • $200 Airline Fee Credit: Select one qualifying airline and then receive up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year when incidental fees are charged by the airline to your Platinum Card. • $200 Uber Cash: Platinum Card Members can ride or dine in style with $15 in Uber Cash each month, plus a bonus $20 in December after adding their Card to their Uber account. Use your Uber Cash on rides and orders in the U.S. when you select an Amex Card for your transaction. • $199 CLEAR® Plus Credit: CLEAR Plus helps to get you to your gate faster at 50+ airports nationwide and get up to $199 back per calendar year on your Membership (subject to auto-renewal) when you use your Card. CLEARLanes are available at 100+ airports, stadiums, and entertainment venues. • Receive either a $120 statement credit every 4 years for a Global Entry application fee or a statement credit up to $85 every 4.5 years for a TSA PreCheck (through a TSA official enrollment provider) application fee, when charged to your Platinum Card. Card Members approved for Global Entry will also receive access to TSA PreCheck at no additional cost. • Shop Saks with Platinum: Get up to $100 in statement credits annually for purchases in Saks Fifth Avenue stores or at saks.com on your Platinum Card. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required. This card comes with a $695 annual fee.¤ (See Rates & Fees), but you cardholders can enjoy Uber VIP status and up to $200 in Uber savings on rides in the US annually. Uber Cash and Uber VIP status is available to Basic Card Member and Additional Centurion Cards only. Terms Apply. Learn More About This Card

The American Express® Gold Card offers 75,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. You'll earn: • 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. • 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. • 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com. • 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com. • 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases. Other benefits: • $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That's up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards points for Uber Eats purchases made at restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply. • $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express(R) Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. • $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express(R) Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required. • $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express(R) Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required. • Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property. This card has an annual fee of $325 with no foreign transaction fees (See Rates & Fees). Terms Apply. Learn More About This Card

The Business Platinum Card® from American Express has a welcome offer of 250,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $20,000 in eligible purchases on the Card within the first 3 months of Card Membership. You'll earn: • 5X Membership Rewards Points on Flights, and Prepaid Hotels Booked through AmexTravel.com. • 1X points on other eligible purchases. • 1.5X points (that's an extra half point per dollar) on each eligible purchase at US construction material, hardware suppliers, electronic goods retailers, and software & cloud system providers, and shipping providers, as well as on purchases of $5,000 or more, on up to $2 million per Card Account per calendar year. Purchases eligible for multiple additional point bonuses will only receive the highest eligible bonus. • Unlock over $1,000 in statement credits on select purchases, including tech, recruiting and wireless in the first year of membership with the Business Platinum Card. Enrollment required. See how you can unlock over $1,000 annually in credits on select purchases with the Business Platinum Card • Fly like a pro with a $200 Airline Fee Credit. Select one qualifying airline to receive up to $200 back per year on baggage fees and other incidentals. • $199 CLEAR Plus Credit: Use your card and get up to $199 in statement credits per calendar year on your CLEAR Plus Membership (subject to auto-renewal) when you use the Business Platinum Card. • NEW! Make the Business Platinum Card work even harder for you. Hilton For Business members get up to $200 back per calendar year when you make an eligible purchase at Hilton properties across the globe. Benefit enrollment required. This card does come with a $695 annual fee. (See Rates & Fees) Terms Apply. Learn More About This Card

The American Express® Business Gold Card offers 100,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases with the Business Gold Card within the first 3 months of Card Membership.* 0% Intro APR ¤ for 6 months from the date of account opening on purchases eligible for Pay Over Time, then a 18.49% to 27.49% variable APR.* You'll earn more rewards: • 4X Membership Rewards points on the top two eligible categories where your business spends the most each month from 6 eligible categories. While your top 2 categories may change, you will earn 4X points on the first $150,000 in combined purchases from these categories each calendar year (then 1X thereafter). Only the top 2 categories each billing cycle will count towards the $150,000 cap.* • 3X Membership Rewards(R) points on flights and prepaid hotels booked on amextravel.com using your Business Gold Card.* • Earn up to $20 in statement credits monthly after you use the Business Gold Card for eligible U.S. purchases at FedEx, Grubhub, and Office Supply Stores. This can be an annual savings of up to $240. Enrollment required.* • Get up to a $12.95** statement credit back each month after you pay for a monthly Walmart+ membership (subject to auto-renewal) with your Business Gold Card. **Up to $12.95 plus applicable taxes on one membership fee.* This card does carry a $375 annual fee, but no foreign transaction fees. (See Rates & Fees) Terms Apply. Learn More About This Card

Capital One miles, Marriott Bonvoy points and World of Hyatt points don’t provide significant value, but they could be useful if you’re short on Asia Miles for an award.

Other Ways to Earn Asia Miles

Of course, there are a number of other ways to earn Asia Miles, including:

• Flying on Cathay Pacific, Qantas, and Oneworld alliance airlines.
• Shopping via the Asia Miles iShop online mall
• Booking hotel stays with partners
• Booking car rentals with partners
• Booking luxury airport transfer services with partners
• Buying Asia Miles

You can also credit Qantas flights to Asia Miles instead of your Qantas Frequent Flyer account.

Redeeming Asia Miles

If you want the best value for your Asia Miles, you’ll want to redeem them for flights with Cathay Pacific and its airline partners:

For the ultimate value, save your Asia Miles to redeem for a round-the-world trip in Business (240,000 miles) or First Class (345,000 miles).

You can also use Asia Miles for:

• Upgrades to the next class of service
• Extra baggage
• Extra-legroom seats
• Companion tickets (business or first-class only)

The following are other ways to redeem Asia Miles, but we generally don’t recommend them because they won’t give you the best mileage value:

• Travel awards: hotels, cars, experiences
• Lifestyle awards: travel accessories, electronics & gadgets, home & kitchen, beauty & wellness, wine & gourmet.
• Entertainment awards: concerts & shows, events & experiences, memorable moments
• Transfer to points
• Charitable donations

Asia Miles Expiration

Asia Miles earned from January 1, 2020 and onward expire after 18 months of account inactivity, so make sure to earn or burn miles once every year and a half. Miles earned up until December 31, 2019 still expire after three years.

If you have some Asia Miles that are expiring, and you have no use for them, consider donating them to one of the many non-profit organizations that Asia Miles supports.

Asia Miles Tips & Tricks

Asia Miles lets you book an award flight 360 days out from departure. That’s 30 days farther than American Airlines and Alaska Airlines, giving you first dibs on award availability.

Asia Miles allows stopovers and open-jaws on awards that can potentially save you thousands of miles. On a one-way award, you can have up to two segments and one stopover. So you can fly from New York, make a pitstop in Hong Kong for a few days, then continue on to Bangkok. This award ticket has the same pricing as a flight from new York to Bangkok with a four-hour layover n Hong Kong.

Pricing is also the same if your award ticket includes an open jaw. So you can fly from New York to Bangkok, then choose to fly out from Chiang Mai instead on our return trip to New York.

Unfortunately, you can’t book award tickets with stopovers or open-jaws online, so you’ll need to call Asia Miles or fill out a redemption request form and mail it in.

When transferring points from another loyalty program (Amex, Citi, etc), make sure that the names on both accounts match exactly. Otherwise, your rewards might not transfer smoothly. If a transfer is taking an unusually long time, we suggest you give Asia Miles a call.

You can redeem Asia Miles awards for someone else, but only if you’re in your “redemption group.” You’re allowed up to 5 individuals in your redemption group at any time. Once you’ve added your five members, Asia Miles will charge you $50 to replace an existing member.

Conclusion

Asia Miles members from the United States can easily earn rewards through the Cathay Pacific Visa Signature credit card, transferring points from Amex Membership Rewards and other transfer partners, flying Cathay Pacific and much more. Miles can then be redeemed for award flights in all classes and more. The program is appealing to those who fly Cathay Pacific, as well as its partners like Qantas and Qartar Airways, because of Asia Mile’s favorable redemption rates and rules.

Discover Savings Bonus: $150 or $200 Offer Code LOP325

Huntington Bank Bonuses: $100, $400, $1,000 Checking, Business Promotions for 2025

CIT Bank Bonuses: $225, $300 Bonus + Up to 4.10% Platinum Savings, Savings Connect, CD Rates

• 1
• 2
• 3
• …
• 5
• ›