Let’s talk about Cathay Pacific Asia Miles, one of the seldom used, but very opportunistic travel loyalty programs in Canada. 

In Canada, we have access to several frequent flyer programs that give you the ability to book flights with a wide variety of airlines. 

Air Canada/Aeroplan

WestJet Rewards

British Airways Avios

But these airlines aren’t the only airlines providing travel options for Canadians. While Cathay Pacific Asia Miles isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when Canadians think of air travel, it is an international airliner that can provide Canadians with immense value when traveling internationally. 

Cathay Pacific Asia Miles is the frequent flyer program of Cathay Pacific Airways, one of the major airlines based in Hong Kong. It allows passengers to earn and redeem miles when flying with Cathay Pacific, its subsidiaries, and partner airlines within the Oneworld alliance and other partner airlines.

The program rewards members with “Asia Miles” based on the distance traveled and the class of service booked. These miles can then be used for a variety of benefits, including flight redemptions, upgrades & hotel stays.

In this post, we’ll walk through the ins and outs of the Cathay Pacific Asia Miles, and how Canadians can maximize the program to earn free international flights. 

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Here Are 10 Things Canadians Need to Know About Cathay Pacific Asia Miles

Cathay Pacific Asia Miles Program Overview

How to Earn Cathay Pacific Asia Miles	Cathay Pacific flights Transfer From American Express Membership Rewards Transfer from RBC Avion Points Cathay Pacific credit cards Airlines partners
How to Redeem Cathay Pacific Asia Miles	Cathay Pacific Business Class tickets Economy Class flights with partner airlines Business Class flights with partner airlines
Value of Cathay Pacific Asia Miles	1 Asia Mile – 1.6 cents/pt

1. You Can Use Asia Miles to Travel on the Following Airlines:

Cathay Pacific is part of the Oneworld Alliance. Their partners include American Airlines, Finnair, British Airways, Qantas, LATAM, and Japan Airlines, amongst others.

You can view more information about OneWorld here

Earning Asia Miles

2. You Can Transfer American Express Membership Rewards to Cathay Pacific Asia Miles

This is the easiest way to earn Asia Miles.

You can earn a high amount of Asia Miles by transferring out your American Express Membership Rewards. 

Membership Rewards (MR) is the travel currency earned directly through American Express credit cards. 

One of, if not the best reason for you to start collecting American Express Membership Rewards is that you can transfer your MR to a bevy of transfer partners including: 

• Air Canada/Aeroplan
• British Airways Executive Club 
• KLM/Flying Blue
• Asia Miles 
• Delta Airways Sky Miles
• Etihad Guest
• Marriott Bonvoy Points
• Hilton Honours Points

You can view the transfer ratios below 

If you intend on taking a flight through Cathay Pacific, or one of their travel partners, American Express Membership Rewards can help you get there. The 1:1 transfer ratio is a fantastic value. Occasionally, American Express will offer “bonus transfers” on certain airlines or hotel partners. 

You can earn Membership Rewards through several credit cards offered by American Express 

The American Express Platinum Card is a great way to earn Membership Rewards. 

Sign up Here

The $799 annual fee (which comes with a $150 rebate through GreatCanadianRebates) is offset by the following perks & benefits:

• Sign-up Bonus:
  • 70,000 MR points upon spending $10,000 in the first three months
  • 30,000 MR points upon making a purchase between months 14-17 of cardmembership
• Earn Rate: 
  • 2 MR points per dollar spent on travel, groceries & dining
  • 1 MR point everywhere else
• Insurance:
  • Emergency Medical Travel Insurance – up to $5,000,000
  • Car rental damage insurance 
  • Trip Canacellation Insurance- up to $3,000
  • Hotel Burglary insurance – up to $1,000
  • Baggage delay insurance – up to $1,000
  • Lost or stolen baggage insurance – up to $1,000
• Perks
  • $200 annual travel credit
  • $200 annual dining credit
  • Special discounts for cardholders, which are sent via email
  • $100 Nexus credit
  • Instant Gold status at Marriott Bonvoy
  • Instant Gold status at Hilton Honours
  • Access to Pearson Priority Security Lane during peak operating times
  • Complimentary valet service at the Express Park and Daily Park at Pearson Airport
• Lounge Access
  • Priority Pass (+1 guest)
  • Plaza Premium Lounges (+1 guest)
  • Delta Sky Club
  • Airspace Lounges (+2 guests)
  • Centurion Lounges
  • SwissPort Lounges (+1 guest)

While the $699 annual fee seems daunting initially, the 100,000 Membership Rewards ($1,700 in value) will earn you potentially multiple free flights. 

Canadians will have to make a personal decision as to whether or not the $799 (minus the $200 travel credit & $299 food & beverage) annual fee is worth spending after year one.

Several other cards allow you to earn Membership Rewards including:

American Express Business Platinum – 90,000 Membership Rewards

American Express Business Gold – 70,000 Membership Rewards

American Express Business Edge – 45,000 Membership Rewards

American Express Personal Gold – 60,000 Membership Rewards

American Express Cobalt Card – 15,000 Membership Rewards

3. You Can Transfer RBC Avion Points to Asia Miles 

While collecting American Express Membership Rewards is a great way to earn a large amount of Asia Miles, it’s certainly not the only way 

For those who are collecting RBC Avion Points, those points can be converted to Asia Miles at a 1:1 ratio with the occasional 30% transfer bonus.  

The RBC Avion program allows RBC credit cardholders to earn points for their purchases, and these points can be redeemed for various rewards such as travel, merchandise, and gift cards.

RBC Avion points are particularly popular for their flexibility in redeeming for travel-related rewards, including flights, hotel stays, and car rentals. Cardholders can accumulate points based on their spending habits and then use those points to offset the cost of travel expenses or acquire other eligible rewards.

RBC currently offers many credit cards that allow you to earn Avion Points.

Currently, the RBC Visa Infinite Avion is the easiest way to earn a large amount of Avion points

Sign up here

The $120 annual fee is offset by the following perks & benefits:

• Sign-up Bonus:
  • 35,000 Avion points upon approval
  • 20,000 Avion points upon spending $5,000 in the first 6 months
    • Total of 55,000 Avion points
• Earn Rate: 
  • 1.25 Avion points per dollar spent on travel
  • 1 Avion point everywhere else
• Insurance:
  • Emergency Medical Travel Insurance
  • Trip Interruption insurance – up to $5,000
  • Cancellation Insurance – up to $25,000
  • Flight delay insurance – up to $500
  • Mobile device insurance – up to $1,500
• Perks
  • Special discounts throughout the year

The RBC Visa Infinite is a great way to earn transferrable Avion points, and the lack of a high spending threshold can be great for those who don’t spend much on the card 

Canadians will have to make a personal decision as to whether or not the $120 annual fee is worth spending after year 1. It also should be noted that RBC allows you to rotate through different credit cards without a new credit check, continuously earning a modified signup bonus each time.  

How to Transfer Your RBC Avion Points to Airline Partners

A. Click “Avion Rewards” on your banking homepage

B. Click on the “Transfer Points” tab at the top of the screen

C. Scroll down to the “Convert Points” section and click on “Convert Now”

D. Determine the amount you want to convert and confirm the transfer

4. You Can Transfer Marriott Bonvoy Points to Asia Miles 

Marriott Bonvoy Points can also be converted to Cathay Pacific Asia Miles at a transfer ratio of 60,000 Bonvoy Points = 25,000 Asia Miles, although that ratio is less than optimal, and should only be done as a last resort. 

Cathay Pacific is a transfer partner of a number of hotel loyalty programs including:

Hotel Loyalty Program	Transfer Ratio
Accor Live Limitless	2:1
Best Western Rewards	5:1
Hilton Honors	10:1
IHG Rewards Club	5:1
Regal Rewards	15:1
Shangri-La Golden Circle	1:1
World of Hyatt	2.5:1

5. Canadians Can Earn Asia Miles Through the Neo Financial Cathay Pacific world elite Mastercard

If you’ve ever used Aeroplan in the past, you’re probably familiar with the process of earning Aeroplan miles through their branded credit cards. Naturally, Cathay Pacific has a similar offering.

If you regularly fly with Cathay Pacific or intend on taking a trip with Cathay Pacific, or their partners over the next year, the Neo Financial Cathay Pacific World Elite Mastercard is a great tool you can leverage to reduce the cost of your flight. 

Apply now

The annual fee of $180 is offset by the following benefits:

• Sign-up Bonus:
  • 15,000 Asia Miles upon approval
  • 15,000 Asia Miles after spending $3,000 in the first 3 months
• Earn Rate: 
  • 2 Asia Miles on Cathay Pacific flights
  • 1 Asia Mile everywhere else
• Insurance:
  • Emergency medical travel insurance – up to $1,000,000
  • Car rental damage insurance 
  • Hotel burglary insurance – up to $1,000
  • flight delay insurance – up to $250 per day
  • Trip cancellation/interruption insurance – up to $1,000 a day
  • Lost/delayed baggage insurance – up to $1,000 a day
• Perks
  • Priority check-in
  • Spacious seat selection on Cathay Pacific flights
  • Access free Boingo Wi-Fi

If you’re taking a Cathay Pacific flight in the next 12-18 months, this is a great card to have in your wallet. Outside of that though, there is little reason to have this as part of your credit card portfolio. 

6. You Can Earn Asia Miles by Flying with Cathay Pacific

As you’d expect you can earn Asia Miles by flying with Cathay Pacific

You earn Asia Miles based on the zone you’re traveling to and the cabin you’re in. The cost of the flight does not impact the number of Asia miles earned. Longer flights will earn more miles

• Economy class earnings: 300-8,700 miles
• Business-class earnings: 800-12,000 miles
• First-class earnings: 1,000-15,00 miles

7. You can Transfer US Reward Points to Asia Miles

If you are in a position to secure US credit cards, you can earn Asia by applying for several US credit cards including:

• Cathay Pacific Visa Card

You’ll also have the ability to transfer your US miles to Asia Miles. These transfer partners include:

• American Express Membership Rewards (1:1 ratio)
• Citi Thank You Miles (1:1 ratio)

Redeeming Asia Miles

8. Asia Miles Redemptions Are Distanced Based 

For those who are familiar with Aeroplan, you’re used to using points within different geographical regions. 

Cathay Pacific uses a completely different redemption system. The amount of Asia Miles needed for your trip will be dependent on the distance flown.

The chart below illustrates the number of Asia Miles required for CATHAY PACIFIC Redemptions:

When redeeming your Asia Miles for flight redemptions, there are a few terms and conditions that you’ll need to be aware of including: 

• A one-way flight can contain a maximum 2 segments
• A one-way flight can not contain a stopover
• A round-trip flight can contain a maximum of 4 segments
• A round-trip flight can contain a maximum of 1 stopover

You can view the full chart here

Partner Redemptions

There are redemption options for a Cathay Pacific flight + 1 carrier partner is the same as the redemption chart listed above, except you will need to add 5,000 Asia Miles to the cost. 

The online booking process for partner flights can be a little tricky. 

The process for actually booking these tickets is also a little bit complicated. You can only book tickets for a handful of partners online. The following airlines show award space and are bookable on the Asia Miles website:

• Alaska Airlines
• British Airways
• Cathay Pacific
• Cathay Dragon
• Finnair
• Iberia
• Japan Airlines
• LATAM
• Malaysia Airlines
• Qantas
• Qatar Airways
• Royal Jordanian
• S7 Airlines
• SriLankan Airlines

Here is a step-by-step guide on booking a flight with Asia Miles by Youtuber Max Miles Points

9. There is a Different Redemption Chart for Multi-Carrier Flights

If you’re redeeming your Asia Miles for a trip that includes multiple airlines, you will be subject to the redemption chart below

This chart is applicable for:

• Two Oneworld alliance airlines, which Cathay Pacific is not one of your selected carriers; or
• Three or more Oneworld alliance airlines, which Cathay Pacific is one of your selected carriers.

10. Cathay Pacific and some of Their Airline Partners Have Fuel Surcharges

Another thing to remember when redeeming your Asia Miles on both Cathay Pacific and their airline partners is that fuel surcharges are applied to certain airlines. 

Fuel surcharges can range from $0 to as high as hundreds of dollars. This will depend on the airline in which you’re flying.

To find out if your flight has fuel surcharges, follow these steps:

1. Visit the ITA Matrix Website
2. Type in your originating and destination cities
   • Click Advanced Controls right below the Destination search box
   •  Type the airline code (ex: British Airways is “BA”)
3. Search your dates
4. Choose your cabin
5. If applicable, choose nonstop
6. Type in your currency in the search box
7. Click Search
8. Choose your desired flights
9. Look for a Carrier-imposed surcharge (YQ/YR)
   • This is your fuel surcharge

Cathay Pacific Asia Miles Valuation 

Given the distance-based rewards chart, you can find sweet spots when booking with Asia Miles. 

Asia Miles Valuation: 1.6 cents/Mile 

Competitor Analysis

Cathay Pacific Asia Miles vs Aeroplan 

Asia Miles & Aeroplan both have similar characteristics within their programs. Both programs are accessible through American Express Membership Rewards, and both offer branded credit cards to further increase the ways you can earn points. 

The big difference between the two programs is that domestic travel isn’t available through Asia Miles, while Air Canada flights can be booked through Aeroplan. 

With that in mind, you should only collect Asia Miles for international travel.  

If you intend on taking an international flight, you will be able to research the amount of points needed through both Aeroplan & Asia Miles and collect your points accordingly. 

flightconnections.com is a great resource for determining which airlines service which cities. From there, you can backtrack your research to determine if Asia Miles or Aeroplan is the appropriate program for your vacation.

Conclusion

While Aeroplan gets a lot of buzz amongst Canadian travelers, the Cathay Pacific Asia Miles program should not be overlooked. 

By leveraging the lucrative signup bonuses through Membership Rewards, and by leveraging the branded credit cards offered through Neo Financial, you can easily save up to $1,000 on your dream vacation. 

4 Tips to Help You on Your Travels

1. If you think you’ll be taking a trip with Cathay Pacific, or one of their travel partners, leverage the lucrative signup bonuses through American Express and transfer your miles. 
2. Supplement your Asia Miles earnings by signing up for either the Cathay Pacific Visa Platinum card or the RBC Visa Infinite card. These Visas can be used at establishments that don’t accept American Express 
3. Remember to leverage Marriott Bonvoy Points or HSBC Rewards to top up your Asia Miles, but only do so as a last resort. 
4. Sign up for Cathay Pacific promotional emails. You can create a “deals” section within your inbox if you’d prefer to compartmentalize your incoming emails.