17 Best Ways To Earn Lots of Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
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Cathay Pacific, Hong Kong’s largest airline, is a founding member of the Oneworld Alliance and offers flights to over 140 destinations. Its hub is located at Hong Kong International Airport.
In this post, we’ll show you all the ways to earn miles in the Cathay Pacific frequent flyer program, Asia Miles. Your earned miles can then be redeemed for various travel and lifestyle rewards!
Table of contents
Table of Contents
The Cathay Pacific Asia Miles Program
1. Enroll in Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
Asia Miles members earn miles by taking Cathay Pacific flights and booking travel with its many partners.
Free memberships are available to travelers ages 2 and up, but consent is required from a parent or legal guardian for those under 17.
After enrolling in Asia Miles, you will receive a confirmation email with an attached temporary membership card so you can start earning miles right away. Asia Miles are valid for 3 years from the month miles are credited to the account.
The Marco Polo Club Program?
Cathay Pacific has a separate elite status program called the Marco Polo Club.
While Asia Miles members earn miles they can redeem for travel rewards, Marco Polo Club members earn tier miles. These miles are used to move up status tier levels and get access to flight perks like priority boarding and lounge access.
Unlike many other loyalty programs that offer bonus miles based on status, Marco Polo Club members do not earn bonus Asia Miles.
Note that Marco Polo Club members are automatically enrolled as Asia Miles members, but Asia Miles members are not automatically enrolled in the Marco Polo Club. If you are interested in the Marco Polo Club, you can enroll here.
Bottom Line: Asia Miles is the program used for earning miles toward award flights, and is what we will discuss in this article. Marco Polo Club is the elite status program.
2. Earn Miles for Cathay Pacific Flights
Always provide your membership number when making a reservation, and present it during check-in to ensure you receive the applicable miles in your account. The airline advises keeping your boarding passes and tickets until miles have been applied to your account.
Asia Miles launched a totally new earning table Cathay Pacific and Cathay Dragon flights on June 22, 2018:
| Cabin Class | Fare Class | Asia Miles Earned by Distance Zone (One-way) | |||||
| Ultra-Short 1-750 miles | Short 751-2,750 miles | Medium 2,751-3,700 miles | Medium-Long 3,701-5,000 miles | Long 5,001-7,500 miles | Ultra-Long 7,501+ miles | ||
| Sample Destinations (Departing to or from Hong Kong) | |||||||
| Taipei, Kaohsiung, Manila | Tokyo, Shanghai, Singapore, Bangkok, Mumbai | Cairns, Dubai | Bahrain, Sydney, Melbourne, Tel Aviv | Paris, London, Johannesburg, Los Angeles, Vancouver | Boston, Chicago, New York, Toronto | ||
| Economy | S,N,Q | 330 | 1,000 | 1,850 | 2,300 | 3,330 | 4,350 |
| M,L,V | 590 | 1,800 | 3,330 | 4,140 | 5,990 | 7,830 | |
| Y,B,H,K | 650 | 2,000 | 3,700 | 4,600 | 6,650 | 8,700 | |
| Premium Economy | E | 650 | 2,000 | 3,700 | 4,600 | 6,650 | 8,700 |
| W,R | 750 | 2,300 | 4,260 | 5,290 | 7,650 | 10,010 | |
| Business | D,I | 810 | 2,500 | 4,630 | 5,750 | 8,310 | 10,880 |
| J,C | 880 | 2,700 | 5,000 | 6,210 | 8,980 | 11,750 | |
| First | F,A | 1,140 | 3,500 | 6,480 | 8,050 | 11,640 | 15,230 |
Hot Tip: Create a Redemption Group by nominating up to 5 friends and family members. As the Principal Member, you may transfer Asia Miles to group members in blocks of 5,000 with a 10,000-mile minimum. Service fees apply; see Terms and Conditions for more information.
Using Credit Cards To Earn Asia Miles
3. Cathay Pacific Credit Card
The Cathay Pacific Airways Visa® from Synchrony Bank directly earns Asia miles. Bonuses have ranged from 25,000-75,000 miles.
4. American Express Membership Rewards Cards
Are you enrolled in the American Express Membership Rewards program? If so, you can convert the Membership Rewards you earn to Asia Miles at a 1:1 ratio. The following table lists credit cards you can use to earn Membership Rewards.
Recommended Amex Cards (Personal)
| The Platinum Card® from American Express - There's currently a welcome bonus of 60,000 points after spending $5,000 in your first 3 months. This is our favorite card for getting into 1,200+ airport lounges worldwide (including Priority Pass) and we get about $1,500+ in value from the card every year. Plus, get up to $200 in Uber credits annually ($15 per month and a $20 bonus in December) — and up to $200 in annual credit for airline incidental charges (e.g. baggage fees). For rates and fees of the Platinum Card, click here. |
| American Express® Gold Card - We love using this card as it earns 4x points at restaurants worldwide and 4x points at US supermarkets (up to $25,000; then 1x). With a welcome bonus of 35,000 points after you spend $2,000 in your first 3 months and a $100 airfare credit per year, for many this is an easy addition to your wallet. For rates and fees of the Gold Card, click here. |
Recommended Amex Cards (Business)
| The Business Platinum Card® from American Express - Even though this card carries a hefty annual fee, we get ~$1,250+ in value per year by leveraging as many of the benefits/perks card. Get access to 1,200+ airport lounges worldwide, $200 in airline fee credits for incidentals (e.g. baggage fees) and a lot more. Also, earn a welcome bonus of up to 75,000 points (terms apply). For rates and fees of the Business Platinum, click here. |
| American Express® Business Gold Card - probably our favorite Amex business card because we earn 4x points across the top 2 select categories that we spend the most money in each month. The 4x points applies to the first $150,000 in combined purchases from these 2 categories each calendar year. This means you'll max out at a (whopping) 600,000 points per year. After that, you earn 1x. For rates and fees of the Business Gold Card, click here. |
| The Blue Business℠ Plus Credit Card from American Express - This is a real simple card that earns you 2x points on business purchases up to $50,000 annually (then 1x). There's no annual fee. For rates and fees of The Blue Business Plus, click here. |
5. Citi ThankYou Rewards Credit Cards
Citi ThankYou points transfer to Asia Miles.
Each 1,000 ThankYou points = 1,000 Asia Miles!
| CREDIT CARD | CARD INFO |
|---|---|
| Citi ThankYou® Premier Card |
|
| Citi Prestige® Card |
|
6. Capital One Miles
Capital One miles now transfer to Asia Miles at a 2:1.5 ratio. Instead of redeeming your Capital One miles in the Capital One Travel Portal for cash tickets, you now have the option to transfer them to your Asia Miles account.
Using Asia Miles can potentially save a ton of miles when looking to book first or business class tickets by using the Asia Miles award chart compared to 1 cent per point of the cash ticket price using the Capital One Travel Portal.
Make sure you have a Capital One card that has the transferable miles feature. Here are our picks:
Recommended Capital One Cards That Earn Miles (Personal)
| Capital One® VentureOne® Rewards Credit Card - This is an excellent card for those looking to earn 10x miles per $1 across thousands of hotels. With a 20,000 mile sign up bonus (worth $200) after spending $1,000 within the first 3 months and no annual fee, it's a strong choice. |
| Capital One® Venture® Rewards Credit Card - A card for the more serious traveler. Earn a 50,000 mile sign up bonus (worth $500) once you spend $3,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening — and 10X miles per $1 spent across thousands of hotels. The annual fee is $0 intro for the first year, then $95 after that. |
Recommended Capital One Cards That Earn Miles (Business)
| Capital One® Spark Miles Select For Business - This no annual fee card has a 20,000 mile sign up bonus after meeting the minimum spend of $3,000 within the first 3 months. Save on interest with 0% intro APR on purchases for 9 months; 15.24% - 23.24% variable APR after that. |
| Capital One® Spark Miles For Business - Earn 50,000 miles once you spend $4,500 on purchases within 3 months from account opening. Annual fee: $0 intro for first year; $95 after that. |
7. Marriott Credit Cards
You can earn Marriott points and transfer those to Cathay Pacific at a transfer rate of 3:1. Plus, for every 60,000 Marriott points that you transfer, you’ll receive an extra 5,000 Asia Miles bonus.
Cathay Pacific Asia Miles Travel Partners
8. Cathay Pacific Partner Airlines
Cathay Pacific is a Oneworld Alliance member and has additional partner airlines. Earn miles by flying these partner airlines and crediting your miles to Cathay Pacific. Here are some current rates.
| Oneworld Partners | |
| American Airlines | Malaysia Airlines |
| British Airways | Qantas |
| Cathay Pacific | Qatar Airways |
| Finnair | Royal Jordanian |
| Iberia | S7 Airlines |
| Japan Airlines | SriLankan Airlines |
| LATAM Airlines |
Cathay Pacific also has its Asia Miles partners:
| Asia Miles Travel Partners |
| Aer Lingus |
| Air China |
| Air New Zealand |
| Alaska Airlines |
| American Airlines |
| Bangkok Airways |
| British Airways |
| Cathay Pacific |
| Gulf Air |
| Iberia |
| Japan Airlines (JAL) |
| Jet Airways |
| LATAM |
| Malaysia Airlines |
| Qantas Airways |
| Qatar Airways |
| Royal Brunei Airlines |
| Royal Jordanian Airlines |
| S7 Airlines |
| SriLankan Airlines |
9. Cathay Pacific Hotel Partners
Cathay Pacific has A LOT of hotel partners all over the world, making it easier than ever to earn loads of extra Asia Miles. Click on a hotel link for more information about the individual offer.
| Hotel | Offer | Hotel | Offer | Hotel | Offer |
| Best Western Hotels & Resorts | 250 miles/ stay | Cathay Hospitality Management | 250 miles/ stay | Cosmos Hotels & Resorts | 250 miles/stay |
| E-DA Skylark Hotel | 250 miles/ stay | eslite hotel | 500 miles/ stay | Fairmont Hotels & Resorts | 500 miles/ stay |
| Formosa Hotel Alliance | 250 miles/ stay | Gloria Hotel Group | 250 miles/ stay | Harbour Plaza Hotels & Resorts | 500 miles/ stay |
| Home Hotel | 250 miles/ stay | Hotel JAL City | 250 miles/ stay | Hotel Rêve | 250 miles/ stay |
| Hotel Éclat Beijing | 500 miles/ stay | Hotel Éclat Taipei | 250 miles/ stay | Hotelday+ | 250 miles/ stay |
| Humble House Taipei | 500 miles/ stay | Hyatt Hotels & Resorts | 500 miles/ stay | InterContinental Hotels Group | 500 miles/ stay |
| Jinling Hotels & Resorts | 500 miles/ stay | Landis Hotels & Resorts | 500 miles/ stay | Langham Hospitality Group | 500 miles/ stay |
| Lotte Hotels & Resorts | 500 miles/ stay | MDW Consulting Inc | 500 miles/ stay | Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group | 500 miles/ stay |
| Marco Polo Hotels | 500 miles/ stay | Marriott International | 1 mile/ $2 | Meritus Hotels & Resorts | 500 miles/ stay |
| Millennium Hotels and Resorts | 500 miles/ stay | Minor Hotel Group | 500 miles/ stay | Miramar Hotel Group (Taiwan) | 250 miles/ stay |
| New Century Hotels & Resorts | 500 miles/ stay | Nikko Hotels International | 500 miles/ stay | Okura Hotels & Resorts | 500 miles/ stay |
| PARKROYAL Hotels & Resorts | 500 miles/ stay | Pan Pacific Hotels and Resorts | 500 miles/ stay | Park Plaza Hotels & Resorts | 500 miles/ stay |
| Preferred Hotels & Resorts | 500 miles/ stay | Radisson Hotels & Resorts | 500 miles/ stay | Raffles Hotels & Resorts | 500 miles/ stay |
| RedDot Hotel & Culture | 250 miles/ stay | Regal Hotels International Limited | 500 miles/ stay | Regent Hotels & Resorts | 500 miles/ stay |
| Rosewood Hotels & Resorts | 500 miles/ stay | Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts | 500 miles/ stay | Sino Hotels | 500 miles/ stay |
| Swire Hotels | 500 miles/ stay | Swissôtel Hotels & Resorts | 500 miles/ stay | Taipei Fullerton Hotel | 250 miles/ stay |
| Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces | 500 miles/ stay | The Ascott Limited | 150 miles/ night | The Peninsula Hotels | 50 miles/ stay |
| The Sherwood Taipei | 500 miles/ stay | WORLDHOTELS | 500 miles/ stay | Wonstar Hotel | 250 miles/ stay |
Stay at a Hilton Worldwide property and choose Points & Miles to double dip from Honors: earn 10 Honors points + 1 Asia Mile per eligible USD spent!
10. Converting Hotel Points
Earning miles with partner hotel stays is great, but it’s not the only way to get miles from hotel stays. The hotels in the table below also allow you to convert reward points to Cathay Pacific Asia Miles!
| Hotel | Transfer Ratio |
| Best Western Rewards | 5,000:1,000 |
| Hilton Honors | 10,000:1,000 |
| IHG | 5:1 |
| Jinling Hotels & Resorts | 3,200:500 |
| Marriott | 3:1 |
| Park Plaza and Radisson Gold Points | 10:1 |
| Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts | 1:1 |
| The Ritz-Carlton | 1:2 |
| Wanda Hotels & Resorts | 4:1 |
11. Partner Hotel Credit Cards
You can also use credit cards associated with hotel loyalty programs to earn reward points. Then, just transfer those points to your Cathay Pacific Asia Miles account! For example, Hilton Honors, Marriott Bonvoy, and World of Hyatt all have branded credit cards.
| CREDIT CARD | CARD INFO |
|---|---|
Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card |
|
| Hilton Honors American Express Card |
|
Marriott Bonvoy Boundless™ card |
|
| IHG® Rewards Club Premier Credit Card |
|
| Chase Hyatt Credit Card |
|
12. Partner Rental Car Agencies
Rent a car with a Cathay Pacific partner and earn 500 miles or 1 frequent flyer program mile per $1.
| Car Rental Agency | Earned Miles | Car Rental Agency | Earned Miles |
| Alamo Rent A Car | 500 miles/rental | National Car Rental | 500 miles/rental |
| Avis | Up to 500 miles/rental | Blacklane | 2 miles/$1 |
| Conxx | 1 mile/$1 | Europcar | 500 miles/rental |
| Hertz | Up to 500 miles/rental | Sixt | 500 miles/rental |
| myDriver – by Sixt | 3 miles/$1 |
Shopping for Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
13. Asia Miles iShop
The Asia Miles iShop includes online retailers in categories including fashion, home, office, and so much more.
It doesn’t cost more to shop through the iShop links. In fact, the prices are the same as if you shopped with the merchants directly…but you’re earning miles at the same time!
Making purchases through the Asia Miles iShop is simple.
- Sign in to the Asia Miles iShop website.
- Enable the “cookies” function, so Asia Miles can track your path from iShop to the merchant’s website and allocate miles.
- Click “Shop Now” under the merchant’s description.
- Purchase the items you want.
You’ll receive an acknowledgment email within 5 days and another email once the merchant approves your transaction. The miles will appear in your account within 30 days.
Special Offers from Asia Miles
14. The Asia Miles Offers and Promotions Page
Find deals from Cathay Pacific travel partners and non-travel partners worth extra Asia Miles on the Special Offers page. Check back frequently for new deals!
15. Cathay Pacific Holidays
Purchase travel through Cathay Holidays Limited right from the Cathay Pacific website. Check out the table below to find out how many Asia Miles you can earn when booking a personalized package.
16. PointsHound
Earn at least 1 Asia Mile per $1 for completing a reservation at any hotel booked on PointsHound. To start earning:
- Sign up for an account at PointsHound.com.
- Choose Asia Miles as your “Preferred Program” and enter your membership number.
- Browse hotels based on your travel dates.
- Use your credit card to reserve a hotel.
- Your Asia Miles will credit to your account when you complete your stay.
17. Earn Asia Miles for Booking a Hotel Meeting
Book a qualified event at one of the participating Langham Hotels and Resorts, and not only will you get a place to hold your meeting, but you’ll also get Asia Miles! Meetings at Langham Hospitality Group properties earn as follows:
See terms and conditions for offer rules.
Also, earn Asia Miles for booking a meeting or event at a participating Hilton or Conrad Hotel. Receive 1 Asia Mile and 1 Hilton Honors point per $1 spent.
Final Thoughts
Hopefully, this article has shown you how to maximize the miles you earn with Cathay Pacific in very simple ways. For an international airline based in Hong Kong, Cathay Pacific provides plenty of opportunities for members in North America to earn miles.
If you haven’t already enrolled in the Asia Miles loyalty program, it’s time to do it now! Then you can start racking up the miles in your Cathay Pacific Asia Miles account.
Photo Credit:
Cathay Pacific Featured Photo: Markus Schmal/Shutterstock.com
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It’s worth mentioning the Budget Car Rental is also a Cathay Pacific partner and when you use the dedicated link in Asia Miles website you actually get a very cheap rate as they apply automatically a promo code unique to Asia Miles.