American Express Reducing Points Transfer Rate to Cathay Pacific on March 1 [Transfer Soon!]

Updated: April 14, 2026, 2:21am CDT

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Amex Membership Rewards Transfer Rate to Cathay Will Drop
Other Programs That Transfer to Cathay Pacific
Final Thoughts

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Starting March 1, 2026, the transfer rate from Amex Membership Rewards points to Cathay Pacific “Cathay,” the program formerly known as Asia Miles, will no longer be 1:1.

Going forward, the transfer rate will lose 20% of its value, which is always disappointing.

Here’s what you need to know about this upcoming change — and what you can do before it happens.

Amex Membership Rewards Transfer Rate to Cathay Will Drop

Those with Amex cards that earn Membership Rewards points, such as the Platinum Card^® from American Express and American Express^® Gold Card, have enjoyed 1:1 transfers to Cathay Pacific’s Cathay rewards program for many years.

This program, formerly known as Asia Miles, offers some great award redemption opportunities. Conversely, it has also undergone some disappointing devaluations in the past several months, but the good news was that you could always transfer Membership Rewards points at a 1:1 ratio (and nearly instantly) to Cathay.

Cathay Pacific business class A350 1000 — Cathay Pacific business class on the A350-1000. Image Credit: Ryan Smith

However, on March 1, 2026, American Express will decrease the transfer rate by 20% to a new, less-than-optimal 5:4 transfer rate. The message on cardholder statements is as follows:

Changes to Membership Rewards^® Points Transfer Ratio for Cathay Pacific
Effective March 1, 2026 , the ratio for transferring Membership Rewards points to Cathay Pacific Asia Miles TM will be changed from: “1 Membership Rewards point = 1 Asia Mile” to “5 Membership Rewards points = 4 Asia Miles”.
You can review the current point transfer ratio anytime at https://global.americanexpress.com/rewards/transfer.
Message on Amex cardholder statements this week

Thus, transfers will continue at the 1:1 rate until February 28, 2026, and then the rate will start using the new 5:4 ratio on March 1. Transferring before the value drops is ideal if you have a redemption in mind.

Hot Tip:

These are our favorite ways to redeem Cathay Pacific miles. You have until February 28, 2026, to transfer Membership Rewards points to Cathay at a 1:1 ratio to then book some of these incredible award tickets.

Other Programs That Transfer to Cathay Pacific

Luckily, transferring Membership Rewards isn’t the only way to earn Cathay miles. You’ll still have these options, many of which will continue to offer 1:1 transfers:

Bilt Rewards — 1:1 transfer
Brex Rewards — 3:2 transfer
Capital One Miles — 1:1 transfer
Citi ThankYou Rewards — 1:1 transfer
Marriott Bonvoy — 3:1 transfer
Rove Miles — 1:1 transfer

Final Thoughts

Unfortunately, transfers from Amex Membership Rewards to Cathay Pacific will drop from 1:1 to 5:4 on March 1, 2026. Luckily, you still have a few days to prepare for this change, and cardholders can still take advantage of the current, ideal transfer rate through February 28, 2026.