Cathay Pacific Tweaks Asia Miles and Status Point Earning Rates

Cathay Pacific has made changes to its earnings charts for its flights, affecting what you’ll earn for both redeemable miles and status-earning points.

Thankfully, these changes aren’t drastic, and the negatives are limited primarily to the least expensive “Light” economy fares.

Let’s take a look at what’s new for the Cathay program.

Cathay Pacific Adjusts Earnings Charts

As a reminder, Cathay Pacific revamped its loyalty program fairly recently, renaming it from “Asia Miles” to simply “Cathay,” which can admittedly be confusing.

In the new Cathay program, Asia Miles are redeemable miles that can be used to book future flights with the airline or its partners. Meanwhile, Status Points are elite-qualifying points that will propel you to elite status with Cathay Pacific.

Cathay Pacific also has several fare categories for each class of service, ranging from “Light” to “Flex.” Light fares are the most restrictive, cheapest, and earn the least, while Flex fares are the most flexible, most expensive, and earn the most. “Essential” fares sit right in the middle.

Predictably, most earning increases apply to the more expensive Essential and Flex fares, while many Light fares see decreases in earning rates. Overall, the changes aren’t drastic like recent changes we’ve seen from other programs — such as those that have moved to a completely dynamic pricing model.

You can view Cathay’s new earning rates in their entirety on the airline’s website, but let’s take a closer look at what’s changing for one of the airline’s popular U.S. routes. These changes will go into effect on August 20, 2025.

The route between Hong Kong (HKG) and Los Angeles (LAX) measures 7,260 miles, placing it in the airline’s “Long” zone. Here’s how you’ll earn after August 20 and how these numbers compare to tickets booked before then:

Economy

Light tickets booked into the Y, B, H, or K fare classes will earn:

• 40 Status Points (a decrease of 15)
• 4,000 Asia Miles (a decrease of 1,500)

Light tickets booked into to the M, L, or V fare classes will earn:

• 32 Status Points (a decrease of 13)
• 3,200 Asia Miles (a decrease of 1,300)

Light tickets booked into the S, N, Q, or O fare classes will earn:

• 18 Status Points (a decrease of 7)
• 1,800 Asia Miles (a decrease of 700)

There are no changes to Essential or Flex tickets in economy class for this distance band.

Premium Economy

Essential tickets booked into the E fare class will earn:

• 65 Status Points (an increase of 5)
• 6,500 Asia Miles (an increase of 500)

Flex tickets booked into the W or R fare classes will earn:

• 80 Status Points (an increase of 5)
• 8,000 Asia Miles (an increase of 500)

There is no Light option for premium economy tickets.

Business

Light and Essential tickets booked into the D, P, or I fare classes will earn:

• 100 Status Points (an increase of 10)
• 10,000 Asia Miles (an increase of 1,000)

Flex tickets booked into the J or C fare classes will earn:

• 130 Status Points (an increase of 25)
• 13,000 Asia Miles (an increase of 2,500)

First

Flex tickets booked into the F or A fare classes will earn:

• 160 Status Points (an increase of 35)
• 16,000 Asia Miles (an increase of 3,500)

There are no Light or Essential options for first class tickets.

As you can see, the more expensive fare types are getting more rewarding, while the least expensive are getting less so. This pattern repeats across all of the airline’s distance bands. The good news, however, is that the airline maintains its fixed chart for flights operated by its own metal.

Final Thoughts

If you’re planning to fly with Cathay Pacific on a paid ticket soon and want to credit your flight to the airline’s Cathay program, you’ll want to take note of these changes that are coming on August 20.

If you’re flying on the carrier’s cheapest, most restrictive fares, you’ll notice a decrease in earning rates across most of the carrier’s routes, including those between the U.S. and Hong Kong. However, if you purchase anything other than a Light fare, you may find yourself earning more — or exactly the same as you were before these changes.