Regarded as one of the world’s best airlines, Cathay Pacific is the unofficial airline serving Hong Kong International Airport. The carrier flies to more than 71 locations throughout mainland China, Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, Africa, the Americas, Australasia, Europe and the Middle East. Cathay Pacific flies both Boeing and Airbus planes, and is also a member of the Oneworld Alliance.

You may have heard about Cathay Pacific’s excellent customer service and top-tier eats (both on board and in its lounges), not to mention its attention to detail and comfort, especially in first and business class.

This guide will walk you through the basics of this highly-regarded carrier, from fare types to main routes, plus the details of its loyalty program.

About Cathay Pacific

Here’s a quick overview of some of the most well-known features of Cathay Pacific.

Fare types: The carrier offers three major tiers of fares, including business class, premium economy and economy class.

Main U.S. routes: Cathay Pacific flies to several major U.S. cities, including Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco.

Points currency and loyalty program: Cathay Pacific used to stand out from other airlines for running more than one loyalty program: Asia Miles, its travel and lifestyle rewards program, and the Marco Polo Club, its elite status loyalty program connected to the Oneworld Alliance airlines. But that changed in 2022 when the company merged these two programs into one single program called, simply, Cathay.

How to earn Asia Miles

Earn by flying

Even though Marco Polo Club and Asia Miles are now one program, you'll still earn Asia Miles when you fly Cathay Pacific or any of its 20+ airline partners, which include the 13 Oneworld Alliance airlines — a nice perk.

You can also earn by flying:

Air Canada.

Air China.

Air New Zealand.

Alaska Airlines.

Austrian.

Bangkok Airways.

Gulf Air.

Latam.

Lufthansa.

Shenzhen Airlines.

Swiss.

You can refer to the airline’s earn calculator to determine the number of miles you could collect on your next trip.

Earn by spending on a co-branded credit card

With the Cathay Pacific Visa card, cardholders earn 2 Asia Miles per $1 spent on flight purchases on Cathay Pacific flights, 1.5 miles on dining spends both in the U.S. and abroad, 1.5 miles on international purchases, and 1 point per dollar on all other domestic purchases.

This card also touts a few other bonuses, like no foreign transaction fees, roadside assistance, emergency cash disbursement or card replacement, and complimentary green tier Marco Polo club membership.

Other co-branded credit cards eligible for earning Asia Miles include:

American Express® Cathay Pacific Elite Credit Card.

Standard Chartered Asia Miles Mastercard.

American Express® Cathay Pacific Credit Card.

American Express® Cathay Pacific Elite Corporate Card.

American Express® Cathay Pacific Corporate Card.

Terms apply.

Earn by transferring

You can earn Asia Miles by transferring points from a multitude of other loyalty and rewards programs.

For instance, if you have at least 1,000 points in your American Express Membership Rewards points bank, they can be transferred to Asia Miles at a solid ratio of 1:1. Similarly, any Citi ThankYou points burning a hole in your pocket can become Asia Miles at a ratio of 1:1.

Other ways to earn:

Because it's a travel and lifestyle rewards program, Asia Miles presents a variety of partners you can earn through, particularly outside of the travel space. These include earning opportunities like:

Hotels. Stay at partner hotels, like Ibis and Best Western, among others.

Car rentals. Rent cars through one of its 11 partner agencies.

Travel. Book travel with partners, including Booking.com.

Dining. Dine at partner restaurants in Asia.

Shopping. Shop at partner stores, including telecommunication company SmartOne.

Wellness. Purchase wellness services at partner gyms, spas, etc.

How to redeem Asia Miles

Fly Cathay Pacific

You can redeem Asia Miles for three types of award flights: Standard Awards, Choice Awards and Tailored Awards; each allows mixed cabin redemption. Note that Standard Awards are also available for flying on partner airlines while Choice and Tailored Awards are for flights on Cathay Pacific only.

Standard Awards and Choice Awards allow advance seat reservation for Premium Economy Class or above cabins, whereas Tailored Awards allow advance seat reservation in all cabins (excluding extra-legroom seats). Choice Award and Tailored Award flights give you a better chance of booking a seat on Cathay Pacific, even on popular routes or during peak seasons.

Single-carrier or mixed-carrier redemption awards are available, but round-trip redemption cannot be made across two different award types. For this reason, some travelers opt to book one-way award flights with their Asia Miles to get the best deal.

You would be wise to refer to the Cathay Pacific distance-based award charts to examine the minimum points needed to fly specific award types. As an example, an economy ticket on a short-flight will cost you 10,000 miles for a Standard Award, 15,000 miles for a Choice Award and 10,000 miles for a Tailored Award.