Cathay Pacific Asia Miles offering up to 15% bonus for credit card points transfers

Cathay Pacific has launched a new Asia Miles transfer bonus that offers up to 15% more miles for transfers completed by 31 January 2023. 

The offer is available to members outside of Hong Kong, and while the landing page and T&Cs talk about “selected” members, I’ve confirmed with Cathay’s PR team that the offer is open to all (except the aforementioned Hong Kong exclusion).

Cathay Pacific offering up to 15% Asia Miles bonus

Register Here

From 30 December 2022 to 31 January 2023, Asia Miles members who register for this offer  will receive a 10% or 15% bonus when they convert credit card points. 

• Convert <20,000 miles: 10% bonus
• Convert 20,000 miles or more: 15% bonus

The T&Cs don’t mention any cap on the maximum bonus that can be earned, but the landing page is a bit odd because it mentions a 139,999 upper limit on the 15% bonus. I’m leaning towards believing there is no cap, though this is among the things I’m checking with Cathay. 

As a reminder, all conversions must be completed by 31 January 2023 to be eligible for the bonus. There will be some lead time involved with every bank, so don’t wait till the last minute. I’d recommend giving yourself two weeks just to be on the safe side, and avoiding transferring points from Bank of China (not that their cards are any good anymore).

When will the bonus be credited?

Miles transferred under this campaign will be credited in two batches:

• The regular miles will credit initially according to the usual timeline
• The 10/15% bonus miles will be credited within 8-10 weeks after 31 January 2023  (i.e. by 11 April 2023)

Based on a previous campaign (which also had a similar crediting timeline), bonus miles were credited 54 days after the end of the promotion period, so I’d say you should expect them to appear on schedule. 

Members are responsible for notifying Asia Miles by 30 April 2023 if they do not receive their bonus miles. 

Terms & Conditions

The T&C of this offer can be found here.

Which banks offer transfers to Asia Miles?

Points conversions from all banks worldwide will be eligible for the transfer bonus, with the exception of Cathay Pacific cobrand cards. 

In Singapore, the following banks offer transfers to Asia Miles: 

Residents of other countries can refer to this page for the full list of transfer partners. 

How does this compare to previous bonuses?

This bonus is in line with previous offers we’ve seen throughout 2022, although this one has no cap and a smaller minimum transfer to trigger the 15% bonus. 

Asia Miles sweet spots

Asia Miles is my backup programme to KrisFlyer, and while it certainly has some sweet spots, they’re undermined somewhat by the return of fuel surcharges on Cathay Pacific flights. Indicative fuel surcharges for a R/T Business Class redemption between Singapore and the USA are S$475. 

Here’s a reminder of Cathay Pacific’s standard award chart.

Assuming you don’t mind a stop in Hong Kong, sweet spots include travel to Europe and the USA:

• San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York: 170,000 miles for R/T Business Class
• Barcelona, London, Manchester, Paris: 170,000 miles for R/T Business Class
• Amsterdam, Brussels, Frankfurt, Milan, Rome, Zurich: 130,000 miles for R/T Business Class

The trick for Europe is to stay within the 7,500 miles band, so as not to attract the higher pricing. You can calculate mileage flown using GC Map (don’t forget: a stop in Hong Kong will be required). 

Cathay Pacific continues to restore connectivity to Singapore, and while it hasn’t returned to the pre-COVID nine daily services, connections through Hong Kong should be much easier to plan compared to a few months ago. 

Alternatively, you can consider oneworld awards with British Airways, Qantas and Qatar Airways, although all three airlines will have hefty fuel surcharges too. Finnair might be a good bet since its fuel surcharges are relatively more reasonable, but award space out of Singapore is very hard to come by. 

How much are Asia Miles Service fees?

Asia Miles levies the following service fees for award bookings:

• Date change: US$25 per person per sector (online) or US$40 per person per sector (phone)
• Destination change: US$100 per person per ticket
• Refund: US$120 per person per ticket 

When do Asia Miles expire?

All Asia Miles earned from 1 January 2020 never expire so long as you earn or redeem at least one mile every 18 months. 

Apart from converting credit card rewards points, you can keep your Asia Miles balance active by:

• Making a flight redemption
• Crediting a paid Cathay Pacific or oneworld partner flight
• Booking a hotel through Kaligo or Rocketmiles
• Transferring Linkpoints (290 points = 110 Asia Miles)
• Converting Esso Smiles points (150 Smiles = 100 Asia Miles)
• Buying a small item (like an iTunes song) or gift card on Cathay’s online store

Conclusion

From now till 31 January 2023, Asia Miles members can earn a 10-15% bonus for transferring credit card points, with no cap on the maximum bonus miles.

Don’t forget that the bonus will not be credited instantly; you’ll have a wait of up to 10 weeks after the end of the promotion. If you’re travelling in the near future, remember to factor that into your calculations.

(HT: @laurent_rio)