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Known for having both a solid business class product as well as an enviable first class cabin, Cathay Pacific — the flag carrier of Hong Kong — has long been a favorite airline to fly for points and miles enthusiasts. While the Cathay Pacific Asia Miles program gets less attention than some others, it's worth understanding for some useful itineraries you can book using its award chart.
Plus, you're also able to book a Cathay Pacific ticket with a stopover in Hong Kong. And what's more, the Cathay Pacific routing rules allow you to add in stops elsewhere for no additional charge.
In this post, we cover how to add a stopover to a Cathay Pacific Asia Miles award ticket, how to create a multi-city itinerary, and other routing rules. We should highlight that Asia Miles is one of the programs that allows you to book an around-the-world award ticket, which is not something that is offered by all airline loyalty programs.
Page Contents
Overview of the Cathay Pacific Asia Miles Program
Before we dig into the Asia Miles award routing and stopover rules, I'd like to cover the basics of Cathay Pacific's loyalty program. Asia Miles is the frequent flyer program of the Hong Kong-based carrier. Cathay Pacific is a member of the Oneworld alliance — which includes partner airlines such as Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, British Airways, Qantas, and Qatar Airways.
You're able to use Asia Miles to book travel on any Oneworld airline, plus a handful of non-alliance partners, including Air Canada and Lufthansa.
Travelers also have several different ways to accrue Asia Miles, as the program partners with multiple bank loyalty programs. Before showing you how to add a Cathay Pacific Asia Miles stopover, let's run through some of the best cards to accrue Asia Miles.
Best cards for earning Asia Miles in the U.S.
American Express® Gold Card
American Express® Gold Card
Annual Fee$325
Welcome Offer
As High As 100,000 points. Find Out Your Offer. You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after spending $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.
The American Express® Gold Card stands out for its robust rewards, especially for food enthusiasts. It offers 4X points on dining worldwide (up to $50,000 per year, then 1X) and U.S. supermarkets (up to $25,000 per year, then 1X), and 3X points on flights booked directly with airlines or through American Express Travel®. Cardholders can take advantage of multiple annual dining credits at select locations and up to $120 in Uber Cash credits for U.S. rides and Uber Eats (received as $10 monthly credits), just add your American Express® Gold Card to your account in the Uber app and select it as the payment method. Enrollment required for select American Express benefits.
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you're approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount - all with no credit score impact. If you're approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That's up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
- Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.
- Rates & Fees
- 4X Membership Rewards® Points at restaurants worldwide, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S. (on up to $50,000 per year in purchases, then 1X)
- 4X Membership Rewards® points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per year in purchases, then 1X)
- 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com
- 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotels and other eligible travel booked on amextravel.com
- 1X on other eligible purchases
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you're approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount - all with no credit score impact. If you're approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That's up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
- Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.
- Rates & Fees
- 4X Membership Rewards® Points at restaurants worldwide, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S. (on up to $50,000 per year in purchases, then 1X)
- 4X Membership Rewards® points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per year in purchases, then 1X)
- 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com
- 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotels and other eligible travel booked on amextravel.com
- 1X on other eligible purchases
The American Express® Gold Card is a solid mid-tier credit card that offers great points-earning potential. With the card, you can earn 4X points at restaurants worldwide (on up to $50,000 per year, then 1X), 4X at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per year, then 1X), 3X points on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com, and 2X points on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.. You can also enjoy a handful of monthly and annual credits.
For all these benefits, the card levies a $325 (Rates & Fees) annual fee.
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
Annual Fee$395
Welcome Bonus Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening
The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is a premium travel-focused card, stacked with benefits. Cardholders get complimentary access to Capital One Lounges, plus more than 1,300 other lounges worldwide, receive up to a $300 annual travel credit for bookings via Capital One Travel and up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. There's also an anniversary bonus of 10,000 miles, equivalent to $100 towards travel. High earning rates include 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Travel, plus 2X on all other purchases.
- 10X miles per $1 on hotels and rental cars booked via Capital One Travel
- 5X miles per $1 on purchases through Capital One Entertainment (through 12/31/2025)
- 5X miles per $1 on flights when booking via Capital One Travel
- 5X miles per $1 on vacation rentals booked via Capital One Travel
- 2X miles per $1 on all other eligible purchases
- 10X miles per $1 on hotels and rental cars booked via Capital One Travel
- 5X miles per $1 on purchases through Capital One Entertainment (through 12/31/2025)
- 5X miles per $1 on flights when booking via Capital One Travel
- 5X miles per $1 on vacation rentals booked via Capital One Travel
- 2X miles per $1 on all other eligible purchases
The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is a great card if you value simplicity and consistent points earning. The card earns 10X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Travel, and 2X miles on other eligible purchases. Points can be transferred to any of Capital One's 19 partner airline and hotel programs.
The card does carry a $395 annual fee as a premium travel card, but you get both access to a global lounge network and a $300 annual travel credit that you can use through Capital One Travel.
Citi Strata Premier® Card
Citi Strata Premier® Card
Annual Fee$95
Welcome Offer
Earn 60,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months of account opening, redeemable for $600 in gift cards or travel rewards at thankyou.com.
The Citi Strata Premier® Card offers some of the best earning rates of any rewards card with an annual fee under $100. This card offers excellent rewards on an unusually generous list of earning categories, including air travel, hotels, car rentals, groceries, and dining—and it tops our list of the best cards for gas & fuel purchases. - Earn 60,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months of account opening, redeemable for $600 in gift cards or travel rewards at thankyou.com.
- Earn 10 Points per $1 spent on Hotels, Car Rentals, and Attractions booked on CitiTravel.com.
- Earn 3 Points per $1 on Air Travel and Other Hotel Purchases, at Restaurants, Supermarkets, Gas and EV Charging Stations.
- Earn 1 Point per $1 spent on all other purchases.
- $100 Annual Hotel Benefit: Once per calendar year, enjoy $100 off a single hotel stay of $500 or more (excluding taxes and fees) when booked through CitiTravel.com. Benefit applied instantly at time of booking.
- No expiration and no limit to the amount of points you can earn with this card.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees on purchases.
- 10X on Hotels, Car Rentals, and Attractions booked through CitiTravel.com
- 3X – Earn 3 Points per $1 spent on Air Travel and Other Hotel Purchases
- 3X – Earn 3 Points per $1 spent on Restaurants
- 3X – Earn 3 Points per $1 spent on Supermarkets
- 3X – Earn 3 Points per $1 spent on Gas and EV Charging Stations
- 1X – Earn 1 Point per $1 spent on All Other Purchases
- Earn 60,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months of account opening, redeemable for $600 in gift cards or travel rewards at thankyou.com.
- Earn 10 Points per $1 spent on Hotels, Car Rentals, and Attractions booked on CitiTravel.com.
- Earn 3 Points per $1 on Air Travel and Other Hotel Purchases, at Restaurants, Supermarkets, Gas and EV Charging Stations.
- Earn 1 Point per $1 spent on all other purchases.
- $100 Annual Hotel Benefit: Once per calendar year, enjoy $100 off a single hotel stay of $500 or more (excluding taxes and fees) when booked through CitiTravel.com. Benefit applied instantly at time of booking.
- No expiration and no limit to the amount of points you can earn with this card.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees on purchases.
- 10X on Hotels, Car Rentals, and Attractions booked through CitiTravel.com
- 3X – Earn 3 Points per $1 spent on Air Travel and Other Hotel Purchases
- 3X – Earn 3 Points per $1 spent on Restaurants
- 3X – Earn 3 Points per $1 spent on Supermarkets
- 3X – Earn 3 Points per $1 spent on Gas and EV Charging Stations
- 1X – Earn 1 Point per $1 spent on All Other Purchases
The Citi Strata Premier® Card (Rates & Fees) earns 10X points per $1 on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked through CitiTravel.com; 3X points per $1 spent on air travel and other hotel purchases; and 3X points at gas stations, EV charging stations, restaurants, and supermarkets.
Citi ThankYou® Rewards Points transfer to 21 different partner programs, among which is Asia Miles. The card carries a $95 annual fee.
Cathay Pacific Visa Signature® card
There is also a co-branded Cathay Pacific Visa Signature® card issued by Synchrony Bank. Compared to the other options, the earning potential is not all that high, and it does not offer a great array of travel benefits, even when flying with Cathay Pacific. But it is another option.
All programs that transfer points to Asia Miles
For easy reference, here are the transfer ratios and times for various points currencies to Cathay Pacific Asia Miles:
Understanding the Asia Miles award charts
Asia Miles has multiple award charts that you'll need to understand well to get the most out of the program. The standard award chart is distance-based, and you'll pay the following.
| Distance | Economy | Premium economy | Business | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ultra-short: 1–750 miles | 7,000 | 11,000 | 16,000 | N/A |
| Short type 1: 751–2,750 miles | 9,000 | 20,000 | 28,000 | 43,000 |
| Short type 2: 751–2,750 miles | 13,000 | 23,000 | 32,000 | 50,000 |
| Medium: 2,751–5,000 miles | 20,000 | 38,000 | 58,000 | 90,000 |
| Long: 5,001–7,500 miles | 27,000 | 50,000 | 88,000 | 125,000 |
| Ultra-long: 7,501+ miles | 38,000 | 75,000 | 115,000 | 160,000 |
Both Cathay Pacific flights and partner flights use the same chart. However, award prices for partner airlines — or one partner mixed with Cathay Pacific — are priced at 5,000 miles higher. So, for example, if you want to fly Qantas from Sydney to Hong Kong instead of Cathay Pacific, you would pay 63,000 Asia Miles in business class instead of 58,000 miles (medium band price, plus 5,000 additional miles).
However, if you include two or more Oneworld airlines (besides Cathay Pacific) on a single itinerary, you'll instead use the Oneworld multi-carrier award chart. It is also distance-based, and it is the chart you would use to construct an around-the-world trip.
| Distance in miles | Economy | Business | First |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 1,000 | 30,000 | 60,000 | 75,000 |
| 1,001–1,500 | 35,000 | 65,000 | 85,000 |
| 1,501–2,000 | 40,000 | 70,000 | 95,000 |
| 2,001–4,000 | 45,000 | 80,000 | 110,000 |
| 4,001–7,500 | 63,000 | 100,000 | 150,000 |
| 7,501–9,000 | 68,000 | 120,000 | 165,000 |
| 9,001–10,000 | 77,000 | 135,000 | 175,000 |
| 10,001–14,000 | 95,000 | 170,000 | 250,000 |
| 14,001–18,000 | 105,000 | 210,000 | 310,000 |
| 18,001–20,000 | 115,000 | 230,000 | 330,000 |
| 20,001–25,000 | 126,000 | 250,000 | 350,000 |
| 25,001–35,000 | 140,000 | 265,000 | 365,000 |
| 35,001–50,000 | 160,000 | 280,000 | 380,000 |
If you want to use Asia Miles to fly on Air Canada, Air New Zealand, Austrian Airlines, Bangkok Airways, Gulf Air, Lufthansa, Shenzhen Airlines, and SWISS International Air Lines, you'll have to contact Cathay Pacific customer care
Now we're almost ready to tackle the Cathay Pacific stopover and award routing rules. But let's make sure we're clear on what a stopover is.
Related: Sweet Spots of the Cathay Pacific Asia Miles Program
What Is a Stopover?
A stopover generally refers to a connecting stop in a city that is longer than what is normally allowed. Depending on your routing, you may be limited to connections of no more than four hours when flying domestically. For most international itineraries, you're almost always limited to no more than 24 hours.
Think of a stopover as a much longer connection — one that can stretch a few days or far more. But they're also still part of one airline ticket.
Stopovers are most commonly booked on international flights. For example, if you're flying from New York to Seoul, you could book a flight from New York to Tokyo on Japan Airlines and stay for a few days. Then, you could continue on to Seoul. With some airline loyalty programs, you can do this for the price of the itinerary from New York to Seoul without the extended stopover.
Related: What’s the Difference Between a Layover and a Stopover?
Cathay Pacific Asia Miles Stopover and Routing Rules
The Cathay Pacific Asia Miles stopover rules differ depending on the award chart you use. If your trip uses the standard award chart (either Cathay Pacific, a single partner, or Cathay plus one single partner), then the following rules apply:
- One-way trips cannot have a stopover.
- One-way trips are subject to no more than two sectors (i.e., you can only have one connection)
- Round-trips can have one stopover in either direction.
- Round-trips are subject to no more than four sectors (up to two sectors per direction)
- Open-jaws are allowed on round-trip itineraries at either end. If at the origin, they must be within the same country/region. Airports in the same city do not count as an open jaw.
If you're flying two or more Oneworld carriers in addition to (or without) Cathay Pacific, then the routing rules are much more relaxed. The multi-carrier award chart lets you build an around-the-world itinerary with multiple stopovers. The following rules apply:
- You can have a maximum of five stopovers in your itinerary.
- In addition, to the stopovers, you can have a maximum of two transfers (i.e. layovers) and two open-jaws.
- You cannot have a stopover or open-jaw more than once in the same city.
- Your itinerary is subject to a maximum distance of 50,000 flown miles.
Related: Beginner’s Guide: What Is a Stopover and What Is an Open-Jaw?
Applying the Cathay Pacific routing rules
Example one
Suppose you want to fly from San Francisco to Tokyo, stay for several days, then continue to Hong Kong for a few days, and then return to San Francisco nonstop on Cathay Pacific. Assuming you find a nonstop award flight from San Francisco to Tokyo Haneda, this would be the first segment of your trip.
Then you could add Tokyo Narita to Hong Kong on Cathay Pacific (remember that airports in the same city do not count as an open jaw. Finally, you could fly nonstop back to San Francisco on Cathay Pacific.
This, however, is one of the simpler cases. You could also add an open jaw to the itinerary described. Maybe you want to return to Los Angeles instead. This is completely allowed within the Asia Miles routing rules.
Example two
More complicated itineraries can be constructed using the Oneworld multi-carrier award chart. Let's try to build a relatively simple multi-stop trip to Europe. The first segment can be on British Airways from Philadelphia to Dublin, which is the first stopover. Then the trip can continue on to London on British Airways, where you stay for a few more days, followed by a flight to Madrid on either British Airways or Iberia.
We'll hang out in the Spanish capital for a few days as well, before continuing to Casablanca, Morocco, which is the final stopover, before returning to Philadelphia via New York (JFK) on Royal Air Maroc.
This trip has a total of four stops: Dublin, London, Madrid, and Casablanca, and one transfer at New York. With a total of 8,658 flown miles, this itinerary would cost 120,000 Asia Miles in business class — less than many carriers charge for a simple round-trip ticket to Europe.
The possibilities are endless. You can easily book an around-the-world itinerary using award zones 9 through 11, and the pricing is attractive. You can form some amazing itineraries circling the globe for 210,000 to 280,000 miles in business class.
How to Book a Cathay Pacific Stopover with Asia Miles
The best way to search for Asia Miles award tickets is at cathaypacific.com. You do need to be logged into your Asia Miles account to perform an award search. You can enter your search information in the form, but note that the button says “Sign in to redeem.” If you're not an Asia Miles member, you can easily create a free account.
A standard award search isn't what we want anyway. On the right side of the search form, you'll see a link that says “Multi-city / stopover.” Click on this to start building a Cathay Pacific itinerary with one or more stopovers. Now you'll be presented with the multi-city search page, where you can put together your itinerary segment by segment.
Here's where things get tricky. The search will not work for all itineraries. For some, you can use the multi-city search to add stopovers. I entered a sample round-trip itinerary departing San Francisco with a stopover in Tokyo on the way to Hong Kong in economy, returning to San Francisco.
I expected this to price based on the standard award chart. However, the pricing would not work online (I got a “too many stopovers” error) unless I included two Oneworld partners. This moved the total price from the standard award chart to the Oneworld multi-carrier award chart.
The pricing as a standard award should be just over half of what the multi-carrier chart requires, based on my reading of the Cathay Pacific Asia Miles routing rules. So, this is unfortunate. I tried some other cases, and could not get anything to price based on the standard award chart.
The multi-carrier award chart offers much more flexibility in terms of stopovers and open-jaws. However, booking online may be an issue. I entered the example multi-stop European trip in the preceding section, and there were no issues at this point.
But when you click search flights, you are directed to submit flight award request form online. This used to be the only way you could book a flight on American Airlines before the carrier was added to the online award search. A couple of other simple itineraries could be priced out. But at some point, the complexity is too much for online booking to be possible.
Unfortunately, things break down here as well. The link does not take you to the form, and the form does not appear to be available online anymore. So, what to do?
Best way to book stopovers or multi-city awards with Asia Miles
Given that the Cathay Pacific search seems to work on relatively easy itineraries, I'd start with the online search if you think yours would fall into this category. Itineraries including Cathay Pacific flights and one, maybe two, other partners that are easily bookable online can likely be booked online successfully. All Oneworld partners now show up through the online Cathay Pacific Asia Miles award search.
However, for complicated trips including multiple carriers, here's how I would proceed:
- Put together your desired itinerary. Look up the ideal flight options, plus options via other cities or carriers.
- Search for award space in your desired cabin for these awards. It might be better to search using British Airways or another site that is best for finding Oneworld partner awards before moving on to using the Cathay Pacific website. But definitely confirm with Cathay Pacific to make sure the space is available to book with Asia Miles.
- Write down the available flights. Make sure you write down the carrier, flight number, and date for all the flights for your trip.
- Call Cathay Pacific customer care. Have an agent piece together your trip for you.
This is definitely some work, but it could be well worth the trouble if it gets you an excellent deal for a Cathay Pacific stopover or multi-city award.
Final Thoughts
While the ability to add a stopover to a round-trip award using the standard award chart is helpful, the real Cathay Pacific stopover magic happens when you use the Oneworld multi-carrier chart. While the award chart has experienced a couple of devaluations over the years, some of the pricing bands are still excellent value when you consider how much many business class one-way and round-trip awards cost.
Definitely consider using Cathay Pacific Asia Miles next time you want to create an amazing multi-stop trip. The downside is that taxes and fees can add up significantly for flights on some carriers. But you can also save by taking advantage of an Asia Miles transfer bonus.
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: American Express® Gold Card (Rates & Fees), and Citi Strata Premier® Card (Rates & Fees)
The comments on this page are not provided, reviewed, or otherwise approved by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.