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Cathay Pacific just announced major changes coming to its loyalty program — some good, some not. The changes will roll out in two parts, with a few minor changes to membership cycles beginning in 2026, and a major overhaul of Cathay's elite status program taking effect in 2027.
Here's everything you need to know about the enhanced Cathay Pacific membership program.
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Changes to Cathay Effective January 1, 2026
In a time when airlines love to make unannounced, largely negative changes to loyalty programs, it's fantastic to see an airline give travelers more than enough time to adapt to changes. There are a few changes taking effect January 1, 2026:
- Annual membership cycle: Starting January 1, 2026, once your membership renews according to your current membership period (or following a status upgrade or downgrade), your membership period will end on December 31, 2026. Previously, a membership period was defined by the date you registered for Cathay. Your status for 2027 will be determined by the Status Points earned in the calendar year of 2026.
- Membership Holidays: If you request a Membership Holiday at any point in 2026, it will only last until December 31, 2026, at the latest. Note that you cannot earn Status Points during Membership Holidays.
The move to an annual membership cycle makes tracking your path to elite status significantly easier. You don't have to calculate your flights and coordinate your status points based on your registration date. Cathay is going the simple route by standardizing memberships, and simplicity is key for travelers juggling multiple loyalty programs.
Related: Maximizing Cathay Pacific Asia Miles: Updated Award Charts and 6 Best Uses
Changes to Cathay Effective January 1, 2027
The bulk of the changes to the Cathay membership program will be implemented on January 1, 2027:
- Status Points balance will not reset to zero after you earn a higher status. Your Status Points balance will only reset to zero at the end of an earning period (unless you are eligible for a Status Points rollover).
- Status Points rollover. Gold, Diamond, and Diamond Exec members can roll over excess Status Points to the next earning period, up to 50% of the required amount to achieve status. Here's how many Status Points each tier can roll over:
- Gold: up to 300 Status Points
- Diamond: up to 600 Status Points
- Diamond Exec: up to 1,200 Status Points
- When you earn status, you will keep it through the end of the following membership period. If you earn Silver status in March 2027, you will keep it until January 31, 2029.
- Guaranteed Seat Reservation is renamed to Exclusive Reservation Access. Apart from a name change, there are increased restrictions as to who can access this benefit:
- Diamond members will no longer have increased access to Business class seats on Cathay Pacific flights, but will continue to be eligible for the increased access to Premium Economy class seats when purchasing in fare class W and Economy seats when purchasing in fare class Y, up to 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
- Gold members will continue to have the increased access to Economy class seats on Cathay Pacific marketed and operated flights when purchasing in fare class Y, up to 72 hours before the scheduled departure time.
- Changes to Membership Holiday. These changes will be announced in 2026.
Changes to elite status benefits
Although a move to an annual membership cycle may be a welcome change, the changes to the elite status program coming on January 1, 2027 are largely bad news for travelers:
- Replacing Green mid-status benefits with Green milestone benefits. Details about what the benefits are and how to earn them will be announced in 2026.
- Silver mid-status benefits will be referred to as Silver milestone benefits. The benefit itself hasn't changed — once you earn 450 Status Points, you will earn two business class lounge passes. The only thing changing is the term.
- Removing mid-status benefits for Gold members. Gold members will no longer be able to earn lounge passes and bookable upgrades as mid-status benefits.
- Removing mid-status benefits for Diamond members. Diamond members cannot earn first and business lounge passes, bookable upgrades, or a Gold Companion Card as a mid-status benefit. Instead, Diamond members will automatically receive two single-sector Upgrade Passes (for a single upgrade to the next immediate class, up to business) when they reach status. You can earn another two single-sector upgrade passes in February of the following year if you renew your status.
- New top-tier status, Diamond Exec. To earn the new top-tier status, you must earn a minimum of 2,400 Status Points during the earning period. Diamond Exec members will receive the following benefits:
- Access to a relationship manager, who can assist with flight bookings and answer questions.
- Four single-sector Upgrade Passes (for a single upgrade to the next immediate class, up to First class).
- One complimentary Gold companion membership.
- Buggy service when departing on a Cathay Pacific marketed flight from Hong Kong International Airport with a departure gate between gate 40 and gate 80.
- Diamond membership reserve. Members who have held Diamond status or above for at least five years (can be non-consecutive) will receive one complimentary Diamond membership that lasts for one membership period for every 6,000 Status Points earned during their membership lifetime.
Related: Cathay Asia Miles Routing Rules: How to Build Multi-Stopover Trips to Maximize Value
Final Thoughts
The changes coming to the Cathay membership program are a lot to take in. Fortunately, you have some time to wrap your head around them, as most of the changes will not be in effect until January 1, 2027.
Essentially, Cathay repackaged its elite program by cherry-picking benefits from each status tier to hand to the Diamond Exec members. Removing benefits from lower tiers while keeping the same thresholds to earn status is sure to be disappointing for loyal Cathay flyers. However, there are some positive changes, too — standardizing membership cycles, Status Point rollovers for select elites, and a longer window to enjoy your elite benefits.
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