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Cathay Pacific announced changes to its award chart earlier this year, effectively devaluing the Asia Miles program. Thankfully, they provided a heads-up. With October 1, 2023 looming, it's as good a time as any to dig into Cathay's sweet spots and see which Asia Miles awards you should book before the changes take effect. If you're interested in booking any of these, you've got a week to make it happen.
Cathay Pacific Asia Miles Award Chart
The award charts below pertain to Cathay Pacific-operated flights only. The number of Asia Miles required is determined by distance and is shown for one-way tickets.
Here's the current award chart for Cathay Pacific-operated flights:
| Distance | Economy | Premium economy | Business | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ultra-short: 1–750 miles | 7,500 | 11,000 | 16,000 | 25,000 |
| Short: 751–2,750 miles | 10,000 | 18,000 | 25,000 | 40,000 |
| Medium: 2,751–5,000 miles | 22,000 | 30,000 | 45,000 | 70,000 |
| Long type 1: 5,000–7,500 miles | 30,000 | 40,000 | 65,000 | 100,000 |
| Long type 2: 5,000–7,500 miles | 30,000 | 45,000 | 70,000 | 110,000 |
| Ultra-long: 7,501+ miles | 42,000 | 60,000 | 85,000 | 125,000 |
And here's the award chart that will take effect on October 1, 2023:
| Distance | Economy | Premium economy | Business | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ultra-short: 1–750 miles | 7,500 | 11,000 | 16,000 | N/A |
| Short type 1: 751–2,750 miles | 10,000 | 20,000 | 28,000 | 43,000 |
| Short type 2: 751–2,750 miles | 12,500 | 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 | 84,000 | 125,000 |
| Ultra-long: 7,501+ miles | 38,000 | 75,000 | 110,000 | 160,000 |
The Short distance zone will be divided into two types.
- Short – Type 1, which includes cities such as Beijing, Kuala Lumpur, Seoul, Shanghai, and Singapore; or
- Short – Type 2, which includes all cities in Japan, Indonesia, India, and Nepal.
Notably, Premium Economy, Business, and First Class cabins will see increases in award pricing in a couple of months. However, you can still take advantage of the current award chart.
Cathay Pacific Asia Miles Sweet Spots to Book Now
In the past, we've written extensively about various sweet spots of the Cathay Pacific Asia Miles Program, of which there are many. When the impending changes were announced, we also made a few suggestions on routes worth taking advantage of once the devaluation was announced, such as round-the-world in business class and long-haul Cathay Pacific flights.
To take this one step further, we at AwardWallet have performed innumerable searches to find even more sweet spots for Cathay Pacific-operated flights you could take advantage of before the October 1 devaluation.
Here's what you could book now, sorted by class:
First
Cathay Pacific will entirely remove “First Class Ultra-Short” (under 750 miles) routes from its award chart on October 1, 2023. For all other routes, book your First Class tickets now. Some examples include:
- Tokyo (HND) to Hong Kong (HKG) for 40,000 Asia Miles
- Los Angeles (LAX) to Hong Kong (HKG) for 110,000 Asia Miles
First/business mixed cabin
For tickets involving multiple-class itineraries, Cathay Pacific will average the award prices. In some cases, this could save you quite a few Asia Miles. Some examples of mixed cabin itineraries include:
- Tokyo (HND) to Hong Kong (HKG) in first, then HKG to Manila (MNL) in business for 35,700 Asia Miles
- Tokyo (HND) to Hong Kong (HKG) in first, then HKG to New York (JFK) in business for 92,300 Asia Miles
- Paris (CDG) to Hong Kong (HKG) in first, then HKG to San Francisco (SFO) in business for 103,500 Asia Miles
- Los Angeles (LAX) to Hong Kong (HKG) in first, then HKG to Taipei (TPE) in business for 122,400 Asia Miles
Business
Cathay Pacific is preserving its current business award pricing for ultra-short (under 750 miles) routes only. For routes greater than 750 miles, booking and taking advantage of the award pricing now is a better idea. Here are some examples of Business Class tickets worth booking before October 1, 2023:
- Mumbai (BOM) to Hong Kong (HKG) for 25,000 Asia Miles
- Tokyo (NRT and HND) to Hong Kong (HKG) for 25,000 Asia Miles
- New York (JFK) to Sydney (SYD) via Hong Kong (HKG) for 85,000 Asia Miles
- Delhi (DEL) to Chicago (ORD) via Hong Kong (HKG) for 85,000 Asia Miles
- London (LHR) to Singapore (SIN) via Hong Kong (HKG) for 85,000 Asia Miles
Business/premium economy mixed cabin
- Taipei (TPE) to Hong Kong (HKG) in premium economy, then HKG to Bangkok (BKK) in business for 22,700 Asia Miles.
- Singapore (SIN) to Hong Kong (HKG) in business, then HKG to Sydney (SYD) in premium economy for 46,400 Asia Miles.
- Delhi (DEL) to Hong Kong (HKG) in business, then HKG to Chicago (ORD) in premium economy for 65,700 Asia Miles.
- London (LHR) to Hong Kong (HKG) in business, then HKG to Singapore (SIN) in premium economy for 79,700 Asia Miles.
Premium economy
Cathay Pacific is preserving its current premium economy award pricing for only ultra-short (under 750 miles) routes. For routes greater than 750 miles, consider this a sweet spot to book now before you have to cough up extra Asia Miles. Here are some examples :
- Osaka (KIX) to Hong Kong (HKG) for 18,000 Asia Miles
- Dubai (DXB) to Hong Kong (HKG) for 30,000 Asia Miles
- Amsterdam (AMS) to Hong Kong (HKG) for 40,000 Asia Miles
- Los Angeles (LAX) to Hong Kong (HKG) for 45,000 Asia Miles
- New York (JFK) to London (LHR) via Hong Kong (HKG) for 60,000 Asia Miles
- London (LHR) to Sydney (SYD) via Hong Kong (HKG) for 60,000 Asia Miles
Economy
Cathay Pacific's devaluation will not apply to economy tickets. After October 1, 2023, you might find a better deal for Economy redemptions on Cathay Pacific-operated flights.
For example, you'd pay 42,000 miles right now to book a New York (JFK) to Hong Kong (HKG) flight. After October 1, you'd pay just 38,000 miles.
Asia Miles Award Chart for Partner Airlines
Cathay Pacific does not currently publish an award chart for simple awards. Instead, it directs Asia Miles members to the “Redeem Flight Awards” page. Here, you'll see mileage estimates after providing your departure, destination, and intended class of travel. This search function includes mixed-carrier awards, which Cathay Pacific defines as “Cathay Pacific plus one airline partner.”
To resolve some of the confusion over what partner awards on Cathay Pacific cost, we have worked hard to establish a general award chart for Cathay's partner airlines. Here's what you can roughly expect an award ticket to cost on a partner airline:
| Flight Distance (Miles) | Economy Award Miles | Premium Award Miles | Business Award Miles | First Award Miles |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 90–749 | 10,000 | N/A | 20,000 | 30,000 |
| 750–2,649 | 15,000 | 22,000 | 30,000 | 45,000 |
| 2,650–4,949 | 27,000 | 43,000 | 60,000 | 87,000 |
| 4,950–7,479 | 40,000 | 50,000 | 75,000 | 120,000 |
| 7,480–16,900 | 47,000 | 65,000 | 90,000 | 135,000 |
There are some exceptions to the chart, including:
- Tokyo (HND) to Shanghai (PVG) on Japan Airlines
- 10,000 miles for economy award
- Distance: 1,082 miles
- Doha (DOH) to Phuket (HKT) on Qatar Airways
- 70,000 miles for business award
- Distance: 3,292 miles
- London (LHR) to Johannesburg (JNB) on British Airways
- 110,000 miles for first-class award
- Distance: 5,620 miles.
Oneworld multi-carrier awards
Cathay Pacific currently treats Oneworld multi-carrier awards differently by detailing the award zone (based on distance) and the specific number of miles required for each award. The following chart includes award tickets with an itinerary that covers the following:
- Two Oneworld alliance airlines, which Cathay Pacific is not one of your selected carriers; or
- Three or more Oneworld alliance airlines, of which Cathay Pacific is one of your selected carriers.
Here's the current award chart for these flights, which is also the chart used for round-the-world bookings:
| Distance in miles | Economy | Business | First |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 1,000 | 30,000 | 55,000 | 70,000 |
| 1,001–1,500 | 30,000 | 60,000 | 80,000 |
| 1,501–2,000 | 35,000 | 65,000 | 90,000 |
| 2,001–4,000 | 35,000 | 70,000 | 95,000 |
| 4,001–7,500 | 60,000 | 90,000 | 140,000 |
| 7,501–9,000 | 65,000 | 100,000 | 150,000 |
| 9,001–10,000 | 70,000 | 110,000 | 160,000 |
| 10,001–14,000 | 90,000 | 135,000 | 220,000 |
| 14,001–18,000 | 100,000 | 155,000 | 250,000 |
| 18,001–20,000 | 105,000 | 165,000 | 260,000 |
| 20,001–25,000 | 115,000 | 185,000 | 280,000 |
| 25,001–35,000 | 130,000 | 210,000 | 300,000 |
| 35,001–50,000 | 150,000 | 240,000 | 345,000 |
Here's the cost for these awards after October 1, 2023:
| 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 |
Asia Miles Partners
Cathay Pacific has 24 airline partners, but not all are bookable similarly. We've compiled the complete list of Cathay's airline partners and sorted them by booking method.
Book online
The following airlines can be booked on Cathay Pacific's Asia Miles website here:
- Air China
- Alaska Airlines
- British Airways
- Fiji Airways
- Finnair
- Iberia
- Japan Airlines
- LATAM
- Malaysia Airlines
- Qantas
- Qatar Airways
- Royal Air Maroc
- Royal Jordanian Airlines
- S7 Airlines
- SriLankan Airlines
Not bookable online
Sometimes, booking an award ticket on a partner airline using Asia Miles can be convoluted. Certain airline partners require filling out a flight award request form and/or calling an Asia Miles representative to book.
The following airlines require this form:
- Air Canada
- Air New Zealand
- American Airlines
- Austrian Airlines
- Bangkok Airways
- Gulf Air
- Lufthansa
- Shenzhen Airlines
- SWISS
Earning Asia Miles
There's no shortage of ways to earn Asia Miles. You can use these transfer partners to stock up your Cathay Pacific Asia Miles account and book the above sweet spots before they go away:
Our Take
The impending change to Cathay Pacific's Asia Miles award chart isn't welcome news. Thankfully, the broad devaluation happened with a few months' notice. Time is running out, though, and the changes take place in a week. If you've been thinking about booking any awards with the current Asia Miles award chart, it's time to make your move.
Let us know if you plan to book a trip using Asia Miles before October 1, 2023.
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