Cathay to launch Asia Miles credit cards around the world

Executive Traveler Exclusive

Cathay Pacific frequent flyers around the world can quickly earn more Asia Miles and add to their annual Status Points, all through daily spending.

Having launched the Cathay card trio with Standard Chartered Hong Kong bank in mid-2021, the airline is now working on a steady launch of the Cathay card in other countries under a ten-year partnership which sees Mastercard as the airline’s “exclusive partner”.

“We’ve launched our second one in China now, and we’ll continue to roll out,” said Paul Smith, who heads the airline’s Consumer Lifestyle division. Executive Traveler.

Cathay’s worldwide Mastercard Alliance replaces a previous arrangement where “we had different deals with different people in different markets,” Smith muses.

Placing the Cathay credit card in travelers’ purses and wallets and carving out its share of the crowded card space will allow the airline to offer the same enticements as the Standard Chartered card, which currently includes

• signup bonus up to 100,000 Asia Miles
• high level of spend-based earnings for Asia Miles
• earn up to 100 Status Points per year
• Cathay Pacific business class lounge ticket
• priority check-in and boarding at the airport

But Smitton is eager to allay high-flying Cathay Gold and Diamond members’ fears that their ratings will swell – and waiting rooms will become even more crowded – with status earned by paying business fees rather than flying business class.

“We are very aware that flying is the most important thing from a status point of view,” he said Executive Traveler“so the number of Status Points you can earn for non-flying activities is more of a boost than something that will earn you that status on its own.”

In other words, a small enough number of Status Points will always be there to help cardholders maintain their Cathay Silver, Gold or Diamond status when their flights fall short of the mark, or to close the gap between ascending from one tier to another. furthermore.

The Smith team is also working on a ‘behind the scenes’ upgrade to Cathay Pacific’s website that will make it easier to book flights with Asia Miles.

“Currently the machines we have for (what we call) cash bookings and the redemption network (for Asia Miles) are two separate things.”

Smitton would like to see any booking able to display not only the fare but also “standard rewards and Miles Plus Cash options” all on the same screen.