It’s fairly uncommon to see transfer bonuses to Cathay Pacific Asia Miles – the last one was American Express and it was almost a year ago. Now there’s an offer for Asia Miles that gives a 20% bonus on all transfers for Membership Rewards to Asia Miles until the end of August. This bonus has been reported as being targeted, but the whole FM team and our P2’s have it, so it’s widely targeted if that’s the case.
Asia Miles’ has a lot of value to offer for Oneworld redemptions to Asia, Europe and South America. If you have a stash of Membership rewards burning a hole in your pocket, it could be worth some exploration before the end of the month (when the bonus expires) to see if there’s anything enticing available for travel through next Summer…especially since Asia Miles calendar goes 29 days beyond American’s.
The Deal
- American Express is offering a 20% bonus on transfers from Membership Rewards to Cathay Pacific Asia Miles.
- Normal transfer ratio is 1,000 Membership Rewards = 1,000 Asia Miles
- With a 20% bonus, the transfer ratio is 1,000 Membership Rewards = 1,200 Asia Miles
- Expires 11:59 p.m. MT on 8/31/22
Key Details
- You must be enrolled in Asia Miles in order to participate in this offer, visit https://www.asiamiles.com/en/enrolment.html to enroll.
- Minimum transfer is 1,000 Membership Rewards points.
- Redeem for this exclusive offer from 12:00 a.m. MT on 8/1/2022 to 11:59 p.m. MT on 8/31/2022 to receive 20% additional Asia Miles. Additional Asia Miles will be awarded at the time of transfer.
Best Uses for Asia Miles
- Oneworld Multi-carrier award: Asia Miles can be used for terrific value on a round-the-world trip (RTW) using a Oneworld multi-carrier award. Oftentimes, a RTW award can end up being 50% or more cheaper when compared to the mileage cost of booking the included legs individually. You can see the Asia Miles Oneworld multi-carrier chart here to get an idea of pricing. Most RTW itineraries will price between 165,000-210,000 Asia Miles.
There are a few rules, the nuts and bolts are as follows:
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- You can use two different Oneworld airlines if Cathay Pacific is not one of the carriers in the itinerary.
- You can use three or more Oneworld airlines if Cathay Pacific is one of the carriers in the itinerary.
- Total flight distance cannot exceed 50,000 miles
- Maximum of 5 stopovers
- Maximum of 2 layovers
- Maximum of 2 open-jaws
- You must start and end in the same city
- Europe on AA: A one-way American Airlines flight from the Midwestern or East Coast U.S. to Europe is 50,000 Asia Miles in business class or 25,000 miles in economy. Flights from the West-coast are more expensive at 75,000 Asia Miles in business or 40,000 in economy. Taxes and fees one-way are ~$30.
- US to Australia on Qantas: Business class one-way from the US to Australia starts at 75,000-90,000 Asia Miles one-way. Flights to Brisbane price out at 75,000 miles, while flights to Melbourne are 90,000 miles. Sydney is 90,000 from LAX and 75,000 from SFO. It’s best to use British Airways or Alaska Airlines to search for Qantas award space, then move to the Cathay site if you find availability. Sometimes, it’s necessary to call Cathay. Availability can, of course, be very difficult to find and taxes and fees one-way are ~$420-450.
- Southern South America on AA or LATAM: Business class one way from the US to Chile, Brazil and Argentina is 50,000 Asia Miles one-way on AA or LATAM. Traditionally, it was best to use British Airways or Qantas to search for award space, but LATAM availability on BA has become tricky, either showing phantom availability or none at all. Some folks have found better luck searching for space on ExpertFlyer. Taxes and fees one-way are ~$30.
- Early Oneworld availability: Cathay Pacific opens up award bookings 360 days before departure, as opposed to 331 days for American Airlines. This can allow you to reserve award seats using Asia Miles almost one month before AAdvantage members.
Things to Know
- How to find awards: Search for available space at AsiaMiles.com (you’ll need to create a free Asia Miles frequent flyer account to search). For some awards, it can be easier to locate space on BritishAirways.com first.
- How to book awards: Book online at AsiaMiles.com for Cathay Pacific, British Airways, Iberia, Qatar, Qantas, Alaska and Finnair. All other partners or complex itineraries (and some awards for the previous carriers) should be booked via phone (Asia Miles U.S. office is 866-892-2598).
- Key warnings: Fuel surcharges are moderate depending on route and origin, but can be $200-$400 on some carriers.
- Transfer from: Amex, Capital One, Citi, Marriott
We have added this to our current point transfer bonuses.