Asia Miles is the loyalty program of Cathay Pacific and HK Express, which is also one of the most popular airline rewards programs in Hong Kong. Members can earn Asia Miles points through flying and shopping with selected credit cards, and redeem points for airline tickets, cabin class upgrades, and more. Read on to find out more about the Asia Miles Redemption Chart, ways to redeem Asia Miles, and the best credit cards for earning Asia Miles points.
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Overview of Cathay Pacific Asia Miles Flight Award Chart
Cathay Pacific Asia Miles required for different destinations are determined based on the flight distance. Simply put, the longer the flight, the more Asia Miles you need to redeem. The key flight distance zones are divided into 5 categories, ranging from "Ultra-short" flights to "Ultra-long" flights. It's also worth mentioning that since October 2023, Cathay Pacific has adjusted the Flight Reward conversion table, now that the short-haul flights are divided into 2 types (Type 1 and Type 2), and it takes more miles to redeem tickets to popular destinations such as Tokyo and other places in Japan.
Cathay Pacific Asia Miles flight distance zone
Flight Distance Zone (Hong Kong as Origin or Destination) | Distance | Destination Example |
Ultra-Short | 1-750 miles | Hanoi, Manila, Taipei, Xiamen |
Short-Type 1 | 751-2,750 miles | Beijing, Kuala Lumpur, Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore |
Short-Type 2 | 751-2,750 miles | Jakarta, Mumbai, Tokyo (All other destinations in Japan) |
Medium | 2,751-5,000 miles | Dubai, Sydney, Tel Aviv |
Long | 5,000-7,500 miles | London, Paris, San Francisco, Vancouver |
Ultra-Long | 7,501+ miles | Chicago, New York, Toronto |
Cathay Pacific Asia Miles award chart latest changes
If you have been a member of Cathay Pacific for the past years, you may have noticed that Asia Miles has made several adjustments to the rules for redeeming tickets.
The latest round of changes took effect from 1 May 2026 — the third adjustment since October 2023. This time, some short-haul Premium Economy and Business Class awards actually got cheaper (for example, Short-Type 1 Business Class dropped by 1,000 miles), while medium, long and ultra-long-haul Business Class awards increased by 2,000–4,000 miles. The chart below already reflects these May 2026 rates. Taken together, the three rounds of changes mean long-haul Business Class redemptions are roughly 40% more expensive than they were in 2023, so it's worth locking in a booking sooner rather than later if you're eyeing a premium-cabin award.
Cathay Pacific Asia Miles flight award chart—standard award
Here is the latest flight award chart in 2026.
*Economy Class rates were not affected by the May 2026 changes; Premium Economy Type 1 and Business Class Type 1/Medium/Long/Ultra-long are the bands that moved.
Cathay Pacific Asia Miles cabin upgrade award
With Asia Miles, you can request an upgrade to the next higher cabin class:
Flight Zone | Economy to Premium Economy | Premium Economy to Business | Economy to Business | Business to First |
Ultra-Short-Haul | 6,000 | 8,000 | 11,000 | 15,000 |
Short-Haul Type 1 | 11,000 | 14,000 | 19,500 | 26,000 |
Short-Haul Type 2 | 12,500 | 16,000 | 22,500 | 30,000 |
Medium-Haul | 21,000 | 29,000 | 40,500 | 54,000 |
Long-Haul | 27,500 | 42,000 | 59,000 | 75,000 |
Ultra-Long-Haul | 41,500 | 55,000 | 77,000 | 96,000 |
Cathay Pacific Asia Miles companion ticket award
If you have purchased a Business or First Class ticket, you can use Asia Miles to redeem a companion ticket for your travel companion:
Flight Distance Zone (Hong Kong as Origin or Destination) | Business Class Companion Reward | First Class Companion Reward |
Ultra-Short-Haul | 24,000 | N/A |
Short-Haul Type 1 | 42,000 | 64,400 |
Short-Haul Type 2 | 48,000 | 75,000 |
Medium-Haul | 87,000 | 135,000 |
Long-Haul | 126,000 | 187,400 |
Ultra-Long-Haul | 165,000 | 240,000 |
Cathay Pacific Asia Miles oneworld multi-carrier award
When redeeming tickets, you can include award tickets from other oneworld Alliance member airlines in your itinerary. For example, your journey can include 2 oneworld alliance airlines (excluding Cathay Pacific) or 3 or more oneworld alliance airlines (including Cathay Pacific) with a total flight distance of up to 50,000 miles.
Reward Zone | Actual Distance (Miles) | Economy Class | Business Class | First Class |
01 | 0–1,000 | 30,000 | 60,000 | 75,000 |
02 | 1,001–1,500 | 35,000 | 65,000 | 85,000 |
03 | 1,501–2,000 | 40,000 | 70,000 | 95,000 |
04 | 2,001–4,000 | 45,000 | 80,000 | 110,000 |
05 | 4,001–7,500 | 63,000 | 100,000 | 150,000 |
06 | 7,501–9,000 | 68,000 | 120,000 | 165,000 |
07 | 9,001–10,000 | 77,000 | 135,000 | 175,000 |
08 | 10,001–14,000 | 95,000 | 170,000 | 250,000 |
09 | 14,001–18,000 | 105,000 | 210,000 | 310,000 |
10 | 18,001–20,000 | 115,000 | 230,000 | 330,000 |
11 | 20,001–25,000 | 126,000 | 250,000 | 350,000 |
12 | 25,001–35,000 | 140,000 | 265,000 | 365,000 |
13 | 35,001–50,000 | 160,000 | 280,000 | 380,000 |
Cathay Membership tiers: how Status Points affect your Asia Miles redemptions
Since the 2022 merger, every Asia Miles member is also a Cathay member with one of four status tiers, earned with Status Points (separate from Asia Miles). Status doesn't change how many miles a flight costs, but it does affect how easily you can use those miles — through lounge access, priority waitlisting on award seats, and bookable upgrades.
Status Points reset each time you move up a tier, unlike some airlines' cumulative status credits, so factor in re-qualification timing if you're planning a big redemption trip around lounge access.
How to use Asia Miles to redeem Cathay Pacific flight tickets?
How to redeem flight tickets with Asia Miles? They are just a click away on the 'Redeem Flight Awards' page!
You can redeem flight tickets from the Cathay Pacific's partners, including:
- 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
If you're short on miles for a full award, "Miles Plus Cash" lets you top up with as little as 5,000 Asia Miles combined with a cash payment to book a Cathay Pacific or HK Express ticket — and you'll still earn miles and Status Points on the flight. This is a useful option if you're a few thousand miles short of a redemption and don't want to wait for your balance to grow.
Selected Asia Miles credit cards
Compared to the old redeeming scheme, the required mileage for redeeming airline tickets has been increased. To prepare for this, it's recommended that you choose a mileage credit card that suits your spending habits and patterns to accumulate more miles. Well, it's time to stay ahead of the game and be MoneySmart!
Here is a list of selected credit cards to earn more air miles:
Standard Chartered Cathay Pacific Mastercard: Overseas spending HK$4=1 mile
- Miles Conversion(Eligible spending on Cathay and HK Express)
- Up to HK$2=1 mile
- Miles Conversion (Eligible spending on dining, hotels and overseas category)
- HK$4 = 1 mile
- Bank Limited Time Welcome Offer
- 40,000 miles
【🌟No Spend Required: MoneySmart Gift + Up to 120,000 Miles + Surprise Blind Box Lucky Draw!】
From now until 30 September 2026, new Standard Chartered cardholders who successfully apply for a Standard Chartered Cathay Mastercard® via MoneySmart can enjoy all three of the following upon card approval:
⠀⠀⠀⠀
1️⃣ 〖🎁MoneySmart Exclusive Gift〗 No spend required, choose one gift upon card approval:
・New Smile LED 5th Gen Nano Teeth Whitening Set + 3 Whitening Pens (Value: HK$3,980, random color)
・2 x Hong Kong Plaza Premium First with Infinity room 3 hrs Access Pass (Total Value: HK$2,300) *Valid until 14 July 2027
・SONY Linkbuds Clip WF-LC900 Truly Wireless Earbuds (Value: HK$1,499, random color)
・HK$900 Apple Store Gift Card / HKTVmall e-Vouchers / PARKnSHOP e-Vouchers
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2️⃣〖SCB Welcome Miles〗Spend the designated amount within the first 2 months of card issuance and earn up to 120,000 Asia Miles!
⠀⠀
3️⃣〖🍀Surprise Blind Box Lucky Draw - Valid till 9.20〗No registration needed! Get one automatic lucky draw entry upon successful card approval. Win a minimum of 2,000 bonus miles, up to a maximum of 1,000,000 miles - enough to redeem 4 x Business Class Round-trip Tickets to both Europe and 4 x Business Class Round-trip Tickets to Japan*! Plus, Apple Store gift cards or 10,000+ prizes - everyone wins a reward!
⠀⠀
Terms & Conditions apply.
HSBC EveryMile Credit Card: Local spending as low as HK$2=1 mile
- Local and oversea spending
- As low as HK$2 = 1 Mile
- Minimum Annual Income
- HK$240,000
- Welcome Offer
- Up to $1,450 RewardCash
【Get Rewards Worth Up to HK$650 Upon Card Approval + Up to $1,450 RewardCash Bank Welcome Offer + Up to 8% Rebate on Apple Spending 🚀】
From now until 30 September 2026, new and existing credit card customers who successfully apply for a designated HSBC Credit Card via MoneySmart and submit the Reward Redemption Form on or before 10 October 2026 can enjoy a MoneySmart-exclusive Trip.com 8% off hotel promo code + HK$100 flight promo code, with no spending required, plus 🎁 one of the following 3 exclusive rewards:
・3-Hour Plaza Premium Lounge Pass in Asia Pacific (Value: HK$650)
・Branden Korea Safe Plus Anti-Theft Wallet (Value: HK$305, random colour)
・Kodak Charmera Keychain Digital Camera Blind Box – Millennium Special Edition (Value: HK$268, random colour)
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🌟 Upon successful card approval and fulfilment of the designated requirements, enjoy a bank welcome offer of up to $1,450 RewardCash (equivalent to 29,000 miles)!
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【🍎Apple Exclusive】 From 10 September to 13 November 2026, spend with an HSBC Credit Card via Apple Pay at Apple Store retail stores, the Apple Store Online or Apple Store App to earn an extra 8% RewardCash rebate (up to $600 RewardCash)! Terms and conditions apply.
⠀⠀
【📱Phone First, Work Later! HK$100K+ Worth of Prizes Up for Grabs🔥】
From 11 September 2026 (12:00 noon) to 11 October 2026 (11:59 pm), successfully apply for any designated product via MoneySmart and meet the eligibility requirements, you can participate in the "Phone First, Work Later" mini game on the campaign page ⏩ Top 100 Eligible Participants with the highest scores will win prizes worth over HK$100,000 in total, including iPhone Duo, iPhone 18 Pro Max, Apple Watch Ultra 4, and more! Visit the campaign page for details. T&Cs apply.
American Express Explorer® Credit Card: Time-limited Overseas spending HK$1.68=1 mile
- Local Spending
- HK$3 = 1 Mile
- Travel & Foreign Currency Spend
- HK$1.68 = 1 mile
- Complimentary Plaza Premium Lounge Access
- Up to 12 times per Calendar Year^
Looking for more detailed tips about Asia Miles credit cards? Check out the Air Miles credit cards comparison!
Frequently Asked Questions: Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
Q: Do Asia Miles expire, and how do I keep them active?
Asia Miles stay active as long as you earn or redeem at least once every 18 months. Any qualifying transaction — including transferring credit card points, shopping through Asia Miles partners, donating miles to the carbon offset programme, or even earning miles on dining — resets the 18-month clock. Under the activity-based system introduced on 1 January 2020, the expiry date is automatically extended by 18 months from your last crediting or debiting date — note this is the date miles are credited to your account, not the transaction date itself. One important caveat: any miles earned before January 1, 2020 still expire after 36 months, no matter if there is any activity or not — the 2020 policy change was not retroactive. If you are unsure when your balance expires, log in to your Asia Miles account and check under your account name → "Asia Miles and Status Points."
Q: What are the best value redemptions for Asia Miles in 2026?
The golden rule is to redeem for premium cabin flights, not Economy. Asia Miles deliver 4 to 6 cents per mile on oneworld premium-cabin awards, while short-haul intra-Asia economy lands around 1.5 cents, and the floor is around 0.5 cents per mile on the Cathay Shop catalogue and non-flight redemptions. For Hong Kong travellers specifically, the strongest sweet spots are Business Class on long-haul routes to Europe (London, Paris) where cash fares are high, and Oneworld multi-carrier awards which allow round-the-world itineraries at fixed pricing. Some notable redemptions include Cathay Pacific First Class, Qatar Airways Qsuites, and Qantas Business Class. One underrated option: JAL Business Class — JAL rarely opens premium-cabin space to American AAdvantage, but Asia Miles has better access, making it one of the best ways to fly lie-flat to Tokyo. The clear redemptions to avoid are merchandise, hotel points, and short-haul Economy tickets where the same route can often be purchased cheaply in cash.
Q: Has the Asia Miles redemption chart changed recently? Is another devaluation coming?
Yes — and it is important to note that the article's redemption tables reflect the most current rates. Cathay Pacific adjusted its Asia Miles award chart from 1 May 2026, with shorter Business Class awards getting slightly cheaper but long-haul premium cabin redemptions costing more. Specifically: Short-haul Type 1 Business Class (751–2,750 miles) decreased by 1,000 miles; Medium-haul Business Class (2,751–5,000 miles) increased by 2,000 miles; Long-haul Business Class (5,001–7,500 miles) increased by 2,000 miles; and Ultra long-haul Business Class (7,501+ miles) increased by 4,000 miles. This was the third devaluation since October 2023. Taken together, these have resulted in a significant increase in the cost of long-haul Business Class awards, which are now 40% more expensive than they were less than three years ago. Economy Class rates were not affected by the May 2026 changes.
Q: Can I use Asia Miles to fly on other airlines besides Cathay Pacific?
Yes, and this is one of the programme's strongest features. Asia Miles can be used to redeem flights on all oneworld alliance member airlines. Cathay Pacific, Air China, Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, British Airways, Fiji Airways, Finnair, Iberia, Japan Airlines, LATAM, Malaysia Airlines, Qantas, Qatar Airways, Royal Air Maroc, Royal Jordanian Airlines, S7 Airlines and SriLankan Airlines offer instant online redemption. Other partner airlines require submitting a flight award request form through the Cathay website. Bear in mind that partner airline redemptions are priced slightly higher than equivalent Cathay Pacific-operated flights, and on 1 May 2026, Cathay increased the cost of Business Class flights on partner airlines: from 89,000 to 93,000 Asia Miles on long routes. Also note that Asia Miles no longer publishes an award chart for travel on oneworld and other partner carriers (except for multi-carrier awards) — you will need to use the search tool on the Cathay website to check exact pricing.
Q: What is the best credit card in Hong Kong to earn Asia Miles in 2026?
The fastest way to accumulate Asia Miles is through a co-branded credit card that earns miles directly. The Standard Chartered Cathay Mastercard is the most direct option, offering up to HK$2 = 1 mile on Cathay and HK Express spending. The HSBC EveryMile Credit Card earns HK$2 = 1 mile on designated everyday categories including transport, cafes, and travel spending. If you hold transferable points (such as American Express Membership Rewards), note that the Amex transfer rate dropped to 5:4 effective March 1, 2026 — meaning 5,000 Amex points now yields only 4,000 Asia Miles, down from the previous 1:1 ratio. Citi ThankYou Rewards, Capital One Miles, and Bilt Rewards still transfer at 1:1. When choosing a card, prioritise one that earns miles on your highest everyday spend categories, and ensure you have a plan to keep your account active to prevent expiry.
Q: Are there fuel surcharges on Asia Miles award redemptions?
Yes, and this is a material consideration that affects the true cost of your redemption. Cathay Pacific levies fuel surcharges on its own award flights, which can be substantial on long-haul routes. In 2026, surcharges on long-haul award tickets have increased significantly — one analysis noted fuel surcharges on long-haul routes reaching approximately HKD 1,560 (~USD 200) per segment. This means a Business Class award to London, for example, requires both the miles and a meaningful cash co-payment on top. One important workaround: Cathay Pacific does not apply fuel surcharges to Finnair and Qantas awards, making those partner redemptions considerably more cost-effective for routes that overlap. Qatar Airways Qsuites redemptions via Asia Miles also come with relatively low taxes and fees, making them a popular sweet spot among experienced miles collectors.
Q: What happened to the April 2025 award chart changes — and are the tables in this article up to date?
The tables in this article reflect the rates effective from 1 May 2026 — the most current version of the award chart. For context, the April 15, 2025 adjustments brought mixed changes: Economy Class Japan routes increased while long-haul Economy routes decreased (London from 60,000 to 54,000 miles round-trip; Sydney from 44,000 to 40,000 miles). Business Class saw general increases across most routes, while award seat availability increased by over 20%, making bookings easier despite the pricing changes. The subsequent May 2026 changes then further adjusted Business Class pricing across medium and long-haul bands. One important note: Cathay Pacific removed award charts from its website — the only way to find exact pricing for a specific route is now to use the flight search tool on the Cathay website directly.
Wanna enjoy a peaceful moment in lounge while waiting for your flight? Check out the top credit cards with unlimited airport lounge access here!
Yearning to stretch your wings and soar the skies with your accumulated miles? Dive into our blog post to unravel the mysteries of multifaceted mileage programs!
Wanna stay ahead of the herd? Let’s check out the MoneySmart blog for more financial tips!
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