Cathay (Asia Miles)

What Cathay and Asia Miles are

The program is in the middle of a rebuild. This text describes the rules that currently appear on the Swiss pages and what changes with the new version.

How the frequent flyer program works when earning

Asia Miles depend on distance and booking class. On flights that Cathay Pacific markets, they follow the distance zone between departure and destination airport and the booking class or booking type. On flights that partner airlines market, the great-circle distance counts. Booking type and booking class come on top.

Status Points come from flights of Cathay Pacific and of airlines in the oneworld alliance. We found no sourced earning path through cards or partners for the three markets, so we state nothing.

Redeeming Asia Miles

Award flights are priced by distance zone. The zone depends on the one-way route between departure and destination airport. It applies to all award types except multi-airline oneworld awards and HK Express. We do not state how many miles a zone costs, because we found no stable award chart.

Not all flight awards are available on all partner airlines. Codeshare flights are not eligible for flight awards. Flight awards exist for personal travel only and cannot be obtained for business trips. Unless stated otherwise, an award ticket is valid for twelve months from issue.

Taxes, surcharges and fees

Asia Miles do not pay the whole price. On award tickets the passenger pays departure taxes and airport and government charges. Fuel surcharges and security and insurance charges come on top. The miles required, taxes and all carrier surcharges are shown at booking before you complete it. If a completely unused award ticket is canceled, airport taxes and fuel surcharges are refunded to the original credit card.

Fees for changes and cancellations come on top. Cathay states them in USD or in Asia Miles. A new travel date costs USD 50 or 7,500 Asia Miles online. Canceling an award ticket that is completely unused before it expires costs USD 120 or 17,000 Asia Miles. If the change does not go through online self-service, USD 40 or 6,000 Asia Miles apply per booking and transaction. We convert nothing and therefore list no fee in CHF or EUR. We also give no miles value in cents or rappen, because there is no sourced basis.

Expiry of Asia Miles

Asia Miles stay active as long as miles are earned or spent at least every 18 months. Every credit and every debit automatically extends the expiry date by 18 months. For miles credited up to December 31, 2019, the old expiry rule still applies.

The account itself is affected too. An account with no activity for 36 consecutive months can be closed, and the remaining Asia Miles and Status Points then expire.

Status tiers and the rule change

Cathay has the tiers Green, Silver, Gold and Diamond, and Diamond Exec is added from January 1, 2027. Silver corresponds to oneworld Ruby, Gold to Sapphire and Diamond to Emerald.

Current rules

The Status Points for renewal or an upgrade must be collected within one membership year. Silver goes to members with 300 Status Points. Gold starts at 600, Diamond from 1,200. On top of that, one eligible route has to be flown with Cathay Pacific. Under these rules a member can move up only one tier per membership.

Transition year and the new version

Cathay is converting the program, and 2026 is the transition year, running from January 1 to December 31, 2026. During it, the count of Status Points starts again at zero after every renewal and after every move up or down a tier, and the current membership ends on December 31, 2026. The status you get on January 1, 2027 depends on the points of calendar year 2026. From 300 to 599 Status Points it is Silver, from 600 to 1,199 Gold, from 1,200 to 2,399 Diamond, and Diamond Exec begins above that. The terms speak of more than 2,400 Status Points, the FAQ of at least 2,400. Anyone who lands exactly on that number should ask Cathay.

The revised program applies from January 1, 2027. Status Points are then earned each year from January 1 to December 31, and the required number must be reached within one calendar year. The thresholds are 300 for Silver, 600 for Gold, 1,200 for Diamond and 2,400 for Diamond Exec. Status Points no longer reset to zero after an upgrade. From Gold, surplus Status Points can be rolled over to the next year, up to 50% of the points required for the highest status reached in the year.

Cathay adds Diamond Exec as a new status that sits between Diamond and Diamond Plus. Diamond Plus is by invitation only, open to Diamond and Diamond Exec members, and depends on how much they spend on Cathay Pacific fares each year. We found no published criteria for it. According to Cathay, the mid-status benefits for Gold and Diamond no longer apply from January 1, 2027.

Green

Green is the entry tier and arrives automatically with membership. Green members get priority at online check-in, which opens up to 48 hours ahead. Once someone reaches 200 Status Points, a Business Class lounge pass follows as a mid-status benefit. We state nothing on qualification and baggage. The same goes for upgrades and seat, and for bonus and guests.

Silver

Silver corresponds to oneworld Ruby. A seat can be reserved ahead of time, so there is no need to wait for check-in. At 450 Status Points the member receives two passes for business class lounges, for the member or a companion.

On oneworld airlines there are preferred or reserved seats, priority check-in at the business class counter and no priority boarding. Access to business class lounges regardless of travel class and lounge guests are not part of Silver there. We state nothing on baggage and upgrades.

Gold

Gold corresponds to oneworld Sapphire. In booking class Y, an economy seat is held up to 72 hours before departure, subject to restrictions that we do not list here. From 1,000 Status Points there are four bookable upgrades, and from 800 Status Points two Business Class lounge passes. According to Cathay, these mid-status benefits no longer apply from January 1, 2027. We have not confirmed what happens to benefits already earned. We do not list the conditions of the upgrades here, they are on the Cathay site.

On oneworld airlines Gold has access to business class lounges regardless of travel class and may bring 1 guest. Priority boarding comes with it, as does extra free baggage of 15 kg or 1 piece.

Diamond

Diamond corresponds to oneworld Emerald. A business class seat in booking class J is held up to 24 hours before departure, subject to restrictions that we do not list here. From 1,600 Status Points there are four bookable upgrades, and from 1,800 Status Points a free Gold membership for a travel companion. According to Cathay, these two mid-status benefits also no longer apply from January 1, 2027.

On oneworld airlines Diamond also gets into first class lounges regardless of travel class. There is extra free baggage of 20 kg or 1 piece, priority check-in at the first class counter where available, and likewise 1 lounge guest.

Diamond Exec

Diamond Exec needs at least 2,400 Status Points within one calendar year. At oneworld the status counts as Emerald, with the corresponding benefits on oneworld member airlines. The lounge access covers First and Business class lounges, with two guests on Cathay Pacific flights and one guest on oneworld airlines. In addition there are four Upgrade Passes, each good for a one-class upgrade on flights that Cathay Pacific operates and markets, subject to availability. We state nothing on seat and bonus.

Flying from Switzerland, Germany and Austria

Cathay Pacific flies to Hong Kong (HKG) from Switzerland and Germany. From Switzerland the route starts in Zurich (ZRH), and from Germany there are direct flights from Frankfurt (FRA) and Munich (MUC). For Austria we found no sourced Cathay route and list no airport.

The routes only show where Cathay Pacific flights can be found. We did not check whether partner airlines earn Asia Miles from these airports.

Who Cathay is not for

Cathay as an alternative to Miles & More

Whether Cathay suits you better than another frequent flyer program in Switzerland depends on your departure airport and the airlines you fly. If you are looking for alternatives to Miles & More, compare Cathay with other oneworld programs such as American AAdvantage, the British Airways Executive Club, the Qatar Airways Privilege Club and JAL Mileage Bank. Which miles program is best cannot be said in general, it depends on your own flying. All programs are listed in the program archive.