What are the best credit cards for Asia Miles?

Cathay is an extremely versatile program, and it’s relatively easy to earn its version of points – Asia Miles – through participating Australian credit cards. In turn, those Miles are great not only for Cathay Pacific’s own flights, but also for booking short Qantas flights and even lavish round-the-world trips involving multiple partner airlines.

While it’s not possible to directly earn Asia Miles from credit cards in Australia, there are many flexible points programs that do have a transfer partnership. In this article, we’ll take a look at your many options for building a balance with Cathay in Australia. We’ll also examine how to maximise those rewards.

What are some of the best Cathay credit card sign-up bonus deals?

The offers displayed on this page are selected from a range of products across pointhacks.com.au as at the time of publishing this article. The use of terms “Best” and “Top” are derived from the highest bonus points offered.

What are the best credit cards for earning Asia Miles?

Here are just some of the flexible credit cards that allow points transfers to Cathay.

What is the easiest way to earn miles with Cathay?

Other than flying, the easiest way to earn Asia Miles in Australia is often through credit card spend.

In Australia, this usually takes place by earning points in a card’s own participating rewards program. After that, points from eligible programs can be converted onwards to Cathay.

This provides a great deal of flexibility. Those points can be kept with the bank until needed – and only converted to Cathay when it suits.

These programs can transfer points into miles with Cathay:

• American Express Membership Rewards: 2 points to 1 Asia Mile.
• ANZ Rewards: 3 points to 1 Asia Mile.
• Citi Rewards: 2.5 points to 1 Asia Mile (Citi Prestige card only).
• CommBank Awards: 3.5 points to 1 Asia Mile.
• HSBC Rewards: 2 points to 1 Asia Mile (Premier members only).
• NAB Rewards: 3 points to 1 Asia Mile.
• Westpac Altitude: 3 points to 1 Asia Mile.

What could I look for in a Cathay-earning credit card?

• Transfer rates: Different programs have different transfer rates to Cathay, and it pays to pay attention.
  
  For example, 120,000 Membership Rewards points would convert to 60,000 Asia Miles with Cathay. But 120,000 Altitude Points would only convert to 40,000 Asia Miles with Cathay.

• Earn rates: Check how many Cathay miles could be earned on everyday spend, too. Each card has its own ‘effective earn rate’, and it’s easy to calculate.
  
  Let’s say a card earns two reward points per dollar spent, and that same card has a 3:1 transfer rate to Cathay. That’s effectively 0.66 Cathay miles per dollar spent.
  
  Many Australian cards will typically deliver between 0.33 and 1.125 Asia Miles per dollar spent. Some cards will have caps on the number of points earned per month or year. That’s worth keeping in mind if you spend heavily or have a large purchase coming up.

• Bonus points offer: Many cards have a bonus points offer to attract new customers. It’s not uncommon to see sign-up bonuses of 100,000 rewards points or more. But remember, these bonuses are usually in bank points, rather than Cathay miles.
  
  Don’t forget to do the homework and run those numbers. Check annual fees and spending criteria before applying, too.

• Bonus travel inclusions: Higher-end cards can offer other perks as well, like Priority Pass membership for lounge access. Consider if these will be of any use to you.

• Included insurances: Platinum-grade cards often include some form of complimentary insurance. Travel insurance is the most common, but always check how it’s activated. Also be sure to read the Product Disclosure Statements (PDS) very carefully.
  
  Some cards may offer perks like price drop protection, extended warranty or even smartphone screen damage cover.

What else to consider with Cathay-earning credit cards?

Like any other credit card, points are just one part of the equation. Here are just some of the many other aspects you might consider as well.

• Annual fee: Most rewarding credit cards have an annual fee. This generally helps cover the benefits provided by the card.
  
  The more perks offered by a rewards credit card, the higher the annual fee. For example, both the $1,450/year American Express Platinum Card and the $395/year Explorer Card have the ability to earn Asia Miles with Cathay at comparable rates. But they’re quite different in their other offerings. You’ll need to assess which one best suits your needs.

• Interest rate: All rewards cards have high interest rates. They really aren’t designed for carrying a balance from month to month. Rewards cards generally aren’t the best fit for those who struggle with credit card debt. Not only because earning points incentivises spending, but because the fees and interest would likely outweigh the benefit of any Cathay miles earned.

• Interest-free days: Many credit cards will allow 44-55 interest-free days on purchases. This gives you a little breathing space to pay off your purchases after each monthly statement arrives.

• Income requirements: Platinum-level rewards credit cards often require a higher income level to apply versus lower-tier products. It’s commonplace for banks to ask for recent payslips to assist in verifying stated income, and by extension, an applicant’s eligibility for a particular product.
  
  For those living with a partner, some banks may take the combined household income into account. But check with each issuer before applying.

Other considerations when applying for a credit card affiliated with Cathay

Here’s a quick checklist of what you might also review before applying for a rewards credit card:

• Eligibility for bonus points. Many cards will exclude customers from bonus points if they’ve held that credit card (or a similar card) in the last 12-18 months. The same exclusion may apply for those who’ve recently held a card from the same product family. For instance, holding a Platinum rewards card from a bank that also has a Black rewards card. These rules are generally explained in the terms and conditions of a promotion.

• Being able to fulfil bonus points offer requirements. Most bonus point offers require the customer to spend at least a certain amount on the card. This figure can be in the thousands of dollars. The time period for making that spend can also be short, such as over just a few months.
  
  Cards with high minimum spend requirements attached to their bonus offer won’t necessarily suit everyone. Sometimes, paying bills early can be a way around this, it’s still not a universal strategy.

• Credit score. The chances of having an application accepted are likely to be much better for those with a good credit history.

Earning Asia Miles after getting a credit card

There are a few strategies to keep earning lots of points on an ongoing basis, which could later be transferred into Asia Miles with Cathay.

• Using credit cards for everyday purchases. This could be everything from hotel stays to bills, streaming TV to food delivery and more. This could maximise a cardholder’s points-earning potential. However, this strategy relies on paying the credit card in full each and every month. Otherwise, the interest charges incurred will usually exceed the value of the points earned over the same period.

• Keep an eye out for bonus offers: Check out our Frequent Flyer Deals Page for the latest promotions.

• Take advantage of transfer bonuses: Flexible rewards programs often run transfer bonus deals. These might offer 15-40% more points when transferring to certain programs. If Cathay is part of the promo, it could be a good time to transfer.

Frequently asked questions

The following answers are general in nature and do not take into account your personal circumstances. Be sure to consider all aspects of a credit card before applying.