A 75K Cathay Pacific Visa is targeted to Marco Polo Club Members, and could be worth it for some looking to redeem for Cathay Pacific First Class. This is better than the 50K Cathay Pacific Visa public bonus offer. Here are the offer details, via William:
- Earn 75,000 Bonus Asia Miles after spending $2500 within the first 90 days of membership
- Earn 2X Asia Miles per dollar spent on eligible Cathay Pacific travel and in-flight purchases
- Earn 1.5X Asia Miles per dollar spent on restaurants
- Earn 1.5X Asia Miles per dollar spent on purchases outside of the U.S.
- Earn 1 Asia Mile per dollar on all other purchases
- No foreign transaction fees
- Complimentary Marco Polo club membership as a Green member for one year ($100 value)
- $95 annual fee is NOT waived the first year
FAQ
How Do I Get the 75K Cathay Pacific Visa offer?
This is not a public offer, you must be targeted, and it appears that this offer is exclusively for Marco Polo Club members. Check if your company offers a complimentary Marco Polo Club membership. If not, it costs $100 to join as an individual. Benefits for Green Members include:
- Designated Marco Polo Club check-in counters
- Priority boarding (member only, no guests)
- 2 pieces of checked baggage allowance on all flights to/from the Americas.
- May redeem Asia Miles towards Business Class Lounge access or to redeem for seats with extra legroom
If I Already Applied for the 50K Cathay Pacific Visa Can I Be Matched to the Higher Offer?
No; the offer explicitly excludes current Cathay Pacific Visa cardmembers, and Synchrony Bank, which issues the Cathay Pacific Visa, does not match to higher bonuses. You may be offered a $25 statement credit, however, which is better than nothing.
What Are the Advantages of Cathay Pacific Asia Miles?
Asia Miles, since they're Cathay Pacific's own frequent flyer miles, have a few advantages. There is slightly increased award availability than is available to oneworld partners, such as British Airways Executive Club and American AAdvantage, or other partners, such as Alaska Mileage Plan. Also, the Asia Miles award calendar opens several days before British Airways, and about 1 month before AAdvantage and Mileage Plan, so those redeeming Asia Miles can snag award seats before those using other frequent flyer miles.
How Much are Cathay Pacific First Class and Business Class Awards?
Asia Miles is a distance based award chart, so you need to know the distance of your flight. JFK-HKG-JFK is about 16,150 miles, or just over 8000 miles for a one way, so it's 260,000 miles round trip or 130,000 miles one way. A LAX-HKG one way, at about 7260 miles, would fall in Award Zone D and be 105,000 miles for first class, or 70,000 miles for business class.
Which Points Can Transfer to Asia Miles?
You can add to your Asia Miles balance by transferring points to Asia miles. AMEX Membership Rewards points, Citi ThankYou points and SPG Starpoints transfer 1:1 to Asia Miles, and Starpoints, when transferring in increments of 20,000 points, enjoy a 25% transfer bonus, so you would receive 25,000 Asia Miles from a 20K points transfer. See SPG Airline Partners: Transfer Starwood Points to Miles
Do Asia Miles Points Expire?
Yes, Asia Miles points expire 3 years after being earned, and unlike most U.S. frequent flyer miles, additional mileage earning does NOT stop the miles from expiring.
Is the 75K Bonus Offer Worth Joining the Marco Polo Club and Paying the Annual Fee?
Paying the $100 Marco Polo Club fee and the $95 annual fee, for a total of $195, equates to buying Asia Miles for 0.26 per mile, or less than one third of a cent per mile. That's a good deal, assuming you'll use the miles towards a satisfying redemption.
I'm not Synchrony, and can't promise you'll be targeted for the offer if you join the Marco Polo Club, however, so this works best if you'd want to join the Marco Polo Club anyway, say because you'll have paid Cathay Pacific flights that could earn you Marco Polo Club Silver or Gold status.
Were you targeted for the 75K Cathay Pacific Visa offer?
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