At The Points Guy, our mission is simple: to open the world to our readers through the transformative power of points and miles.
Every mile holds the potential to unlock journeys you might once have thought out of reach, where you can immerse yourself in unforgettable experiences and discover the extraordinary possibilities of loyalty programs you may not have considered before.
That’s why we are thrilled to team up with Hong Kong-based airline Cathay Pacific to reward three lucky winners with two tickets each so that they, too, can experience the joy of exploring exciting new destinations with Cathay Pacific and learn about all the ways to earn and redeem Asia Miles with Cathay and its partners.
Here’s everything you need to know about the sweepstakes and how the Cathay membership program can put your next trip within reach even faster than you thought, whether you win these exciting tickets or plan a trip the old-fashioned way with your own miles.
Cathay Pacific-The Points Guy mileage sweepstakes details
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First things first: Cathay Pacific and The Points Guy are giving away three prizes — each winner will get two round-trip tickets from the U.S. to Hong Kong within a single class of service on Cathay Pacific.
The grand prize will be two tickets in business class from one of Cathay Pacific’s U.S. gateways to Hong Kong. The first prize will be two tickets in premium economy on Cathay Pacific from one of the carrier’s U.S. gateways to Hong Kong, and the second prize will be two round-trip economy-class tickets from one of the carrier’s U.S. gateways to Hong Kong.
Winners need to be Cathay members and are required to book their flights by Jan. 31, 2026, and travel by Oct. 31, 2026. Not yet a member? You can sign up here.
To enter the sweepstakes, sign up to become a Cathay member if you aren’t already. Visit Instagram and follow both brands (@ThePointsGuy and @CathayPacific) and comment on our post with your answer to the question, “What is your favorite Cathay Pacific travel destination?” Then tag a friend who would want to take a trip with you. There’s a limit of one entry per member.
For the full terms and conditions, click here.
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Cathay Pacific is your ticket to the world
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If you’re not yet familiar with Cathay Pacific, the airline dates back to 1946, when it was founded in what continues to be its home base, Hong Kong.
My own history with Cathay Pacific dates back to a childhood trip I took to Asia with my mother in 1991. We hopped aboard one of the airline’s jets in Bangkok for a flight to Hong Kong’s old Kai Tak Airport, which involved a notoriously steep descent past the city’s tower-speckled skyline — some buildings seeming so close that the joke was, if you were hungry, you could simply reach out the window and grab a bowl of noodles or a dim sum basket from a windowsill along the way. It was the start of my love affair with both the city and its hometown airline, which I have since flown many, many times across the Pacific and throughout Asia.
These days, Cathay Pacific’s hub is bustling Hong Kong International Airport (HKG), from which it flies to 100 destinations across Asia, Europe, the South Pacific and North America, including major U.S. airports like Boston Logan International Airport (BOS), Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport (ORD), Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), New York City’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), San Francisco International Airport (SFO) and, starting in March, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA).
Beyond its route network, what has always stood out to me about Cathay Pacific has been its exceptionally high service standards. First-class passengers will find some of the world’s finest Champagnes on offer, including Krug and Rare by Piper-Heidsieck. Both first- and business-class passengers can try French dishes from one-Michelin-star-awarded restaurants Louise (which specializes in French fare) and Duddell’s (where elevated Cantonese cuisine is on the menu).
Even economy and premium economy passengers don’t miss out since the airline has partnered with Yat Tung Heen, the Eaton HK hotel’s one-Michelin-starred eatery, to create “Hong Kong Flavours” menus for select flights departing Hong Kong. Available specialties include Chiu Chow-inspired smoked duck breast with pickled mustard greens and galangal (a more citrus-forward version of ginger).
Most recently, the airline introduced the Aria Suite, its all-new business class, which is currently flying on select long-haul routes operated by Boeing 777-300ERs. The new suites offer plenty of privacy thanks to closing doors, incredible technology (including 24-inch 4K entertainment screens), and high-end Bamford bedding and skin care products.
On a recent flight from London to Hong Kong where I got to experience the Aria Suite for myself, I was wowed by their sophisticated design touches and technological bells and whistles, including a quirky feature where you can see which lavatories are currently in use so you don’t have to get out of your seat and wait awkwardly in the aisle or galley for your turn.
Ways you can earn and redeem Asia Miles
Cathay’s membership program makes it easy to earn and redeem Asia Miles for travel, as well as for a lot of other activities. Here’s how to make the most of it.
Joining Cathay’s loyalty program is simple! Just sign up with your email address and personal details here, and you’ll be ready to start exploring.
Earning Asia Miles
It’s easy to earn Asia Miles with Cathay in a variety of ways. First and foremost, you can accrue Asia Miles by flying Cathay Pacific and its Oneworld airline partners, which include American Airlines and Alaska Airlines, as well as many international carriers, such as British Airways, Qantas and Qatar Airways. Cathay Pacific also has several nonalliance partners that include Air Canada and Lufthansa.
Cathay offers a credit card in the U.S. with a welcome bonus and everyday earning rates that make it easy to rack up Asia Miles at a quick clip. The Cathay World Elite Mastercard® is currently offering 38,000 bonus miles after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 90 days from account opening. It also accrues 3 miles per dollar spent on Cathay Pacific and Hong Kong Express flights and inflight purchases, 2 miles per dollar spent on dining (including eligible delivery services) and 1 mile per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
The information for the Cathay World Elite Mastercard has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Cathay is also a transfer partner of several major credit card issuers and their associated loyalty programs, including:
So, even if you don’t fly Cathay Pacific or its partners frequently, you might be able to build up your Asia Miles balance quickly through some savvy transfers.
Finally, you can convert points from hotel partners — including Hilton Honors, Marriott Bonvoy and World of Hyatt — into Asia Miles and earn them from dining at restaurant partners in various Asian cities.
Redeeming Asia Miles
There are plenty of ways to redeem Asia Miles, too, including for hotel stays, car rentals, event tickets and gift cards.
However, the single best way to redeem Asia Miles is for flights on Cathay Pacific and its airline partners.
Cathay offers great award availability on Cathay Pacific’s own flights and has a handy search calendar so you can get a snapshot of award availability on a longer-term basis across its airline partners. Folks with Asia Miles also tend to have expanded access to premium awards in business and first class on Cathay Pacific compared to those redeeming partner miles, so it can be a good idea to keep a healthy stash of Asia Miles on hand for those purposes.
The best ways to use Asia Miles
ERIC ROSEN/THE POINTS GUY
Here are a few ideas of how you can redeem Asia Miles with Cathay for maximum effect — and maximum enjoyment — even if you are just getting started with the program.
Fly in first class from Los Angeles to Hong Kong
It’s a lot of miles, but if you are interested in an outright splurge, you might want to redeem 250,000 Asia Miles for a round-trip, first-class ticket from Los Angeles to Hong Kong in Cathay Pacific first class.
There are just six double-wide seats total in the first-class cabin, arranged in a 1-1-1 configuration, so it’s one of the most exclusive ways to fly. Throw in the Michelin-caliber menus and fabulous amenities like organic cotton Pye pajamas, and this truly feels like a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Fly round-trip in business class from the East Coast to Hong Kong
It costs 230,000 Asia Miles for a round-trip ticket from Chicago or New York to Hong Kong in Cathay Pacific business class, but that’s well worth it to experience around 30 hours (total, both ways) in comfort as you cross the Pacific.
The airline was one of the pioneers of reverse-herringbone seats in business class, which are laid out in a 1-2-1 configuration so that every seat offers direct aisle access. Cathay Pacific’s are upholstered in the airline’s signature “Cathay Jade” green, recline to 75- to 77-inch lie-flat beds and have 16- to 18-inch entertainment screens.
If you’re lucky enough to be on a flight with the Aria Suite, which has a more neutral color palette, you can count on closing privacy doors and larger entertainment screens, among other updates. The new Aria Suite is being progressively introduced and is currently available on select routes and frequencies from Hong Kong to London, Sydney and Vancouver, British Columbia, among a few other destinations.
Business-class passengers enjoy menus from the airline’s Michelin-lauded restaurant partners and swanky Bamford amenities so that they arrive in Hong Kong or back home feeling refreshed and well taken care of.
Fly round-trip in business class on British Airways from the US to the UK
Asia Miles is one of the best rewards currencies to redeem between the U.S. and the U.K. because these awards incur lower surcharges than when redeeming miles from other Oneworld programs.
I recently flew from Los Angeles to London in British Airways’ Club Suites business class for 89,000 Asia Miles and $389 in taxes and fees instead of paying over $12,000 on airfare or redeeming rewards from American Airlines AAdvantage, Alaska Airlines Atmos Rewards or British Airways Club and then having to pay anywhere from $700 to $1,000 in taxes and fees.
Mileage rates from the East Coast are even better at just 63,000 Asia Miles each way or 126,000 Asia Miles round-trip, plus the same taxes and fees.
Fly round-trip in economy from Miami to Lima
Economy tickets on American Airlines from Miami International Airport (MIA) to Jorge Chávez International Airport (LIM) in Lima, Peru, require just 30,000 Asia Miles round-trip, which is practically a steal.
So, if you’re in the mood for Incan ruins and ultrafresh ceviche, a trip south of the equator might just be the ticket.
Book Intra-Asia flights from Hong Kong
Cathay Pacific has a robust route network from its hub in Hong Kong to other hot spots throughout Asia, so once you are there, you can stretch your miles to visit a number of destinations.
For just 9,000 miles each way in economy, 20,000 miles each way in premium economy and 28,000 miles each way in business class — often with an international configuration, including lie-flat seats on wide-body jets like the airline’s Airbus A350-900s — you can reach a host of fantastic nearby cities.
Once you reach Hong Kong, for example, you could tack on trips to cities like Seoul, South Korea, for a shopping spree; Singapore for art and fine dining; Penang, Malaysia, for history and culture; Langkawi, Malaysia, for a luxury beach vacation; and Bangkok for big-city entertainment, all for a reasonable number of miles.
Book Hong Kong hotel stays
Asia Miles also come in handy from time to time for hotel stays.
For instance, if you booked a flight to Hong Kong and wanted to enjoy a stopover for a couple of days, you could redeem miles for a few nights at a wonderful hotel like the Jen Hong Kong by Shangri-La, which is great for business travelers, or the Lan Kwai Fong Hotel, which is in a vibrant nightlife area, for around 29,000 to 30,000 Asia Miles per night.
Bottom line
Not only is it easy to earn Asia Miles on Cathay Pacific and its airline partners, but the Cathay program makes it simple to redeem them for flights on dozens of airlines and opens up premium award ticket availability on Cathay Pacific itself that you might not have access to when redeeming miles from other programs. Not yet a Cathay member? Sign up here!
This sweepstakes can be your chance to kick-start your journey with Cathay while experiencing Cathay Pacific and its award-winning inflight service.
Sweepstakes terms and conditions
Click here for details to enter, as well as contest rules, terms and conditions.
