01

Start here: what is an award flight?

An award flight is a seat you book with Asia Miles instead of paying the full cash fare. You will still pay the taxes, charges and fees shown at checkout.

Asia Miles are the reward currency of Cathay, Cathay Pacific’s free loyalty programme. You can use them for Cathay Pacific flights and eligible flights on partner airlines.

Asia Miles are different from Status Points. Asia Miles are spent on rewards. Status Points help you move through Cathay membership tiers and cannot be used to book a flight.

BEGINNER TIPThink of miles as a separate currency. Having enough miles does not guarantee a seat: airlines release only a limited number of seats for award bookings.
02

Choose the trip before collecting miles

Begin with a destination, a rough travel period and the number of travellers. Then search for award seats and check how many miles the trip needs.

Asia Miles pricing depends on the airline, route and cabin. A connecting trip may also price differently from a direct flight. Use Cathay’s live booking screen as your final answer rather than relying on an old chart or social-media post.

If your dates are fixed, search early and try nearby dates. You can also compare another flight time, cabin or partner airline.

BEGINNER TIPSearch one-way flights first. They are easier to compare, and you can book the return separately if another date or airline works better.
03

Start with Cathay Pacific flights

For a first redemption, Cathay Pacific is usually the simplest place to begin. From Singapore, many Cathay journeys connect in Hong Kong before continuing to North Asia, Europe or North America.

You can also use Asia Miles with eligible partner airlines, including several oneworld carriers. Partner availability and booking methods vary. Some flights appear in the online search, while others may require a flight award request.

For every option, compare the miles required, taxes and fees, and total journey time. A connection may add hours even when it saves miles.

WATCH OUTA partner airline selling a cash seat does not mean that the same seat is available to book with Asia Miles.
04

How to book your first award flight

Use cathaypacific.com or the Cathay app. You can search before transferring any bank points.

WATCH OUTBank transfers are generally one-way and may take time. An award seat can disappear while you wait, so do not transfer points simply to store them in Asia Miles.
  1. Sign in to your free Cathay account.
  2. Choose “Redeem flights”, then enter your route, dates and number of travellers.
  3. Compare available flights, cabins, miles and cash charges.
  4. Check the cash fare for the same or a similar trip.
  5. Only if you need more miles, transfer the required bank points and book as soon as they arrive.
05

Where your miles can come from

For many Singapore-based beginners, most Asia Miles come from credit-card spending rather than flying. Your card normally earns the bank’s reward points first. You later ask the bank to convert those points into Asia Miles.

You can also earn from eligible Cathay Pacific and partner flights, hotels, shopping and other programme partners. Each bank has its own conversion rate, minimum transfer amount, fee and processing time, so check all four before moving points.

BEGINNER TIPKeep flexible bank points at the bank until you have a likely booking. They may be transferable to more than one airline programme, while a transfer to Asia Miles is usually irreversible.
06

Is the redemption good value?

Use a simple check: subtract the award’s taxes and fees from a comparable cash fare, then divide by the miles required. A S$1,000 fare with S$100 of award taxes using 50,000 miles gives about 1.8 cents per mile.

Compare against a fare you would realistically buy. If you would normally choose a S$700 one-stop ticket, do not use a S$1,500 direct fare just to make the redemption look better.

Premium cabins can produce stronger value because their cash fares are often high. That does not automatically make them the best choice. Choose a trip and cabin you actually want.

07

Keep your miles active

Asia Miles earned under the current activity-based system stay active when you have at least one eligible earning or redemption transaction every 18 months. An eligible transaction resets the clock for another 18 months after the miles are credited or debited.

Examples can include earning miles, redeeming miles or converting bank points into Asia Miles. A cancellation or refund does not count as eligible activity. Older miles earned on or before 31 December 2019 may follow different rules.

WATCH OUTDo not wait until the final day. Partner activity can take time to appear in your account, and the relevant date is when the miles are credited or debited.
08

Five beginner mistakes to avoid

  • Confusing Asia Miles with Status Points. Only Asia Miles can be spent on an award flight.
  • Transferring bank points before finding a likely seat. Transfers are usually irreversible, and availability can change.
  • Assuming every cash seat is an award seat. Airlines control award availability separately.
  • Looking only at the mileage number. Include taxes, fees, connections and the cash fare you would otherwise pay.
  • Forgetting the 18-month activity rule. Check when your last eligible transaction was credited or debited.