Cathay Pacific credit card review: Prestigious airline, weak card
Editor's Note
Cathay Pacific credit card overview
Cathay Pacific may be a world-class airline, but its U.S. credit card falls flat. From a lackluster welcome offer to underwhelming perks, this card struggles to compete with the top travel rewards credit cards. I wouldn't recommend this card, even to loyal Cathay flyers. Card rating*: ⭐
*Card rating is based on the opinion of TPG's editors and is not influenced by the card issuer.
Cathay Pacific is one of my favorite international airlines — I've flown it in both first and business class and have consistently been impressed. Based in Hong Kong, the carrier serves six U.S. cities with strong connectivity across Asia and the South Pacific.
But while the airline has a premium reputation, its credit card doesn't hold up. The Cathay World Elite Mastercard, issued by Synchrony Bank and carrying a $99 annual fee, was refreshed and reopened to new applicants in April 2025. It typically requires a credit score of 620 or higher.
Let's get into why I believe this card falls short of the mark.
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 Pacific credit card pros and cons
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Cathay Pacific credit card welcome offer
The Cathay Pacific credit card is currently offering (a very exact) 38,000 bonus miles after spending $3,000 in the first 90 days of account opening.
According to our May 2025 valuations, this welcome bonus is worth a paltry $494. If you want to earn a stash of Cathay Pacific Asia Miles, you're better off applying for a general travel rewards credit card from American Express, Bilt, Capital One or Citi and transferring your rewards to the program.
Synchrony Bank does not publish application restrictions, so it is hard to predict your chances of approval. Since there's no way to check if you prequalify, applying will most likely result in a hard inquiry on your credit report.
Cathay Pacific credit card benefits
Here's a rundown of the perks you get from the Cathay Pacific credit card:
- Priority check-in: You and your travel companions can check in at the premium economy check-in desk when flying Cathay Pacific.
- Priority boarding: You — and only you (no travel companions) — can board with the premium economy group when flying Cathay Pacific; you must present your physical credit card to do so.
- World Elite Mastercard benefits: You'll enjoy concierge access and offers with brands like Instacart (through August), Peacock (through December) and ShopRunner.
- No foreign transaction fees: You can use your card abroad without accumulating extra charges (this is standard for most top travel rewards cards).
- Spend your way to status: Earn 10 status points for every $5,000 spent on the card (up to a maximum of 100 status points each calendar year).
- Redemption discount: Receive 10% off car rental, experience and hotel awards.
- Gift and transfer miles discount: Enjoy 10% off of fees incurred when gifting or transferring miles to another member.
These are poor benefits as far as an airline credit card is concerned. The best airline credit cards offer lounge access, companion certificates and helpful ways to spend your way to status.
While priority check-in and boarding are useful, you'll only get them with this card when a premium economy cabin is operating from the airport you're at (which is the case for all U.S. routes but only for about half of flights within Asia).
The status shortcut is meager. You'd need to spend $50,000 on the card in a year just to get a third of the way to Silver status, which offers access to Cathay Pacific business-class lounges, check-in and boarding.
Silver is equivalent to Oneworld Ruby status; if you're going for Oneworld status, I'd recommend the level above (Cathay Pacific Gold, which matches to Oneworld Sapphire) at a minimum. For that, you'd need 600 status points in a year, so maxing out spending on this card would only get you about 16% of the way; the rest would need to be earned organically (through flying, shopping, etc.).
This card's terms and conditions state that it can take up to six months for the status points to be reflected in your account after they are earned, so this card is not a reliable way to reach elite status with the airline.
If status is top priority for you, a better alternative is the Qatar Airways Privilege Club Visa Infinite Credit Card (with a $499 annual fee), which offers Oneworld Sapphire status for the first year.
Finally, the redemption discount for car rentals, experiences and hotels — which, unlike Delta Air Lines' 15% award flight discount, does not apply to flights — isn't very useful because redeeming your Asia Miles for nonflight redemptions offers poor value.
The information for the Qatar Airways Privilege Club Visa Infinite Credit Card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Earning miles on the Cathay Pacific credit card
As with most airline cobranded cards, you'll earn the most bonus miles when spending directly with the airline. You'll earn:
- 3 miles per dollar spent on Cathay Pacific and Hong Kong Express* flights and inflight purchases
- 2 points per dollar spent on dining (including eligible delivery services)
- 1 point per dollar spent on everything else
*Hong Kong Express is Cathay Pacific's low-cost subsidiary, operating exclusively on intra-Asian routes.
Based on our May 2025 valuations, you'll receive a 3.9% return on flight purchases. Compare that to the over 6% return I get when using my Chase Sapphire Reserve® (see rates and fees) for flight purchases (3 points per dollar), along with that card's strong travel protections, and it's easy to see why the Cathay Pacific card falls short.
The 2.6% return on dining pales in comparison to our top recommendation for a dining card, the American Express® Gold Card, which earns 8% in this category†, according to our valuations.
†Earns 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide (on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1 point per dollar spent for the rest of the calendar year).
In summary, this card does not pack a punch in the earning department.
Redeeming miles on the Cathay Pacific credit card
Cathay Pacific is a member of the Oneworld alliance, so you can redeem your miles with carriers such as American Airlines and British Airways, as well as several nonalliance partners like Air Canada, LATAM and Lufthansa.
However, the Asia Miles program is difficult to understand. If you're new to it, check out our full guide to Asia Miles for all the program's nuances and nitty-gritty details.
If you think redeeming Asia Miles is the best-value way to fly in premium cabins with Cathay Pacific, think again. For example, a one-way first-class flight from Los Angeles to Hong Kong requires 125,000 Asia Miles or 110,000 American Airlines AAdvantage miles — and the taxes through AAdvantage are less than a quarter of those when booking with Asia Miles.
However, while booking Cathay Pacific flights through American or Alaska Airlines can offer better value, the airline releases more award availability in its premium cabins to its own members. I booked the flight above in January 2025 and had to use Asia Miles because it wasn't available through American or Alaska.
So, if you find an itinerary you like, my advice is to call Asia Miles at 833-933-2244 to put the award on hold for up to 72 hours. If you need more Cathay miles to cover the cost, convert one of these transferable rewards currencies to Asia Miles (which are even more valuable during a transfer bonus promotion):
Finally, you can redeem Asia Miles for car rentals, experiences and hotels, as well as lounge access — but none of these options are valuable.
Which cards compete with the Cathay Pacific credit card?
Given that Asia Miles partners with all the major transferable rewards programs except for Chase, my advice is to get one of the following cards instead:
- If you bank with Capital One: The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is a great choice, offering an easy-to-understand earning structure for a slightly lower $95 annual fee. For more details, read our full review of the Capital One Venture Rewards.
- If you prefer American Express: The Platinum Card® from American Express is one of the highest-earning cards for flight purchases and the best personal card for lounge access. A plethora of statement credits helps offset its high annual fee (see rates and fees). For more details, check out our full review of the Amex Platinum.
- If you prefer Citi: The Citi Strata Premier℠ Card (see rates and fees) is an underrated product that earns solidly across a broad range of categories (including airfare and dining) for a modest $95 annual fee. For more details, check out our full review of the Citi Strata Premier.
For additional options, see our full list of the best airline credit cards.
Related: Why transferable points and miles are worth more than other rewards
Is the Cathay Pacific credit card worth it?
The Cathay World Elite Mastercard is the only U.S.-issued credit card that allows you to earn Asia Miles and status points directly. However, even frequent Cathay Pacific flyers will have trouble getting substantial value from this card. My advice is to get a general travel rewards credit card and transfer your rewards to Asia Miles instead.
Bottom line
Cathay Pacific soars in the sky, but its credit card barely lifts off. Despite North America being its most lucrative market outside Asia, the airline has failed to offer a compelling product for U.S. consumers.
With a poor welcome bonus, disappointing travel perks and a slow path to elite status, I would hesitate to recommend the Cathay Pacific credit card to even frequent Cathay Pacific flyers.
If you would like to use miles to fly Cathay Pacific (as well as enjoy lounge access during your trip), I'd suggest getting a general travel rewards credit card and transferring your rewards to either Asia Miles or another Oneworld loyalty program.
Related: How to choose an airline credit card
For rates and fees of the Amex Platinum, click here.