New 10% bonus to Cathay Pacific Asia Miles

Cathay Pacific has launched a 10% bonus when you convert points from participating US credit card and hotel programs into Asia Miles. The promotion runs July 27 through August 28, 2026. Ten percent is small, and the terms cap it tightly. Asia Miles has still become one of the more useful airline currencies to hold, for one specific reason we get into below. If a Cathay redemption was already on your list, take the extra miles. Read the terms and register on Cathay’s official promo page first.

The fine print & key rules

There are four important terms to keep in mind:

Registration required: register your Asia Miles account on Cathay’s promo page before you start a transfer. Any transfers made prior to registration won't be eligible for the bonus.
The bonus cap: 10,000 bonus miles per member.
Delayed posting: base miles arrive on the usual schedule, but the bonus miles post within 12 weeks. So the bonus amount won't be immediately available for use. Transfer what the award costs today and treat the bonus as a future top-up.
US members only: the offer covers conversions from US credit card and hotel partners.

The participating transfer partners

Four US card currencies feed Asia Miles, along with a long list of hotel programs. Chase is not one of them, so Ultimate Rewards holders sit this one out. The ratios are what separate the rest:

Citi ThankYou Rewards, 1:1
Bilt Rewards, 1:1
Capital One, 1:1
American Express Membership Rewards, 5:4
Hotel programs: Marriott Bonvoy 3:1, Accor 2:1, IHG One Rewards 5:1

The hotel side is where this promotion is a bit less lucrative, given the worse transfer ratios. For credit card partners, it could represent a nice cherry on top.

Why Amex points come out behind

Amex is the one card program that moves to Cathay at worse than 1:1, and the gap is wider than the bonus. The 10% applies to the miles you receive, not the points you send:

10,000 points at 1:1 (Citi, Bilt, Capital One) = 11,000 Asia Miles
10,000 Amex Membership Rewards points = 8,800 Asia Miles (8,000 at 5:4, then the 10% bonus)

Same promotion, 2,200 miles apart. If you hold points in more than one program, that is the whole decision. Send the Citi or Bilt points, and keep the Amex balance for a partner that transfers at 1:1.

The one thing that makes Asia Miles worth holding

Here is what changed about this program. Cathay belongs to oneworld, but it now keeps the vast majority of its first and business class award space for Asia Miles members. You cannot get at that space through Alaska Atmos Rewards or American AAdvantage like in the past. Shutting the partners out is the single biggest reason this currency has gotten more valuable, and it makes Asia Miles the practical way to fly Cathay’s premium cabins on points.

While partner awards aren't generally a good value through Asia Miles, there's one notable exception: British Airways flights booked through Asia Miles carry noticeably lower carrier-imposed surcharges than the same flights booked elsewhere.

Watch the 18-month clock

Asia Miles expire after 18 months of account inactivity, and any earning or redemption resets that clock. A transfer in counts, so this bonus can keep an existing balance alive while you decide what to do with it. While it's not hard to keep the points from expiring, it's still a key rule to keep in mind.

The verdict

A 10% bonus capped at 10,000 miles, with the bonus half landing up to three months later, is not a reason to move points on its own. However, if you have a Cathay premium-cabin award in mind and you were transferring anyway, register first, then send the points from Citi or Bilt.

Price the award before you transfer, as transfers can't be reversed. Our Cathay Pacific Asia Miles guide has the program in full, and our guide to transferring credit card points covers the mechanics if you have not done this before. The transfer bonus tracker lists every offer that is live right now.