Our Verdict
Cathay Pacific has steadily increased flights back to Hong Kong after struggling through the Covid-19 pandemic. The Cathay Pacific Visa Signature® Card*, specifically targeted at U.S. consumers, offers cardmembers a way to earn miles directly with Asia Miles and includes some specific discounts if you fly Cathay Pacific with any regularity. A modest sign-up bonus gives you a jump start on your next vacation, as well.
Pros
- Asia Miles welcome bonus
- Bonused general spend outside of the U.S.
- Priority check-in and boarding
Cons
- Locks you into only earning Asia Miles instead of flexible points
- Low dining and restaurant bonus compared to other cards
- Miles expire after 18 months of no activity
Highlights
- Earn 38,000 Asia Miles after spending $3,000 in the first 90 days of account opening
- Earn 2 Asia Miles per $1 spent on eligible Cathay Pacific travel and in-flight purchases
- Earn 1.5 Asia Miles per $1 spent on dining in the U.S. and abroad
- Earn 1.5 Asia Miles per $1 spent on purchases outside of the U.S.
- Earn 1 Asia Mile per $1 spent on all other purchases made in the U.S.
- No foreign transaction fees
Introduction
The Cathay Pacific Visa Signature card is an airline-specific credit card that offers some valuable benefits if you are a frequent flyer to Asia and beyond. Cathay Pacific services many U.S. destinations, including San Francisco, Boston, New York and Los Angeles.
New card members can earn 38,000 Asia Miles after spending $3,000 in the first 90 days of account opening. These miles can be redeemed for flights on Cathay Pacific, its Oneworld partners, hotels, rental cars and more.
Card members also receive airport benefits such as priority boarding, priority check-in and even redemptions for entry into Cathay business-class lounges.
Earning miles is straightforward as every purchase you make results in earning Asia Miles, and you’ll even receive a 10% discount on redemption when redeeming for non-flight awards.
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Quick Facts
- Earn 2 Asia Miles per $1 spent on eligible Cathay Pacific purchases, 1.5 miles per $1 spent on purchases outside the U.S. and on dining in the U.S. 1 Asia Mile per $1 spent on all other purchases made in the U.S.
- $95 annual fee
- 38,000 Asia Miles after spending $3,000 in the first 90 days of account opening
- 10% redemption discount on hotel, car rental and experiences with Asia Miles
Cathay Pacific Visa Rewards
Earning Rewards
Earning Cathay Pacific Asia Miles is easy with this card. All your purchases earn miles, with a few bonus categories: 2 Asia Miles per $1 spent on eligible Cathay Pacific purchases, 1.5 miles per $1 spent on purchases outside the U.S. and on dining in the U.S. 1 Asia Mile per $1 spent on all other purchases made in the U.S.
Redeeming Rewards
Once you have the miles in your account, redemption is straightforward. Via the Asia Miles website, you can find flights on Cathay Pacific or its Oneworld partners and even choose between economy, premium economy, business or first class. If you’re looking to redeem for other travel, such as rental cars or hotels, once you search for the reservation, you’ll be shown how many miles it will take to offset the cost.
Since Cathay Pacific is a member of the Oneworld alliance, the option to fly some of the world’s best products is within your grasp. Cathay Pacific offers a first-class product onboard their own aircraft, which is second to none. You’ll enjoy 600 thread-count sheets, soft pillows and even a calming pillow mist. Wi-Fi is also free onboard for first-class members.
The food service is also world-class, with on-demand dining and some vintage champagnes and wines that rival many restaurants on the ground.
Apart from Cathay’s own flights, you’ll have access to its Oneworld partners such as Qatar, Iberia, Royal Jordanian and more, allowing you the ability to fly virtually anywhere in the world.
Rewards Potential
Forbes Advisor uses data collected from several government agencies to determine baseline income and spending in various categories for consumer credit cards. The 70th percentile of wage-earning households bring in $116,000 annually and are able to charge $36,177 to credit cards each year.
Since the Cathay Pacific card earns 1.5 Asia Miles on purchases made outside the U.S., the earnings could be slightly higher. Still, it would depend on how much money you intend on spending outside of the U.S.
Other Cathay Pacific Visa Signature Benefits
Just for holding the card you’ll get to take advantage of some wonderful benefits, including some of those offered by Visa Signature.
- No foreign transaction fees. No matter where you go in the world, you won’t pay any fees to use your card abroad.
- Two-day priority flight award redemption: Get two-day priority redemption for discount flight award booking tickets online from time to time.
- Visa Signature benefits. The card comes with Travel Accident Insurance, Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Lost Luggage Reimbursement and a Visa Signature Concierge.
Fine Print
Interest Rates
- Regular APR: 22.24% or 25.24% variable
- Purchase intro APR: N/A
- Balance transfer intro APR: N/A
Fees
- Annual fee: $95
- Balance transfer fee: See Terms
- Foreign purchase transaction fee: None
How the Cathay Pacific Visa Signature Card Stacks Up
Cathay Pacific Visa Signature® Card* vs. American Express® Gold Card
The American Express® Gold Card (Terms apply, see rates & fees) comes with a larger welcome bonus, currently 60,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $6,000 on purchases in the first 6 months of card membership. Those Membership Rewards can be transferred at a 1:1 ratio directly to Asia Miles.
The category bonuses of the American Express Gold card outweigh the benefits of the Cathay card by a mile. Dining worldwide will earn you 4 Membership Rewards points per dollar at restaurants, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S.
Cathay Pacific Visa Signature® Card* vs. Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card also has a transfer relationship with Asia Miles, as all miles earned with the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card (rates & fees) transfer 1:1 to Asia Miles and many other airline partners.
The welcome bonus is currently 75,000 bonus miles after spending $4,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening, which is quite better than the Cathay Pacific Visa Signature Card. Plus, the card has a much more robust earning structure: The Venture X offers 2 miles per dollar on all eligible purchases, 5 miles per dollar on flights booked through Capital One Travel, 5 miles per dollar on Capital One Entertainment purchases through 12/31/25 and 10 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars when booking via Capital One Travel. This means that simply by using your card for all your purchases, you’ll earn more Capital One miles than you would with the Cathay Visa Signature. The one saving grace of the Cathay Pacific Visa Signature card is the airline-specific benefits such as priority boarding and priority check-in.
Is the Cathay Pacific Visa Signature Card for You?
The Cathay Pacific Visa Signature® Card* covers a very specific market and looks for those cardmembers who will be flying on Cathay with any regularity. If you feel that this target audience is you, this card could make sense. Also, the welcome bonus of 38,000 Asia Miles after spending $3,000 in the first 90 days of account opening is enticing, but remember that many other cards offer a higher welcome bonus, and those points can often be converted into Asia Miles at a 1-to-1 basis.
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Methodology
Forbes Advisor considers a variety of criteria when assigning credit cards a rating. Cards are graded based on numerous factors, including:
- Annual fees
- Welcome bonus offers
- Ongoing earning rates
- Value of individual points or miles
- Included travel or merchant credits
- Additional cardholder benefits
Card features we expect cardholders to use the most often are weighted more heavily in our ratings. Altogether, the factors came together to provide a star rating for each individual card.
Read more: How Forbes Advisor Rates Credit Cards
To view rates and fees for the American Express® Gold Card please visit this page.
For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the above benefits are provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply.
*The information for the following card(s) has been collected independently by Forbes Advisor: Cathay Pacific Visa Signature® Card. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
