Cathay Pacific, the de facto flag carrier in Hong Kong, suffers from no shortage of blog coverage here in the United States. They have a great business- and first-class product, which I hope to try in the future. I have flown Cathay business and experienced four of their five (!!!) lounges in HKG, so if you’re looking for a review, look no further.
(READ MORE: The best Cathay Pacific business class lounge in Hong Kong Airport?)
We’ve covered their credit card before, but it has a temporarily increased signup bonus (50,000 Asia Miles), good through October 31st. You can get to the card’s landing page here. I do not receive a commission if you’re approved for this card as far as I know.
Card Overview
First off, this card is being offered through Synchrony Bank. This is not one of the bigger credit card issuers in the US, which is both a good thing (leaves room for other cards at more popular banks) and a bad thing (Synchrony who?). Beyond that, this card offers some interesting earning possibilities:
- 2 Asia Miles per dollar spent on Cathay Pacific travel/in-flight purchases
- 1.5 Asia Miles per dollar spent on dining in the US or aboard
- 1.5 Asia Miles per dollar spent on purchases outside of the US
- 1 Asia Miles per dollar on all other purchases
It also offers 50,000 points after you spend $2,500 within 90 days (offer good through October 31st), no foreign transaction fees, and complementary enrollment in Cathay’s Marco Polo Club at the Green tier. This card comes with a $95 annual fee, and that fee is NOT waived in the first year.
What’s Marco Polo Club?
Marco Polo Club is one of Cathay’s two loyalty programs (the other being Asia Miles). Per the Cathay website:
Marco Polo Club is the loyalty [program] of Cathay Pacific and Cathay Dragon that is designed to reward our most valuable customers with benefits and services that enhance their travel experience. There are four tiers in the club – Green, Silver, Gold, and Diamond – and each offers its members a range of privileges and benefits that make every journey something to look forward to.
With the Cathay card, your enrollment in the Green tier gets you:
- The ability to redeem points for lounge access, extra legroom seats, and extra baggage;
- More free checked baggage;
- Designated check-in counters; and
- Priority boarding
Normally, this would set you back $100 (not worth it, in my opinion!), but for free, it’s a nice benefit.
50,000 mile bonus?
The regular bonus of 25,000 Asia Miles wouldn’t get you very far, but with 50,000 Asia Miles, you’re starting to get somewhere. Take a look at the 6 best uses of Asia Miles or peek at the award chart:
Especially if you’re playing in 2 player mode and both get this bonus. You can transfer into Cathay Pacific Asia Miles from ThankYou points, American Express Membership Rewards and SPG points
[3 SPG transfer partners you do NOT want to use]
Cathay Pacific reconsideration phone number and application status
I did not see anywhere on the Internet that had a link for a Cathay Pacific credit card application status site. I went to the Synchrony login page and could not find a way to check Cathay Pacific credit card application status. I did the online chat and the agent gave me the following Cathay Pacific reconsideration phone number – 1-866-273-9026. The agent was very nice, though told me that my application was still under review and I’d hear in 7-10 business days.
Are you going to be grabbing this card? If so, what will you use the 50,000 points for?