Cathay Pacific’s Cathay loyalty program is one of the most useful programs for redemptions in Business and First Class with Cathay Pacific and other oneworld member airlines like Qantas and Japan Airlines.
Cathay is a transfer partner of several bank rewards programs in Australia and, as a result, earning Asia miles from credit card spend is one of the key ways you can get your hands on points. If you happen to put a lot of your day-to-day spend on American Express, Visa or Mastercard, there are some high points earning options out there.
We’ve updated our list of some of the highest Asia miles-earning cards on the market. We’ve included an overview table so you can assess the cards that are out there, versus those you may have in your wallet. We also include some of the current sign-up bonuses for new applicants.
Redemptions on domestic Qantas Business Class flights are one of the best uses of Asia miles.
The highest Asia miles-earning credit cards
| Card | Offer | Cathay mile earn rate / $ spent | Points Cap | Annual Fee ($) | Our Guide |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 American Express Platinum Card ↓ | 1.125 miles on all eligible spend, and 0.5 mile on spend at government bodies | uncapped | $1,450 | Read Here |
 American Express Platinum Business Card ↓ | 1.125 miles on all eligible spend, and 0.5 mile on spend at government bodies | uncapped | $1,750 | Read Here |
 American Express Explorer ↓ | 1 mile | uncapped | $395 | Read Here |
 American Express Business Explorer ↓ | 1 mile | uncapped | $149 | Read Here |
 American Express Platinum Edge ↓ | 0.5 mile on general spend including utilities and ATO 1 mile on overseas spend 1.5 miles at supermarkets and petrol stations | uncapped | $195 | Read Here |
 Diners Club Card + World MasterCard | 1 mile on Diners 0.375 mile on Mastercard | uncapped | $299 | Read Here |
 ANZ Rewards Black ↓ | 0.66 miles up to $5,000 per statement period, and 0.33 miles thereafter uncapped | uncapped | $375 | Read Here |
 Westpac Altitude Black ↓ | 0.41 mile | uncapped | $295 | Read Here |
 NAB Rewards Signature ↓ | 0.41 mile on general spend 0.82 mile in department and hardware stores 1.23 miles on overseas spend | uncapped | $295 | Read Here |
 Citi Prestige Mastercard | 0.4 mile on general spend 0.8 mile at major petrol stations, supermarkets and retailers 1.2 miles at major restaurants, airlines and international spend | uncapped | $700 | Read Here |
How to analyse this list
For all the cards and offers listed on this page we are only touching on the ‘effective earn rate’ – this is when points in the parent bank/credit card rewards program are transferred to Asia miles, and is a way to compare the specific points earn rates for each card across various credit card rewards programs that offer different headline earn rates and transfer rates to frequent flyer programs.
Each card has other benefits too, along with other transfer partners, annual fees and terms and conditions – so be sure to check out the full guide to each card.
There’s also the sign-up bonus of a card to consider. A large sign-up bonus may help to offset a lower earn rate on a card, so bear that in mind. It depends how much spend you put on your credit card each month, and how long you keep the card for.
Each card offer, with bonus, fee and other offer information on this page will be up-to-date at the time of publication, however, please note that offers change over time.
Some current offers for key Asia miles-earning credit cards
Cards in the table, but not mentioned above
Offers for some of the cards are not mentioned above as they don’t offer a sign-up bonus, or we don’t have a guide for them yet.
The focus of this guide is to outline the highest Asia miles-earning credit cards out there – there are many other cards with differing points earn rates and annual fees that are also linked to Asia miles. Check out the cards table for the list.
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