The highest Asia miles-earning credit cards

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

American Express® Platinum Business Card

Apply Now Read the guide

• Sign-up Bonus: 250,000 Membership Rewards Bonus Points*
• Rewards Earn Rate: Earn 2.25 Membership Rewards points per $1 on all eligible business purchases, except for spend with government bodies, for which you will earn 1 point per $1 spent. 
• Annual Fee: $875 in the first year (normally $1,750 p.a)*
• Offer expires: 27 May 2025

New American Express Card Members can earn 250,000 Membership Rewards Bonus Points in the first year* when you apply, are approved and spend $12,000 on eligible purchases on your American Express Platinum Business Card in the first 3 months of your approval date. Plus, enjoy a half annual Card fee of $875 (normally $1,750) in the first year. The Card is aimed at small and medium-size businesses who want to maximise their points earned, as well as business and travel benefits. Offer ends 27 May 2025. T&Cs apply.

American Express Platinum Card

Apply Now Read the guide

• Sign-up Bonus: 225,000 bonus Membership Rewards points
• Rewards Earn Rate: Earn 2.25 Membership Rewards points per $1 on all eligible purchases, except for spend with government bodies, for which you will earn 1 point per $1 spent. 
• Annual Fee: $1,450 p.a.
• Offer expires: 8 April 2025

The American Express Platinum Card is offering 225,000 bonus Membership Rewards Points¹ for new American Express Card Members who apply by 8 April 2025 and spend $5,000 on eligible purchases in the first 3 months of approval. It also comes with up to $400 in Global Dining Credit¹¹ per calendar year and a $450 annual Travel Credit⁵. A great card for those who want to earn Membership Rewards Points on everyday spend and transferable to over 10 major Airline Rewards Partner Programs⁸. T&Cs apply.

ANZ Rewards Black credit card

Apply Now Read the guide

• Sign-up Bonus: Up to 160,000 extra ANZ Reward Points + $100 back with the ANZ Rewards Black credit card
• Rewards Earn Rate: Earn 2 ANZ Reward Points per $1 spent on eligible purchases up to $5,000 per statement period, then 1 Reward Point per $1 spent on eligible purchases above $5,000 per statement period. 
• Annual Fee: $375 p.a. ongoing

ANZ is offering up to 160,000 extra ANZ Reward Points (110,000 pts + $100 back when you spend $5,000 in the first 3 months from approval & 50,000 pts when card kept 15 months) for new cardholders of the ANZ Rewards Black credit card. Includes complimentary insurance plus Apple Pay and Google Pay support.

NAB Rewards Signature

Read the guide

• Rewards Earn Rate: Earn 1.5 NAB Rewards Points earned per $1 spent on everyday purchases up to $15,000 per statement period, then 0.5 NAB Rewards Points for every $1 spent, uncapped thereafter. 
• Annual Fee: $24 monthly fee, can be reversed when you spend $5,000 or more in a statement period.

The NAB Rewards Signature Card is the highest points-earning card in the NAB Rewards line-up. It has no international transaction fees on all eligible purchases and comes with a Delayed Flight Lounge Pass that gives you complimentary access to an airport lounge at selected locations in the event of a 60 minute or more delay to your domestic or international flight.

American Express Explorer Credit Card

Apply Now Read the guide

• Sign-up Bonus: 100,000 bonus Membership Rewards Points
• Rewards Earn Rate: Earn 2 Membership Rewards points per $1 on all purchases except government bodies where you will earn 1 point per $1 spent. 
• Annual Fee: $395 p.a.
• Offer expires: 8 April 2025

American Express is offering 100,000 bonus Membership Rewards Points for new American Express Card Members who apply for the Explorer Credit Card by 8 April 2025, are approved, and spend $4,000 on eligible purchases within the first 3 months of the approval date. Includes $400 Travel Credit each year as a regular benefit, plus free access to The Centurion® Lounge at Sydney and Melbourne airports along with a range of insurances and high points earn rates on spend. T&Cs apply. New Amex Card Members only.

American Express Business Explorer

Read the guide

• Sign-up Bonus: 50,000 bonus Membership Rewards Points
• Rewards Earn Rate: Earn 2 Membership Rewards Points per $1 spent on eligible business purchases except government bodies where you will earn 1 point per $1 spent. 
• Annual Fee: $149 p.a.

American Express is offering 50,000 bonus Membership Rewards Points for new American Express Card Members who apply for the Business Explorer Credit Card and spend $3,000 on eligible purchases in the first 3 months from approval. Benefits of this card include complimentary American Express lounge access plus a range of insurances and high points earn rates on spend.

Westpac Altitude Rewards Black

Apply Now Read the guide

• Sign-up Bonus: Up to 180,000 Altitude points
• Rewards Earn Rate: 1.25 Altitude Points for every $1 spent on eligible purchases. 
• Annual Fee: $200 for the first year, $295 p.a. ongoing

The Westpac Altitude Rewards Black has up to 180,000 Altitude Points plus a reduced first year annual card fee on offer for new cardholders, the points can be redeemed for up to $800 in e-gift cards or transferred to Velocity Frequent Flyer, KrisFlyer or Cathay miles at a 3:1 ratio. The card offers high points earn rates plus ongoing benefits, including Priority Pass lounge invites.

American Express Platinum Edge

Read the guide

• Rewards Earn Rate: 3 Membership Rewards points earned per $1 spent at major supermarkets and petrol stations. 2 Membership Rewards points earned per $1 on overseas spend. 1 Membership Rewards point per $1 spent everywhere else including ATO, other government charges and utilities. 
• Annual Fee: $0 in the first year, $195 p.a.

The American Express Platinum Edge Card is offering $0 annual Card Fee (usually $195) in the first year for new Card Members. The card comes with a $200 travel credit each year it is renewed, Smartphone Screen Cover and earns 3 points per $1 at major supermarkets and petrol stations, and 2 points per $1 on overseas spend.

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.