Getting to Know the Cathay Pacific Visa Signature® Credit Card

The Cathay Pacific Visa Signature® Credit Card is a Cathay Pacific co-branded card catering to the U.S. marketplace. Cardholders earn 2 miles for every dollar spent with Cathay Pacific or on in-flight purchases, 1.5 miles for every international purchase or when dining out, and 1 mile for every dollar spent on all other purchases. New members also receive 40,000 bonus Asia Miles when they use their Cathay Pacific Visa Signature Card for at least $2,000 in purchases within the first 90 days of opening their account.

How It Works

Cardholders can expect the following from the Cathay Pacific Visa Signature® Credit Card:

How to Earn Rewards:

• Fly with Cathay Pacific: Travelers earn 2 Asia Miles every dollar spent on Cathay Pacific ticket purchases, as well as in-flight purchases on Cathay flights when they use their Cathay Pacific Visa Signature® Credit Card.
• Using You Card Internationally: Cardholders earn 1.5 Asia Miles for every dollar spent when suing their Cathay Pacific Visa Signature internationally.
• Dining: Cardholders also earn 1.5 miles when they use their Cathay Pacific Visa Signature® Credit Card when dining out.
• Everyday purchases: Cardholders earn 1 Asia Mile for every dollar spent all other purchases.
• Expiration: Miles earned expire after 36 months, regardless of the standing of the account.
• No Cap: There is no cap on the number of miles you can earn.

How to Redeem Miles:

• Travel: Redeeming Asia Miles with Cathay Pacific and other Oneworld partner carriers is very straightforward. Cardholders can use their miles to save Cathay Pacific or Cathay Dragon flights or a Oneworld alliance partner.
• No Blackout Dates: There are no blackout dates when booking reward travel.
• Hotels: Air miles can also be redeemed for stays with select Cathay Pacific hotel partners worldwide.
• Rental Cars: Miles are also applicable to car rentals with Cathay Pacific car hire partners.
• Other Ways to Redeem: Miles can be used to purchase merchandise with select Cathay retail partners, for gift-cards, or as gifts to friends and family members.

Today’s Bonus Offer

New members receive 40,000 bonus miles when making at least $2,000 in purchases within the first 90 days.

The Plane Facts

Can you expect a smooth flight from Cathay Pacific Visa Signature® Credit Card, or will there be turbulence?

• Annual Fee: The Cathay Pacific Visa Signature® Card features a $95 annual fee. While the fee may seem steep – especially when many other airline rewards cards offer no annual fees – given the flexibility of Asia Miles, as well as Elite membership in Cathay’s Marco Polo Club, the $95 fee isn’t a bad price to pay – at least for the first year.

Airline and Airport Perks:

• Complimentary Elite Status for the First Year: Cardholders receive complimentary Elite membership in Cathay’s Marco Polo Club for their first year of membership. Marco Polo Club offers travelers access to Cathay Pacific’s lounges, as well as first-class check-in, priority boarding, extra baggage allowances, and more.
• Free Checked Bags: Cardholders receive 2 to 3 free checked bags on Cathay Pacific, Cathay Dragon, or Oneworld-operated flights.

Cardholder Protections:

• Baggage Insurance Plan: Visa offers reimbursements lost or stolen luggage when paying the entire fare using the card.
• Fraud Protection: Cardholders have complete protection from any fraudulent or unauthorized purchases made on their account.
• Account Alerts: Visa account alerts allow cardholders to know – via text message or email -when payments are due or if there is suspicious activity on their account.
• Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance: Auto rental collision damage is covered when you pay the total cost of your rental car with the Cathay Pacific Visa Signature® Card and waive additional collision protection while at the rental counter.
• Global Assistance: 24/7 access to Visa’s dedicated account services. Cardholders also get access to access to Visa Concierge. This service provides travel assistance and coordination for any issues that arise during travel. Customer service is available in different languages.

 Additional Benefits:

• No foreign transaction fees
• Purchase Protection: Cardholders don’t need to worry when an eligible purchase break or suffer damage.
• Entertainment Access: Exclusive access to advance ticket sales for concerts, sports, and other events with Visa Signature®.
• Travel and Shopping: Visa Signature® offers exclusive discounts to cardholders at leading hotels, resorts, and retail merchants.
• Digit Wallet Technology: Digital wallet technology lets cardholders pay using Apple Pay®, Google Pay™ or Samsung Pay.
• FICO® Score access

The Perks That Make the Cathay Pacific Visa Signature® Credit Card Worthwhile

What are some of the Pros that set this card ahead of the rest?

• Marco Polo Green Status: New members receive access to Cathay’s Marco Polo lounges complimentary for the first year.
• Booking Flights: Use miles for ticket purchases for Cathay Pacific or any of their Oneworld partner airlines.
• Blackout Dates: None. Asia Miles do not have blackout dates. This makes booking travel hassle-free.
• No foreign transaction fees

Potential Turbulence with the Cathay Pacific Visa Signature® Credit Card:

What are some cons that take the wind from under this card’s wings?

• Limited Airport Perks: The Cathay Pacific Visa Signature offers very few perks beyond what Elite member status provides.
• High Annual Fee: While the Cathay Pacific Visa Signature Card offers Marco Polo membership for the first year, making it a no-brainer, after the first year the annual fee seems very steep considering the perks on offer.
• Miles Expire: Asia Miles expire after 36 months, regardless of the status of the account. This expiration is a serious drawback for this card, as other rewards programs have much better reward mile expiration policies.

Thoughts Before Takeoff

What then, should you think about the Cathay Pacific Visa Signature® Card? The card offers a very good bonus miles offer for those who plan to really use their card – especially for travel. The addition of Elite status and lounge access for the first year make this card an enticing proposition for the frequent traveler. This enticement is made even greater when paired with the fact that reward miles can be applied towards Oneworld partner airlines too – providing access to over 1,000 global destinations. The card also benefits the world traveler by offering 1.5 Asia Miles for every dollar spent abroad – something you normally don’t see in an airline rewards card.

Ultimately, however, the Cathay Pacific Visa Signature® Card is hindered by its $95 annual fee. While lounge access for a year more than makes up for this in the first year, after that the $95 annual fee simply doesn’t provide card members with the sort of perks that they can find in other airline rewards cards with the same fees. If you frequently travel with Cathay or another Oneworld partner, this may be the card for you – if not, however, better offers may exist elsewhere.