Now live: Cathay Pacific awards bookable on the Alaska Airlines website
There has been a lot of news surrounding Alaska Airlines' Mileage Plan loyalty program.
Last week, Alaska announced there would be some changes with partner bookings. While some of the changes sounded positive, we will see Alaska Airlines change partner award pricing on some routes by the end of the year.
The first change went live Oct. 7. Cathay Pacific redemptions are now bookable online through MilegePlan.
Related: Chasing elite status on Alaska Airlines? A flight to California this fall could help
The basics
As of Friday, Alaska Mileage Plan has added online bookings for Oneworld partner Cathay Pacific. Previously, you needed to call Alaska to book any awards with Cathay so this can definitely be seen as a step in the right direction.
Although this is a good thing for some, others argue that award availability tends to be more difficult to find.
Sweet spots for Cathay Pacific redemptions
Historically, using Alaska miles for Cathay Pacific redemptions has been one of the best uses of Alaska miles.
Some of the best Cathay Pacific redemptions with Alaska miles include:
- Between the U.S. and Asia for 50,000 miles in business class and 70,000 miles in first class.
- Between the U.S. and Australia or New Zealand for 60,000 miles in business class and 80,000 miles in first class.
- Between the U.S. and Africa, India, South Asia or the Middle East for 62,500 miles in business class and 70,000 miles in first class.
Alaska also allows you to add free stopovers on international award tickets — including on one-way tickets. This presents an opportunity to get a second destination for no additional miles, allowing you to create some fantastic itineraries.
For example, this means that you could fly all the way to South Africa with a stopover in Hong Kong for only 70,000 Alaska miles in premium cabins. This is my favorite use of Alaska miles.
But book these awards quickly. As discussed, Alaska will change award pricing by the end of the year on some routes. According to the airline, "partner award levels may vary depending on multiple factors including route, distance, or demand."
Related: How to earn miles with the Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan program
Bottom line
It's now possible to redeem Alaska Mileage Plan miles for travel on Cathay Pacific online. Although this is generally a step in the right direction, Alaska has said that there will be more changes moving forward regarding partner award pricing.
Using your Alaska miles for Cathay Pacific redemptions has generally been one of the best uses of the Mileage Plan program.
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The Capital One Venture X Business Card has all the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has to offer and more. It offers an incredible welcome bonus and requires an equally impressive spend to qualify. In addition, the card comes with premium travel perks like annual travel credit. (Partner offer)Pros
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- In addition, the card comes with many premium travel perks such as an annual $300 credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel.
- Business owners are also able to add employee cards for free.
Cons
- The card requires significant spending to earn the welcome offer.
- Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
- Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
- With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
- Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
- Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
- Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
- This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month