Skip to content

Cathay Pacific Partner Award Availability Returns to Normal

June 25, 2018
2 min read
Airbus A350-900 of Cathay Pacific (a member of Oneworld) as seen landing at Suvarnabhumi Airport
Cathay Pacific Partner Award Availability Returns to Normal
The cards we feature here are from partners who compensate us when you are approved through our site, and this may impact how or where these products appear. We don’t cover all available credit cards, but our analysis, reviews, and opinions are entirely from our editorial team. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.

If you've been frustrated in the last few days about being unable to book Cathay Pacific awards with partner miles, there's good news to report. Following last week's online glitch, Cathay partner award booking capabilities appear to be back on track.

After the most recent devaluation of Cathay Pacific's Asia Miles went into effect on Friday, a technical blackout left Cathay's OneWorld partner airlines unable to access the carrier's inventory. Travelers around the world widely reported the same issues, including TPG readers who confirmed that American Airlines booking agents also said they could not find any Cathay award space.

All of the issues above appear to have been resolved, with Point Me to the Plane reporting that award searches on OneWorld partners Qantas and British Airways now display Cathay Pacific award seats again. We did a few searches of our own and confirmed that economy, premium economy, business and first class space all appear to now be showing again at ba.com:

Cathay Pacific is one of the best ways to utilize the Oneworld alliance to reach the Asia-Pacific region, with very competitive points and miles redemptions available through its partners — especially for travelers who rely on the American AAdvantage program to access award travel to Asia. Business class to Hong Kong (HKG) to or from the US is 70,000 AAdvantage miles one way, with first class at 110,000 miles.

Remember, though, that aa.com won't show you Cathay award space — you'll need to search for it through one of the sites above and then call in to American to book your ticket with AAdvantage miles.

Cathay Pacific responded to TPG regarding the system outage, saying, "Our system was being upgraded and the redemption process will return to normal gradually. We apologise for the inconvenience caused, please try again later."

Daily Newsletter
Reward your inbox with the TPG Daily newsletter
Join over 700,000 readers for breaking news, in-depth guides and exclusive deals from TPG’s experts

H/T: Point Me to the Plane

TPG featured card

4 / 5
Go to review
Rewards rate
1XChoose to earn up to 1X points on rent and mortgage payments with no transaction fee
2XEarn 2X points + the option to earn 4% back in Bilt Cash on everyday purchases
Intro offer
Open Intro bonus
50,000 Bilt Points + Gold Status + $300 of Bilt Cash
Annual fee
$495
Regular APR
26.74 - 34.74% variable
Recommended credit
Open Credit score description
Good Credit, Excellent Credit

Pros

  • Choice to earn up to 1 Bilt Point per dollar spent on rent and mortgage payments
  • Elevated everyday earnings with both Bilt Points and the option to earn Bilt Cash
  • $400 Bilt Travel Portal hotel credit per year (up to $200 biannually)
  • $200 Bilt Cash annually
  • Priority Pass membership
  • No foreign transaction fees

Cons

  • Moderate annual fee
  • Designed primarily for members seeking a premium, all-in-one card
  • Earn points on housing with no transaction fee
  • Choose to earn 4% back in Bilt Cash on everyday spend. Use Bilt Cash to unlock point earnings on rent and mortgage payments with no transaction fee, up to 1X.
  • 2X points on everyday spend
  • $400 Bilt Travel Hotel credit. Applied twice a year, as $200 statement credits, for qualifying Bilt Travel Portal hotel bookings.
  • $200 Bilt Cash (awarded annually). At the end of each calendar year, any Bilt Cash balance over $100 will expire.
  • Welcome bonus (subject to approval): 50,000 Bilt Points + Gold Status after spending $4,000 on everyday purchases in the first 90 days + $300 of Bilt Cash.
  • Priority Pass ($469/year value). See Guide to Benefits.
  • Bilt Point redemptions include airlines, hotels, future rent and mortgage payments, Lyft rides, statement credits, student loan balances, a down payment on a home, and more.