Cathay Pacific upgrade is a terrific way to put your Asia Miles to use if you’re flying in Premium Economy to Hong Kong and beyond.
Furthermore, Asia Miles can be used to upgrade to business class on its subsidiary, Cathay Dragon.
Since upgrades are now only permitted for one direction, a return trip upgrade now costs the same as two one-way upgrades.
Besides, there are other methods that passengers can avail – Bid Upgrade, Bookable upgrades or purchase an upgrade anytime. We will discuss all of them in detail.
What are Flight Upgrade Options with Cathay Pacific?
For your Cathay Pacific flight, the airline provides three upgrade choices, each catered to the passengers’ needs.
Purchase Cathay Pacific flight upgrade – Passengers can purchase the upgrade through cash and pay the relevant fare difference, and the change fee. You have the option to utilize the upgrade to Business Class up to three hours prior to the scheduled departure.
Redeem Bookable Upgrade – As a part of their mid-status advantages, Cathay Pacific’s Diamond and Gold members are eligible to receive Bookable Upgrades after they hit a specific threshold of Status Points. These upgrades can be scheduled in advance. The upgraded cabin class will determine how many reward points can be redeemed.
Cathay Pacific Upgrade with Miles – Use your miles to upgrade your ticket to the next higher cabin class as a reward for yourself. Please be aware that the original ticket must have been purchased in a tariff class that qualifies.
Cathay Pacific Bid for Upgrade – Passengers can try their luck. This way, they get a chance to receive upgrades at the price that works for them. All you need to do is to tell the airlines how much you’re willing to pay for an upgrade, by making a bid.
How Does Cathay Pacific Upgrade Bid Works?
With Bid Upgrade feature, eligible Economy and Premium Economy passengers have the chance to move one higher cabin class.
How does it work? – Follow these steps to get upgrade from Economy to Business Class.
- Check your eligibility – Upgrade Bid is offered on a few routes; to see if your flight qualifies, enter your reservation details at Cathay Pacific Bid Upgrade.
- Make an offer to upgrade one cabin class – While bidding, you’ll be able to gauge how strong your offer is. If airline accept your bid, you have to pay the amount you bid and will notify you 2-3 days prior to departure.
- Enjoy the privilege – Once your upgrade is confirmed, you may start taking advantage of all the perks that come with flying in Cathay Pacific’s acclaimed Business Class or Premium Economy. Please be aware that your upgrade will not include additional baggage allowance.
Eligibility for Cathay Pacific Bid Upgrade
When you request upgrade auction, the following conditions will apply –
- Participation in the Upgrade Bid promotion is solely by invitation.
- Upgrade Bid is only accessible on flights operated by Cathay Pacific
- Each flight sector may only have one submission of an Offer per booking.
- If a reservation includes more than one passenger, an Offer to Upgrade must be made for each additional passenger.
- The amount of the Offer will be assessed per passenger, meaning that the number of passengers in the booking will be multiplied by the amount specified in the Offer.
- Eligible passengers must be at least 18 years old to submit an offer.
- Upgrade Bid cannot be combined with any other discount, deal, or promotion.
- Baggage allowance will be dependent on the original fare class or travel type indicated.
Other helpful information
For all flights booked online, the Cathay Pacific Bid Upgrade eligibility notification will be emailed to the passenger as well as available on Manage Booking tab. In addition –
- When submitting your bid, you will be prompted for your payment information.
- You have up to 50 hours before the flight to amend or cancel your bid.
- If your request is accepted, the airline will notify passengers via email 2-3 days before departure.
Cathay Pacific Miles Upgrade
Use Asia Miles to request Cathay Pacific upgrade to Business Class. Please be aware that the original ticket must have been bought using an applicable fare class or type.
Cathay Pacific Upgrade Chart
Additionally, you can use your Asia Miles to upgrade paid flights and add a travel companion. A one-way upgrade is used to determine prices on the upgrade reward chart, which is also split evenly by distance. Here are some upgrades that start as low as 6,000 miles:
Asia Miles required one-way
| Flight type | Ultra-Short | Short | Medium | Long – Type 1 | Long – Type 2 | Ultra-Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Travel distance | 1-750 miles | 751-2,750 miles | 2,751-5,000 miles | 5,001-7,500 miles | 5,001-7,500 miles | 7,501+ miles |
| Economy to Premium Economy | 6,000 | 10,000 | 15,000 | 22,000 | 22,500 | 30,000 |
| Premium Economy to Business | 7,500 | 12,000 | 18,000 | 25,000 | 28,000 | 35,000 |
| Economy to Business | 12,500 | 17,000 | 28,000 | 41,000 | 43,000 | 48,000 |
| Business to First | 16,000 | 25,000 | 35,000 | 50,000 | 55,000 | 65,000 |
Restrictions when Upgrade Cathay Pacific with miles
However there are certain restrictions with upgrade awards.
- If there isn’t a premium economy cabin on your flight, you can only upgrade from economy to business class.
- Only a limited number of fare classes are upgradeable. Find in the table below –
| Upgrade | Class of service |
|---|---|
| Business to First | J, C, D, P, I |
| Economy to Premium Economy | Y, B, H, K, M, L, V |
| Economy to Business (for flights without premium economy class) | Y, B, H, K, M, L, V |
How many Asia Miles to Upgrade on Cathay Pacific?
Here are the round-trip reward prices offered by Asia Miles from all U.S. cities to its hub in Hong Kong (HKG):
| Travel Route | Economy to Business Class | taxes applicable (in USD) | Business Class to First Class | taxes applicable (in USD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston (BOS) to Hong Kong (HKG) | 86,000 miles | $189.49 | 80,000 miles | $192.07 |
| Chicago-O’Hare (ORD) to Hong Kong (HKG) | 86,000 miles | $189.49 | 80,000 miles | $192.07 |
| Los Angeles (LAX).to Hong Kong (HKG) | 80,000 miles | $189.49 | 80,000 miles | $192.07 |
| New York-JFK to Hong Kong (HKG) | 86,000 miles | $189.49 | 80,000 miles | $192.07 |
| San Francisco (SFO) to Hong Kong (HKG) | 80,000 miles | $189.49 | 80,000 miles | $192.07 |
Bookable Upgrade
When Gold and Diamond members reach a particular threshold of club points, they can earn Bookable Upgrades to guarantee Cathay Pacific upgrade to the following cabin class.
| Cabin Class | Eligible fare class |
|---|---|
| Economy Class | Y, B, H, K, M, L, V |
| Premium Economy | W, R |
| Business Class | J, C, D, P, I |
The eligible fare type include –
- Economy Class – Economy Essential, Economy Flex
- Premium Economy – Premium Economy Flex
- Business Class – Business Light, Business essential, Business Flex.
How to claim the Bookable Upgrade?
To get the Cathay Pacific Points Upgrade –
- Make sure your flight is confirmed and your ticket was issued with an appropriate fare type.
- Log into your account, go to the summary of your mind-status privileges page.
- Choose “Request a Bookable Upgrade”.
- Alternatively, go to Manage Booking to get the Bookable Upgrade.
- Online requests must be submitted at least three days prior to your flight’s departure.
- Fill up your information and choose the passenger’s name and flight segment.
- A Customer Care agent will email you the response within 72 hours of request.
- When the upgrade is approved, the passenger’s flight information will be automatically updated under the “Manage Booking” section.
Cathay Pacific Asia Miles Full Guide
Frequently Asked Questions – Cathay Pacific Flight Upgrade
How many miles to upgrade on Cathay Pacific?
You’ll need the following number of miles to upgrade from Economy to Business on a Cathay Pacific aircraft – For a flight of up to 750 miles, 12500 Asia Miles (1,210 km). 17000 Asia Miles for a 2,750-mile flight (4,430 km). For a flight of up to 5,000 miles, 28000 Asia Miles (8,000 km).
How to upgrade Cathay Pacific with miles?
If you have booked qualifying Cathay Pacific tickets for yourself , you can select “Upgrade awards” from the “Redeem flight reward” menu.
How to upgrade from Economy to Business class on Cathay Pacific?
Log into your account, go to the summary of your mid-status perks page, and choose “Request a Bookable Upgrade” Online requests must be submitted at least three days prior to your flight’s departure.
Am I eligible to make an Upgrade Bid on Cathay Pacific?
On the Upgrade Bid page, you may check your eligibility by entering your family name and booking reference. As an alternative, the airline will send eligible passengers who have signed up for the newsletter an email inviting them to submit an offer no later than four days before departure.
Can I use a Cathay Pacific Upgrade Bid to switch between Economy to Business Class?
Upgrade Bid improvements can only be applied once to the next higher class. Only passengers traveling in Premium Economy Class are eligible for Business Class upgrades. You would be given the option to upgrade from Economy Class to Business Class on aircraft or itineraries without Premium Economy Class, nevertheless.
Dear Customer Services,
To celebrate the upcoming Silver Wedding Anniversary, and fulfil the promise to visit Paris later instead of for our honeymoon destination 25 years ago, I’d like to enquire about the redemption of miles awards – Business Class return ticket from Hong Kong to Paris in late November 2023.
What’s the total Asia Miles required to redeem 2 business class return tickets from Hong Kong to Paris ? Or, there’re other better options for upgrade after purchasing a qualified Premium Economy return tickets via Cathay Pacific ?