Cathay Pacific Marco Polo Elite Status: How to Get it and What’s in it for You

Cathay Pacific is a member of the OneWorld Alliance and transfer partner of three U.S.-based airline travel programs: American Express Membership Rewards, Starwood Preferred Guest and Citi ThankYou. That makes collecting Cathay Pacific miles relatively easy, so if you often fly to Asia, you may want to consider attaining elite status on Cathay Pacific.Cathay Pacific is revamping its Marco Polo Elite program effective April 15, 2016. Whereas members can presently earn elite status with qualifying Club miles, the new program will introduce the points system. Passengers who buy more expensive fares will earn more elite points and will be able to attain status quicker and easier.

Lingo

• Asia Miles is the program that covers earning and redeeming frequent flyer miles on award flights.
• Marco Polo Club Points are only used for status.

Earning Status

Cathay Pacific Marco Polo has four tiers: Green, Silver, Gold, and Diamond. Green is an entry level tier and doesn’t offer any valuable benefits, apart from a few:

• Designated Marco Polo Club Counters.

• Ability to redeem miles for extra baggage.
• Priority Boarding.
• One lounge pass after earning 200 points.

In order to enroll, a member must initially pay $100, and it costs either $100 or 100 points annually to maintain it.

Marco Polo Qualification Requirements for Other Levels

Qualification requirements are as follows:

• Silver: 300 Club points per membership year
• Gold: 600 Club points per membership year
• Diamond: 1,200 Club points per membership year

Upgrades

• Gold: Four single-sector upgrades after earning 1,000 club points
• Diamond: Four single-sector upgrades after earning 1,600 club points

Asia Miles Bonus Miles

• None

Fee Waivers

• Additional checked baggage allowance:
  • Silver: 22 lbs.
  • Gold: 33 lbs or 1 piece
  • Diamond: 44 lbs or 1 piece
  • Additional carry-on allowance: Silver and Gold: 22 lbs. and Diamond: 33 lbs.

Airport Services

• Silver and above:
  • Advance seat reservation
  • Priority waitlisting
  • Extra-legroom seats
  • Marco Polo and Business Class counters check-in
  • Priority baggage handling
  • Priority boarding
  • Dedicated Club service desk at Hong Kong International Airport
• Gold and Diamond:
  • Guaranteed Economy Class seat
  • Extra-legroom seats

Complimentary Lounge Access

• • Silver and above:
    • Cathay Pacific Business Class lounges.
    • Dragonair lounges.
    • Two lounge passes:
      • Silver at 450 points.
      • Gold at 800 points.
      • Diamond at 1,400 points.

• Gold and Diamond:
  • Arrivals lounges.

Notable Additional Rewards for Diamond members

• Complimentary Companion Gold Membership after earning 1,800 Club points.

OneWorld Status

• Silver: Ruby
• Gold: Sapphire
• Diamond: Emerald

Other Ways to Earn Status

• None

Status Match/Status Challenge

• There have been reports of Cathay Pacific granting status matches on a case-to-case basis, usually to Silver, even from the top elite tiers of other airlines. Email with the proof of status, completed flights, and planned itineraries for the next year.

Earning Club Points on Partner Airlines

You can earn Marco Polo Club points by flying on OneWorld airlines. See the earning calculator.