One of the best redemptions of miles currently available is flying Cathay Pacific First class from North America to Asia.
The retail cost of a flight is usually over $10,000.
Don’t have $10,000 to spend? The good news is that you can redeem a flight from North America to Asia in first class for only 70,000 miles through Alaska Airlines’ Mileage Plan program.
Credit Cards that earn Alaskan miles
There are two Alaskan Airline cobranded cards, both which have a sign-up bonus of 30,000 Alaskan Miles upon meeting minimum spend.
Additionally, the Marriott Rewards Premier Plus Credit card has a current sign up bonus of 100,000 Marriott points. These points can then be converted to Alaskan Airlines miles at a 3:1 ratio.
However, since Marriott offers a bonus 5,000 Alaska Airline miles whenever you transfer 60,000 miles, you’re effectively earning around 50,000 Alaskan Mileage Plan miles after completing minimum spend.
By applying for both the Alaska Mileage Plan Card & the Marriott Rewards Premier Plus Credit Card, you’ll have more then enough miles to fly in Cathay’s first class cabin.
Finding award space is a bit tricky as Alaska Airlines does not show award availability for Cathay Pacific online. Instead, you’ll need to search for award space on British Airways and then call Alaska Airlines to book your award ticket.
How to book Award Space on Cathay Pacific
Step 1
Login to your Executive account on British Airways. If you don’t have an account yet, click here to sign up.
Step 2
Click Executive Club then click Spending Avios.
Step 3
On the Spending Avios page, under Choose your Reward, click Book a reward flight.
Step 4
On the Book Flights with Avios page, click One Way Only and enter all the necessary information for your trip: departure and arrival airports, desired departure date, preferred cabin class, and the number of adults flying.
Step 5
Click Get flights. If you get a prompt that says Changes to reward flight fare prices, check the box to agree to the terms and conditions, and click Continue.
If a pop-up appears asking if you want to add a stopover for your flight, click No, I want to continue without stopovers and Continue.
Step 6
Write down any available award space. Keep searching for award space on different dates. If you would like to change the date, you can click on the dates within the week or select the change button.
To maximize your chances of finding award space, search for multiple dates and destinations.
Step 7
Write down the available flights that fit your schedule. You will need to reference them later.
| Departure Airport | Departure City | Arrival Airport | Arrival City |
|---|---|---|---|
| BOS | Boston | HKG | Hong Kong |
| JFK | New York | HKG | Hong Kong |
| LAX | Los Angeles | HKG | Hong Kong |
| ORD | Chicago | HKG | Hong Kong |
| SFO | San Francisco | HKG | Hong Kong |
| YVR | Vancouver | HKG | Hong Kong |
To book your flight, you simply have to call American Airlines’ AAdvantage help line to book it. Here is a sample script:
- You:
- Hi there. I would like to book an award ticket.
-
The agent will probably ask for details such as your name, departure and arrival cities, and the dates that you want to travel.
Once the agent confirms your details, you can continue with the script.
- You:
- First, I would like to fly from [START CITY] to [CONNECTING CITY] on [DATE OF 1st Flight] at [TIME OF 1st Flight]. Flight number [FLIGHT NUMBER] in [CABIN CLASS].
- You:
- I would then want to continue by adding the flight [CONNECTING CITY] to [CONNECTING CITY] on [DATE OF 2nd Flight] at [TIME OF 2nd Flight]. Flight number [FLIGHT NUMBER 2] in [CABIN CLASS].
- You:
- Finally, I would like to end with a flight from [CONNECTING CITY] to [FINAL CITY] on [Date OF Last Flight] at [TIME OF Last Flight] in [CABIN CLASS].
If you have more cities, extend the script as needed.
The agent will then proceed to calculate the number of miles you need for your whole trip. He may put you on hold for a bit. When the agent returns, he will give you the amount of miles needed for your trip. Make sure the total amount of miles is correct.
If the number of miles is correct, you may give the agent your payment details for any small taxes & fees due.
Congratulations! Start packing your bags, for your trip from ___ to ___ is officially booked!
