Oct 29, 2013, 8:34 pm
Last edit by: sxc
What is the difference between Asia Miles and The Marco Polo Club?
The Marco Polo Club is Cathay Pacific’s official loyalty programme. Asia Miles is an unaffiliated travel reward programme comprising of a variety of airline and hotel partners, as well as credit and charge card companies, car rental agencies, telecommunications companies and other non-air partners. Members of The Marco Polo Club are automatically enrolled as Asia Miles members. The Marco Polo Club gives you benefits for being loyal (eg lounge access, extra baggage), and Asia Miles is where you earn and burn miles and free flights.
What mileage will I earn for a particular flight and fare class?
Please refer to the Asia Miles website for the earning rates on Cathay Pacific and other Airline Partners.
Airline Partner Earning details
What are good credit cards to earn Asia Miles in HK?
See this thread: Best Credit Card Conversion Rates for Asia Miles (HK)
Does The Marco Polo Club status match?
MPC generally does not status match to another carrier's elite FFP just because you want one. You may write to the Club with details of your past flying pattern, and they will consider status matches on a case-by-case basis.
For more information , please read this thread: CX Status Match
I am moving to HK - should I consider changing to Asia Miles / Marco Polo Club?
Please see this thread for questions on moving to HK and your choice of loyalty program: Moving to HK master thread
What is the difference between Club Miles and Club Sectors?
Eligible earning fares will earn both Club Miles and Club Sectors. Club Miles is the number of miles flown on the particular flight (plus a 110%, 125%, or 150% surcharge if travel was in Premium Economy, Business or First Class respectively). Club Sectors are earned per sector flown on an eligible Cathay Pacific or oneworld flight. Passengers earn 1 Club Sector for every Economy Class sector, 1.1 for every Premium Economy sector, 1.25 for every Business Class sector and 1.5 for every First Class sector flown.
Tier qualification may be achieved by either Club Miles or Club Sectors but not both.
If you are flying an airline partner that is not a member of oneworld (eg Jet Airways), you will only earn Asia Miles and you will not earn Club Miles.
I do not have elite Marco Polo status but I will be flying over 120,000 miles in the next year. Does this mean I can leapfrog straight from no status to Diamond status?
No. The Marco Polo Club applies a stepped tier programme starting from Silver tier. This means that once you exceed the 30,000 miles (or 20 Club Sector) threshold, you are automatically granted Silver tier membership. At this time your mileage balance is reset to zero to reflect the fact that you are commencing a new membership year at Silver tier.
You then have another 12 months from the date of earning Silver tier to fly a further 60,000 miles to earn Gold, at which time you will again be reset to zero and your membership year reset to allow a further 12 months in which to earn Diamond tier. This means that you need to fly 30,000 + 60,000 +120,000 = 210,000 miles to jump straight from no status to Diamond tier (or the equivalent in Club sectors).
Note that your membership year runs from the day you attain a new tier until the end of that month plus 12 months. For example, if you earn Silver tier on 6 April 2009, your membership year will run from 6 April 2009 through to 30 April 2010.
Should you fail to advance to a higher tier, your membership year will be reset on the last day of the month in which you earned your current tier. Thus in the example above, if in the following membership year you earn 45,000 miles, you will be reset to zero at silver on 30 April 2011.
Huh? I still don't understand how qualification works.
cxfan1960 has kindly provided the following "flowchart for dummies":
(1) Join MPC - Start membership year -> go to (2)
(2) Green
* Minimum 30,000 Club Miles or 20 Club Sectors within membership year - qualify for Silver. Reset membership year -> go to (3), else;
* Renew Green at end of membership year for another membership year.
(3) Silver (oneworld Ruby)
* Minimum 60,000 Club Miles or 40 Club Sectors within membership year - qualify for gold. Reset membership year -> go to (4), else;
* Between 30,000 and 60,000 Club Miles or between 20 and 40 Club Sectors within membership year - renew Silver at end of membership year for another membership year, else;
* Back to Green at end of membership year for another membership year -> go to (2).
(4) Gold (oneworld Sapphire)
* Minimum 120,000 Club Miles or 80 Club Sectors within membership year - qualify for Diamond. Reset membership year -> go to (5), else;
* Between 60,000 and 120,000 Club Miles, or between 40 and 80 Club Sectors within membership year - renew Gold at end of membership year for another membership year, else;
* Between 30,000 and 60,000 Club Miles, or between 20 and 40 Club Sectors within membership year - back to Silver at end of membership year for another membership year -> go to (3), else;
* Less than 30,000 Club Miles, or less than 20 Club Sectors within membership year - back to Green at end of membership year for another membership year -> go to (2).
(5) Diamond (oneworld Emerald)
* Minimum 120,000 Club Miles or 80 Club Sectors within membership year - renew Diamond at end of membership year for another membership year;
* Between 60,000 and 120,000 Club Miles, or between 40 and 80 Club Sectors within membership year - back to Gold at end of membership year for another membership year -> go to (4),
* Between 30,000 and 60,000 Club Miles, or between 20 and 40 Club Sectors within membership year - back to Silver at end of membership year for another membership year -> go to (3), else;
* Less than 30,000 Club Miles, or less than 20 Club Sectors within membership year - back to Green at end of membership year for another membership year -> go to (2).
I am not going to earn enough miles to requalify at my current tier. Does Cathay do soft landings or will I be sent straight to the tier at which I have enough miles to qualify for?
There is no official soft landing policy. It is possible if you are a Diamond, to go straight back to Green if you fly less than 30,000 miles in a year. Sometimes soft landings are reported, but it is on a case-by-case basis.
I am going to be just shy of requalifying at a certain tier. Will Cathay let me have that tier anyway?
Anecdotal evidence suggests that if you are a couple of thousand miles short of retaining your current tier before your membership year expires, you will be requalified at that tier on expiry date. There doesn't appear to be a hard and fast rule regarding how much of a shortfall is allowed.
Alternatively, writing in to the Club to explain your circumstances may result in them extending your deadline for requalification.
I am a silver, and I am going to fly 59,000 miles in my current year. Will Cathay be lenient and bump me to Gold?
Based on experience, it appears that Cathay is not lenient for attaining a new tier. Consider making alternative plans to reach that additional 1,000 missing club miles before your membership year ends.
The Marco Polo Club is Cathay Pacific’s official loyalty programme. Asia Miles is an unaffiliated travel reward programme comprising of a variety of airline and hotel partners, as well as credit and charge card companies, car rental agencies, telecommunications companies and other non-air partners. Members of The Marco Polo Club are automatically enrolled as Asia Miles members. The Marco Polo Club gives you benefits for being loyal (eg lounge access, extra baggage), and Asia Miles is where you earn and burn miles and free flights.
What mileage will I earn for a particular flight and fare class?
Please refer to the Asia Miles website for the earning rates on Cathay Pacific and other Airline Partners.
Airline Partner Earning details
What are good credit cards to earn Asia Miles in HK?
See this thread: Best Credit Card Conversion Rates for Asia Miles (HK)
Does The Marco Polo Club status match?
MPC generally does not status match to another carrier's elite FFP just because you want one. You may write to the Club with details of your past flying pattern, and they will consider status matches on a case-by-case basis.
For more information , please read this thread: CX Status Match
I am moving to HK - should I consider changing to Asia Miles / Marco Polo Club?
Please see this thread for questions on moving to HK and your choice of loyalty program: Moving to HK master thread
What is the difference between Club Miles and Club Sectors?
Eligible earning fares will earn both Club Miles and Club Sectors. Club Miles is the number of miles flown on the particular flight (plus a 110%, 125%, or 150% surcharge if travel was in Premium Economy, Business or First Class respectively). Club Sectors are earned per sector flown on an eligible Cathay Pacific or oneworld flight. Passengers earn 1 Club Sector for every Economy Class sector, 1.1 for every Premium Economy sector, 1.25 for every Business Class sector and 1.5 for every First Class sector flown.
Tier qualification may be achieved by either Club Miles or Club Sectors but not both.
If you are flying an airline partner that is not a member of oneworld (eg Jet Airways), you will only earn Asia Miles and you will not earn Club Miles.
I do not have elite Marco Polo status but I will be flying over 120,000 miles in the next year. Does this mean I can leapfrog straight from no status to Diamond status?
No. The Marco Polo Club applies a stepped tier programme starting from Silver tier. This means that once you exceed the 30,000 miles (or 20 Club Sector) threshold, you are automatically granted Silver tier membership. At this time your mileage balance is reset to zero to reflect the fact that you are commencing a new membership year at Silver tier.
You then have another 12 months from the date of earning Silver tier to fly a further 60,000 miles to earn Gold, at which time you will again be reset to zero and your membership year reset to allow a further 12 months in which to earn Diamond tier. This means that you need to fly 30,000 + 60,000 +120,000 = 210,000 miles to jump straight from no status to Diamond tier (or the equivalent in Club sectors).
Note that your membership year runs from the day you attain a new tier until the end of that month plus 12 months. For example, if you earn Silver tier on 6 April 2009, your membership year will run from 6 April 2009 through to 30 April 2010.
Should you fail to advance to a higher tier, your membership year will be reset on the last day of the month in which you earned your current tier. Thus in the example above, if in the following membership year you earn 45,000 miles, you will be reset to zero at silver on 30 April 2011.
Huh? I still don't understand how qualification works.
cxfan1960 has kindly provided the following "flowchart for dummies":
(1) Join MPC - Start membership year -> go to (2)
(2) Green
* Minimum 30,000 Club Miles or 20 Club Sectors within membership year - qualify for Silver. Reset membership year -> go to (3), else;
* Renew Green at end of membership year for another membership year.
(3) Silver (oneworld Ruby)
* Minimum 60,000 Club Miles or 40 Club Sectors within membership year - qualify for gold. Reset membership year -> go to (4), else;
* Between 30,000 and 60,000 Club Miles or between 20 and 40 Club Sectors within membership year - renew Silver at end of membership year for another membership year, else;
* Back to Green at end of membership year for another membership year -> go to (2).
(4) Gold (oneworld Sapphire)
* Minimum 120,000 Club Miles or 80 Club Sectors within membership year - qualify for Diamond. Reset membership year -> go to (5), else;
* Between 60,000 and 120,000 Club Miles, or between 40 and 80 Club Sectors within membership year - renew Gold at end of membership year for another membership year, else;
* Between 30,000 and 60,000 Club Miles, or between 20 and 40 Club Sectors within membership year - back to Silver at end of membership year for another membership year -> go to (3), else;
* Less than 30,000 Club Miles, or less than 20 Club Sectors within membership year - back to Green at end of membership year for another membership year -> go to (2).
(5) Diamond (oneworld Emerald)
* Minimum 120,000 Club Miles or 80 Club Sectors within membership year - renew Diamond at end of membership year for another membership year;
* Between 60,000 and 120,000 Club Miles, or between 40 and 80 Club Sectors within membership year - back to Gold at end of membership year for another membership year -> go to (4),
* Between 30,000 and 60,000 Club Miles, or between 20 and 40 Club Sectors within membership year - back to Silver at end of membership year for another membership year -> go to (3), else;
* Less than 30,000 Club Miles, or less than 20 Club Sectors within membership year - back to Green at end of membership year for another membership year -> go to (2).
I am not going to earn enough miles to requalify at my current tier. Does Cathay do soft landings or will I be sent straight to the tier at which I have enough miles to qualify for?
There is no official soft landing policy. It is possible if you are a Diamond, to go straight back to Green if you fly less than 30,000 miles in a year. Sometimes soft landings are reported, but it is on a case-by-case basis.
I am going to be just shy of requalifying at a certain tier. Will Cathay let me have that tier anyway?
Anecdotal evidence suggests that if you are a couple of thousand miles short of retaining your current tier before your membership year expires, you will be requalified at that tier on expiry date. There doesn't appear to be a hard and fast rule regarding how much of a shortfall is allowed.
Alternatively, writing in to the Club to explain your circumstances may result in them extending your deadline for requalification.
I am a silver, and I am going to fly 59,000 miles in my current year. Will Cathay be lenient and bump me to Gold?
Based on experience, it appears that Cathay is not lenient for attaining a new tier. Consider making alternative plans to reach that additional 1,000 missing club miles before your membership year ends.
[pre 15 April 2016]Asia Miles and The Marco Polo Club - Membership and earn/burn FAQs
Apr 15, 2015, 7:10 am
#91
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: BOM
Programs: Krisflyer Gold, Privlige club Silver
Posts: 114
Hi,
My Question is similar to member Timesnaps
I just made a trip [20th to 31st March] in PY on BOM-AKL and SYD-BOM on Cathay, i ended up with 17k miles in my Asia miles account,
I maybe going to Australia again later in the year and will probably hit the 30k miles mark required for Silver with MPC
My question, i do not have an MPC account, so if i join in the next few months will Cathay give me credit for the 17k miles that i have already flown,? because if they dont it doesnt make sense to join MPC for me.
Also I bought some products from On board CX duty free, but since i hadn't received my physical card of Asia miles, the pursuer couldn't manually enter my ffp details,
I have my bills , how do i do a retro claim of my purchases online via email, or does one have to post a courier to their adress in HKG
Thanks
My Question is similar to member Timesnaps
I just made a trip [20th to 31st March] in PY on BOM-AKL and SYD-BOM on Cathay, i ended up with 17k miles in my Asia miles account,
I maybe going to Australia again later in the year and will probably hit the 30k miles mark required for Silver with MPC
My question, i do not have an MPC account, so if i join in the next few months will Cathay give me credit for the 17k miles that i have already flown,? because if they dont it doesnt make sense to join MPC for me.
Also I bought some products from On board CX duty free, but since i hadn't received my physical card of Asia miles, the pursuer couldn't manually enter my ffp details,
I have my bills , how do i do a retro claim of my purchases online via email, or does one have to post a courier to their adress in HKG
Thanks
Apr 15, 2015, 9:03 am
#92
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: HKG
Programs: CX DM, SPG Pt, Le Club Accor GO, Shangri-La GC Jade
Posts: 1,327
Hi,
My Question is similar to member Timesnaps
I just made a trip [20th to 31st March] in PY on BOM-AKL and SYD-BOM on Cathay, i ended up with 17k miles in my Asia miles account,
I maybe going to Australia again later in the year and will probably hit the 30k miles mark required for Silver with MPC
My question, i do not have an MPC account, so if i join in the next few months will Cathay give me credit for the 17k miles that i have already flown,? because if they dont it doesnt make sense to join MPC for me.
Also I bought some products from On board CX duty free, but since i hadn't received my physical card of Asia miles, the pursuer couldn't manually enter my ffp details,
I have my bills , how do i do a retro claim of my purchases online via email, or does one have to post a courier to their adress in HKG
Thanks
My Question is similar to member Timesnaps
I just made a trip [20th to 31st March] in PY on BOM-AKL and SYD-BOM on Cathay, i ended up with 17k miles in my Asia miles account,
I maybe going to Australia again later in the year and will probably hit the 30k miles mark required for Silver with MPC
My question, i do not have an MPC account, so if i join in the next few months will Cathay give me credit for the 17k miles that i have already flown,? because if they dont it doesnt make sense to join MPC for me.
Also I bought some products from On board CX duty free, but since i hadn't received my physical card of Asia miles, the pursuer couldn't manually enter my ffp details,
I have my bills , how do i do a retro claim of my purchases online via email, or does one have to post a courier to their adress in HKG
Thanks
For in-flight shopping... As far as I know there's no way to claim them back... Could be wrong though...
May 5, 2015, 10:59 am
#93
Join Date: May 2015
Location: HKG
Programs: AA EXP, Marco Polo Silver, UA Silver, Marriott AMB, Hyatt Glob, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 26
I tried searching for the answer to this, but couldnt find it. Its a pretty niche question and the folks at the MP phone center (when I finally was able to get through in the US) had no idea what I was talking about.
I just joined MP in March because I will be flying JFK-HKG 3-4x per year. I have flown 27k club miles and have a RT flight JFK-HKG coming up. Since my first leg is 8,000 miles, will the extra 5,000 miles after i cross the 30,000 mark (in the air) be lost after the reset for silver, or will the 5,000 miles be applied to the next tier qualification. If it wont be applied, it almost makes sense to do a short trip to get the 3,000 miles for silver before i fly to HKG. Just want to know how MP handles crossing tiers mid flight.
thanks!
I just joined MP in March because I will be flying JFK-HKG 3-4x per year. I have flown 27k club miles and have a RT flight JFK-HKG coming up. Since my first leg is 8,000 miles, will the extra 5,000 miles after i cross the 30,000 mark (in the air) be lost after the reset for silver, or will the 5,000 miles be applied to the next tier qualification. If it wont be applied, it almost makes sense to do a short trip to get the 3,000 miles for silver before i fly to HKG. Just want to know how MP handles crossing tiers mid flight.
thanks!
May 5, 2015, 8:53 pm
#94
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: NYC
Programs: Marriot Am, MU Pt
Posts: 3,092
The extra miles over the needed mileage will be "burnt" so to speak. There is no way around that unless you can convince a sympathetic agent to give an early upgrade to the next tier or you fly somewhere that gives you the 3000 miles you need.
May 18, 2015, 7:36 am
#95
Join Date: May 2015
Posts: 2
Considering MPC Membership
Hey guys,
This year, I will travel ~35k miles.
I am flying
Malaysian ADL>KUL>MNL>KUL>ADL
Cathay ADL>HKG>YVR>JFK/EWR>HKG>ADL (plus US Airways JFK>CLT>BOS while in US)
By the time I get to HKG on the on the last trip home, i will cross 30,000. We have a 12hour stopover in HKG....I want to use the lounge for that time
My question is:
Will my status automatically go up to Silver at that point, thereby allowing me to enter the lounge at HKG as a Silver Member?
Otherwise if I cant, i will burn 9k on lounge entry, and then miss the silver membership upgrade which would be really disappointing....
Any thoughts or advice?
Big thanks
This year, I will travel ~35k miles.
I am flying
Malaysian ADL>KUL>MNL>KUL>ADL
Cathay ADL>HKG>YVR>JFK/EWR>HKG>ADL (plus US Airways JFK>CLT>BOS while in US)
By the time I get to HKG on the on the last trip home, i will cross 30,000. We have a 12hour stopover in HKG....I want to use the lounge for that time
My question is:
Will my status automatically go up to Silver at that point, thereby allowing me to enter the lounge at HKG as a Silver Member?
Otherwise if I cant, i will burn 9k on lounge entry, and then miss the silver membership upgrade which would be really disappointing....
Any thoughts or advice?
Big thanks
Last edited by Bommel_01; May 18, 2015 at 7:41 am
May 18, 2015, 8:56 am
#96
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: NYC
Programs: Marriot Am, MU Pt
Posts: 3,092
No, your miles take at least 24-48 hours to post, plus another 24 hours for the tier to refresh...
You could of course just talk to the lounge people about letting you in or ask someone to guest you in.
Not sure what you mean you'll miss the membership upgrade; you'll still get the upgrade if you use your miles (redemption and Club miles are earned together but they are not the same). That said using 9,000 miles for lounge access is kind of a waste. For a 12 hour layover, I'd head into the city.
You could of course just talk to the lounge people about letting you in or ask someone to guest you in.
Not sure what you mean you'll miss the membership upgrade; you'll still get the upgrade if you use your miles (redemption and Club miles are earned together but they are not the same). That said using 9,000 miles for lounge access is kind of a waste. For a 12 hour layover, I'd head into the city.
May 19, 2015, 7:21 am
#97
Join Date: May 2015
Posts: 2
No, your miles take at least 24-48 hours to post, plus another 24 hours for the tier to refresh...
You could of course just talk to the lounge people about letting you in or ask someone to guest you in.
Not sure what you mean you'll miss the membership upgrade; you'll still get the upgrade if you use your miles (redemption and Club miles are earned together but they are not the same). That said using 9,000 miles for lounge access is kind of a waste. For a 12 hour layover, I'd head into the city.
You could of course just talk to the lounge people about letting you in or ask someone to guest you in.
Not sure what you mean you'll miss the membership upgrade; you'll still get the upgrade if you use your miles (redemption and Club miles are earned together but they are not the same). That said using 9,000 miles for lounge access is kind of a waste. For a 12 hour layover, I'd head into the city.
Cheers
May 19, 2015, 8:27 pm
#98
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: NYC
Programs: Marriot Am, MU Pt
Posts: 3,092
If you go onto your account online, under the accounts balance page, it will list your number of club miles and sectors on top. On the bottom it will says miles for redemption and there is an expiration date on those miles. Club miles and sectors are reset with every membership year (or tier upgrade), but redemption miles only get cleared if you use them or they expire.
May 26, 2015, 12:34 pm
#99
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: MAA
Programs: EK Gold, BA Silver
Posts: 130
Today I received my Marco Polo Club Silver membership card. But I don't understand how I qualified for it?
I've been a member since Aug 2012 but hardly fly One World. Typically 3 or 4 times a year MAA-HKG return in Business.
Checked my May 2015 statement online today and it says I need 15,595 Club Miles or 13.75 Club Sectors for Silver.
So can someone explain how I seem to have qualified for Silver?
I've been a member since Aug 2012 but hardly fly One World. Typically 3 or 4 times a year MAA-HKG return in Business.
Checked my May 2015 statement online today and it says I need 15,595 Club Miles or 13.75 Club Sectors for Silver.
So can someone explain how I seem to have qualified for Silver?
May 26, 2015, 10:45 pm
#100
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: NYC
Programs: Marriot Am, MU Pt
Posts: 3,092
They're probably trying to get you to fly them more.
Or perhaps do you work for a company that's offering this as a promotion? My girlfriend's company has a deal with CX that offers per free upgrade to SL if they book her on any business or higher fare through their corporate travel portal.
Or perhaps do you work for a company that's offering this as a promotion? My girlfriend's company has a deal with CX that offers per free upgrade to SL if they book her on any business or higher fare through their corporate travel portal.
May 27, 2015, 12:08 am
#101
Suspended
Join Date: May 2015
Location: YUL/YVR
Posts: 105
If you're already flying business, most of the Silver benefit doesn't matter as you get lounge access and priority luggage already. And in most routes, there's no first class for them to upgrade you.
May 27, 2015, 4:47 am
#102
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: MAA
Programs: EK Gold, BA Silver
Posts: 130
They're probably trying to get you to fly them more.
Or perhaps do you work for a company that's offering this as a promotion? My girlfriend's company has a deal with CX that offers per free upgrade to SL if they book her on any business or higher fare through their corporate travel portal.
Or perhaps do you work for a company that's offering this as a promotion? My girlfriend's company has a deal with CX that offers per free upgrade to SL if they book her on any business or higher fare through their corporate travel portal.
Yes, it won't make any difference to me in terms of benefits. Still, quite confused how I got it.
May 27, 2015, 11:13 am
#104
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: NYC
Programs: Marriot Am, MU Pt
Posts: 3,092
May 27, 2015, 12:32 pm
#105
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: New York
Programs: DL PLT, Hilton Diamond, CX MPC Silver
Posts: 265
Correct. If I'm not mistaken, they would still have to fly 60K club miles (or 40 club segments) in a year to reach MPC Gold but having Silver level already would help avoid the reset at the 30K miles/20 segment milestone on the way to Gold.