Go Back  FlyerTalk Forums > Miles&Points > Airlines and Mileage Programs > Cathay Pacific | Cathay
Reload this Page >

What's better, keeping miles with Cathay or AAdvantage using AA

What's better, keeping miles with Cathay or AAdvantage using AA

Old Oct 23, 2010, 8:18 am
  #1  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: @theRichardLom
Programs: AA EXP, Marriott Rewards Platinum, Hertz Presidents Circle
Posts: 39
What's better, keeping miles with Cathay or AAdvantage using AA

BTW this info is not for me. I'm helping out a friend who's flying to Asia on a regular basis on Cathay. They have been accumulating miles on their Marco Polo program for about a year and have ruby oneworld status.

Is there any benefit to using their AAdvantage account (no elite status) or just keeping with the Marco Polo program?

Thanks!
rich728 is offline  
Old Oct 23, 2010, 8:58 am
  #2  
 
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: HKG/YVR/NYC
Programs: AC 75K, A3*G, AS MVPG, AA LT Gold 1MM, JL/JGC (OWS) , Marriott Titanium, Hertz 5*, Avis PC
Posts: 3,697
Originally Posted by rich728
BTW this info is not for me. I'm helping out a friend who's flying to Asia on a regular basis on Cathay. They have been accumulating miles on their Marco Polo program for about a year and have ruby oneworld status.

Is there any benefit to using their AAdvantage account (no elite status) or just keeping with the Marco Polo program?

Thanks!
This is probably something I'm good with.
1) Where is your friend based out of?
2) CX flying pattern and purchasing patterns
3) AA flying pattern [if any]
4) What are they trying to get out of elite status, either AA or CX
Short hair Francis is offline  
Old Oct 23, 2010, 10:01 am
  #3  
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Programs: MPC,CA,MU,AF
Posts: 8,171
5) If flying economy, what booking class is your friend flying on? Only Y, B and H are eligible for AA miles.
cxfan1960 is offline  
Old Oct 23, 2010, 9:02 pm
  #4  
LAX
 
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Los Angeles, CA; Philadelphia, PA
Programs: OZ Diamond
Posts: 6,108
Originally Posted by cxfan1960
5) If flying economy, what booking class is your friend flying on? Only Y, B and H are eligible for AA miles.
Unless they are AA codeshares, which allow lower fare classes to earn RDM with AA.

LAX
LAX is offline  
Old Oct 24, 2010, 3:03 am
  #5  
 
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 6,978
I have been asking me this every year, and thus let me help you a bit.

1) Do they care about free tickets from miles? If yes then AA is the way to go. AA are throwing away miles at you and their upgrade policy is so lax and easy to use. Also less miles to earn reward CX F and J flights. HOWEVER, please do note, as by others, that only Y, B, H classes are AA eligible.

2) Do they care about service? Then CX is the way to go. Of course there are people here that insists US-based airlines are better at it, so you can experiment if you want.

3) This is, personally, a big one for me. It is clear CX really takes care of their DM and GO members. I have many small incidents that were ignored with just ok service in the past, but now as GO I can really sense every request I made that CX staff will do all they can to make it happen. I really appreciate that.

There you have it. Which is more important: miles to spent, good service on flights, or really good personal service as CX's DM and GO members?
Cathay Boy is offline  
Old Oct 25, 2010, 8:36 am
  #6  
 
Join Date: Apr 2003
Posts: 1,116
- CX miles expire three years after earned. AA miles do not expire as long as there is any activity in the account every 18 months.

- AA gives bonus miles for elite members, CX does not.

- CX members would have better chances of op-up than other Oneworld members of the same elite level on CX flights.

- It is easier to find seats on CX with AA miles than on CX miles, albeit that it costs AA miles more for short haul flights and the reverse for long haul flights.

- CX Ruby has lounge privileges on CX flights wheras Oneworld members of the same status level do not get access. Only Sapphire and above have lounge access. AA Ruby has no lounge access privilege even on AA unlike CX and no matter what your status is on any Oneworld airline, if you fly U.S. domestic and are in economy, you have no lounge access.

- Again, you earn miles on CX flights in AA program if you fly first class, business class, or Y/B/H economy booking classes. If you earn miles on CX, you earn miles all the way down to V in economy. However, you can still earn miles on AA if you book your CX flight using AA codeshare flight number.

- I think one can fasttrack to Gold (Ruby) or Platinum (Sapphire) on AA by doing the Gold or Platinum challenge. However, the challenge must be done on AA flights or Oneworld flights with AA codeshare flight numbers.

- Most Oneworld airlines allow their Ruby members to check in at business class counters. That applies to AA and CX as well. If based in U.S., getting elite status on AA might be more practical, given the likelihood of flying U.S. domestic flights.

- You can upgrade on CX flights using CX miles, and AA flights using AA miles. However you cannot upgrade on CX flights using AA miles and vice versa.

- Once you reach the next status level in CX you automatically start a new "year" at 0. With AA it is always the calendar year and you get the status for how many miles you receive in that year. So that means it takes longer to go from zilch to Gold on CX than on AA.

Last edited by zhaobao; Oct 26, 2010 at 12:02 am
zhaobao is offline  
Old Oct 25, 2010, 9:53 am
  #7  
 
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: San Francisco, CA
Programs: Mucci (for services to Gin), VS Au, SPG Plat, Hilton Diamond, Avis Pref+, Hertz 5*
Posts: 980
I credit all my eligible CX flights to AAdvantage but it is mostly paid J on TPAC routes. The redemption and earn rates on AA are significantly better and the miles don't expire. Anecdoctally my opup experiences as an AA EXP have been excellent with three RTs upgraded Y to J and two TPACs from J to F.
tony2x is offline  
Old Oct 25, 2010, 2:04 pm
  #8  
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Programs: MPC,CA,MU,AF
Posts: 8,171
Originally Posted by zhaobao
- You can upgrade on CX flights using CX miles, and AA flights using AA miles. However you cannot upgrade on CX flights using AA miles and vice versa.
The "vice versa" is incorrect. Unless changed, you can upgrade AA flights using Asia Miles. In fact, Asia Miles can even be used to upgrade AA's I class to First (not doable with AAdvantage miles).
cxfan1960 is offline  
Old Oct 25, 2010, 4:41 pm
  #9  
FlyerTalk Evangelist
 
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Danville, CA, USA;
Programs: UA 1MM, WN CP, Marriott LT Plat, Hilton Gold, IC Plat
Posts: 15,649
Don't forget that AA miles (from any source) count towards 1M and 2M lifetime elite status thresholds. Not sure if CX offers lifetime elite.
Boraxo is offline  
Old Oct 25, 2010, 5:49 pm
  #10  
 
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: HKG/YVR/NYC
Programs: AC 75K, A3*G, AS MVPG, AA LT Gold 1MM, JL/JGC (OWS) , Marriott Titanium, Hertz 5*, Avis PC
Posts: 3,697
Originally Posted by cxfan1960
The "vice versa" is incorrect. Unless changed, you can upgrade AA flights using Asia Miles. In fact, Asia Miles can even be used to upgrade AA's I class to First (not doable with AAdvantage miles).
That changed last year, I class can now be upgraded with AA miles but it costs an extra co-pay depending on destination
Short hair Francis is offline  
Old Nov 1, 2010, 4:09 am
  #11  
 
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: SFO
Programs: UA GS, Hilton Diamond, SPG LT Gold, AA Plat 2MM, McDonalds heavy user
Posts: 11
As a member of both programs, I think the answer depends on how much you're going to fly in a year. It is difficult to get to DM on CX starting from scratch, where as it is SIGNIFICANTLY easier to get ExecPlat or OW Emerald on AA.

For example (just using BIS miles for simplification), assuming you just renewed CX/SL, it will take you 60K to get to GO and then another 120K to get to DM. So 180K in all.

On AA, you need 100K miles and you're ExecPlat.

Earn and Burn is also much more favorable on AA.

My strategy would be:

-If you think you can make CX Gold, go for CX if you care about op-ups; go for AA if you care about earning and redeeming miles.

-If you think you can make CX Diamond, go for CX if you care about op-ups, but think hard about splitting miles to get AA Execplat and CX Gold; otherwise, if it's earning and redeeming miles, skip CX and go for AA.

-If you can only pull SL, then put everything onto AA if you can make AA Platinum, otherwise keep in CX.

All this assumes you're flying the right fare classes to earn AA miles.
yangkimchi is offline  

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Manage Preferences - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

This site is owned, operated, and maintained by MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Designated trademarks are the property of their respective owners.