USA Cathay Pacific Credit card from Synchrony Bank
 

Just got this in the mailbox. Any guess what the "surprise" is?

upgrade bidding that comes with higher booking class and miles earned

Methinks it'll be the CX credit card for the US.

Yea, probably US specific as the email is sent from [email protected]

Feb 13 announcement of what?
 

what is this teaser about, any ideas?

Holidays, gifts, food and flights.

Looks like they're trying to flog some new ways to earn/redeem Asiamiles to me.

Seems like it is tied to people with geographic base USA. So I think it'll be the roll out of the Asia miles co branded credit card. (Hoping its churnable!)

Seems very US specific as neither cathaypacificHK nor cathaypacificAU has it

http://www.facebook.com/cathaypacifi...4767021907631/

It should be the CX (not AM, like the one from SCB in HK) cobrand card.

It will not be churnable if it will be issued by AMEX (1 lifetime bonus). If not, my guess is it will be issued by either Comenity Bank or Barclay.

Oh xxxx - SIGNUP BONUSES!!!

Amen amen amen amen amen amen amen amen...

There is a remote chance that AMEX will issue the card, given that MR can transfer to AM, CX cobrand card in HK, as well as previous comped status to AMEX Centurion/Platinum.

However, taken Canada's situation as consideration, it will be unlikely (CX cobrand card in Canada is issued by RBC).

I think it's coming from Synchrony Bank (whoever they are) and will be a Visa card.

http://www.businesswire.com/news/hom...troduce-Credit

Yes. Now I remember it was discussed before.

Hopefully, the plan stays the same.

https://scontent.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0...ab&oe=5903EFF2

Website doesn't work yet.

5 in 24 apply? If yes US applicants will only score one CX J west coast TPAC every 24 months (not every 2...)

Anyone know what the earning rate will be? If it's just 3 AM:1 USD for CX, and 1:1 for everything else, I don't understand the point of these co-branded cards? Aren't you just better off (as a US person) having something like the Citi Prestige or Premier which also is 3:1 on branded travel, and can also transfer to AM, but ALSO transfer to a bunch of other stuff and hence is more valuable? Why would you bother getting this card except for the sign up?

I'm not the world's most experienced person with this stuff but I'm learning. Am I missing something?

Valid point and I agree...which is why quite a few of the co-brands in the US now offer extra benefits to cardholders (i.e., lounge passes, priority boarding, free checked luggage, MQD waivers, etc.)

I hope this new card offers some extra benefits beyond standard card earnings...for example, some ideas below

- A way to earn club points by hitting spend thresholds
- extend validity of points, or points do not expire
- mileage redemption rebate
- free Marco Polo Green

Yes, if it is just 3AM:1USD, certainly the CSR is much better, but the United cards give free silver status and extra baggage, for example. I assume the CX card will do the same in some way in order to compete. As it won't be a Chase card, I'm guessing the 5/24 rule won't apply. My guess is that it'll be something like 50K signup bonus for 3K or 5K spend, rather than AA 100K signup bonuses.

5/24 is a Chase-specific thing, and doesn't really have anything to do with the idea of sign up bonuses every 24 months :)

But the sign up bonus for Citi Prestige/Premier has been dwindled down so much, and 99% of cardholders cannot churn it because of strict 24-month sign up bonus rules...that being said the earnings and benefits are far superior. But Citi Prestige(/CSR/Amex PLT etc) are $450 AF cards, doubt this CX card will command a high annual fee...so the earning of 3:1 on a low AF card would be a selling point (even the AA cards earn $1:2 Aadvantage mile max, and i think AM is quite a worthy currency too)

It's always wise to go with the four big currencies because of their flexibility and devaluation-resistance (Chase UR/Citi TYP/Amex MR/SPG)...unless the specific currency is very unique and of very high value (like AS miles :D)

If there were these three I'd certainly be down!

The signup bonus is 25k for $2.5k spend. And AA hasn't seen 100K bonuses for years, just fyi....

Ah, good to know. Was the info posted already? I read the businesswire report but it didn't seem to mention any details.

I guess the last time I looked into the AA bonuses was ... 2013? So fair enough. :p

Not SPG anymore if they keep the current SPG to Marriott conversion rate and the Marriott points to airline miles conversion rates after the 2018 program merge. But I doubt CX is going to compete with any of these programs.

In Canada, RBC offers the Visa Platinum Cathay Pacific card, where CX tickets purchase online gets me 2 Asia miles per 1$ dollar spent.

Page 2:

http://www.rbcroyalbank.com/credit-c...guide%20EN.pdf

Don't want to look negative. It might be remotely possible that CX attempts to cut its tie with Citi (but not with AMEX for sure).

Hence the inception of the CX cobrand card.

You rather hope not.

Most of the so-called airline cobranded card benefits are the direct result when the airlines become fee-savvy.

So more card benefit = "enhancement" to the current program.

Actually it's not 3:1. The earnings structure as follows:

CX purchases online/inflight $1:2AM
Overseas purchases $1:1.5AM
Dining $1:1.5AM
Others $1:1AM

Presumably other standard Visa Signature benefits apply. But if it's a $95 AF card, meh then.

Unless it is churnable then there's not much point in getting one...you can pick up a 25K bonus AMEX charge card without much difficulty.

As a reference point, US based people like us don't really get to 'arbitrage' that much compared to HK users as some claim here..., just look at the poor earnings structure here (compared to like Fubon and HSBC) and we always have to pay high AFs...

That's pretty weak.
I mean even if we value them as US 1.3cpm (= HK$0.10), that's a 1.3%, 1.95% and 2.6% rebate

Compared to CSR 4.5% on dining and travel and 1.5% on everything else. Even tho you have no AM option with Chase UR.

I readily concede HK earn rates are a lot better. We're looking at 2.66/US$ for online, 2/US$ for dining, 1.6/US$ generally and we can cash out retail spending.

It was the 100K AA mile 2-month churn signup offers, along with 67.5/AA miles one-way F pricing that we here are mad about. I thought we had an end to this (it's not sustainable for the banks nor for AAdvantage).

They are all gone for good now. AAdv is actually the new Skypesos because domestic inventory is zeroed out to an absorbing state for forever already...

It's also much easier to MS in Hong Kong :D

Any other benefits for having the card, or just miles?

If this card is just points per dollar spent then it's worthless. I already have 5 cards in my wallet that has a better earning potential than Cathay can offer, WITH bunch of other hotel/airlines/airport benefits.

If Cathay truly wants to offer a meaningful card it has to carry some extra benefits such as:

1) Extra baggage (and/or) weight allowance
2) Lounge certificates
3) At least a 3:1 AM/USD ratio for Cathay expenses, and 2:1 ratio for everything else. Anything lower than that is worthless compare to what's already out there.
4) No foreign transaction fees
5) Free internet for Cathay Pacific flights

And this is just the minimum in my opinion.

Didn't they offer status with MPC as well? I vaguely remember them offering this..Not too sure if it was Silver or Green.

Not likely with current management. The 25K bonus is ok if the card is churnable and if its possible to apply every 8-10 days :)

Link is active:

https://us.cathaypacific.com/offers/credit-card

So...free GR for 1 year, no FTF, $95 AF, seems like no first year waiver for that.

Unsure if this implies churnable or not...

Cathay credit card: 25,000 signup bonus miles (after spending requirement). That is barely 25% of the miles needed for one-round trip ticket if you live in the east coast. Compare that to any AA credit card that gives 50,000 signup bonus miles which is 5/6 of a round-trip ticket.

2x, 1.5x, 1.5x, 1x - I already have 5 credit cards that have multiplier effects that are better and can easily be transfer to AM. They are 3x, 2x, 2x, 2x, 1x.

No foreign transaction fees - good.

Complimentary Green - don't make me laugh.

And... that's it? And they expect $95 annual fee that isn't waive the first year? Now I'm laugh out loud.

Try:

50,000 sign up bonus miles
3x, 2x, 2x, 1.5x
Complimentary Green at opening, and upgrade to Silver tier if one spends over $30,000 USD on the card per year.
Cross-Pacific flights 3rd checked bags at $75 instead of $150
Priority seat assignment regardless of fare class purchase.
First hour of internet use on Cathay Pacific aircrafts free.

That's how you win customers to your credit card. Seriously, with so many excellent points/miles cards out there does Cathay really expect a good amount of people to sign up with their crappy card at $95 a year?

So AA members are still redeeming their miles with us http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/catha...is-f-seat.html

The situation is similar even in CX's hometown. The co-branded CX credit card is just not attractive enough when compared to other cards. Mileage exchange rate and AF policy, for example, are surely not the best in the market.

Not at 67.5k anymore and not by churning :) (okay, there's been some activity this month and the last, but it's the exception not the norm...)

I hear your frustration, but IMHO, this may not be about winning new customers, but instead providing a new way to earn miles for already existing US-based customers...most likely they already have miles and are earning miles regularly by flying on CX and OW.

There's still plenty of AA miles out there to burn even at 70k for J and 110k for F. I'd much rather fly CX or JL than AA.

And my point is with all other better earn-rate credit cards people can easily transfer points to AM: more points, more benefits. Cathay doesn't have to beat their competition in every category but just one or two, but so far Cathay's initial offering loses to the competition in every which way.