The new Cathay Pacific credit card is now open for applications, but it’s underwhelming

Update 4/15/25: A couple of weeks ago we shared details about the soon-to-be-coming new Cathay Pacific credit card issued by Synchrony. The card has now officially launched and is open to new applications and…it’s underwhelming.

See below for my previous assessment of the card based on what had been announced. Its one potential saving grace was going to be if it launched with a generous welcome offer. Sadly, not only has it not launched with a splashy offer, but it’s worse than the old card.

With the old version of the Cathay Pacific credit card, it was usually possible to earn 40,000 bonus miles, sometimes when spending as little as $2,000. This new version of the card has launched with a bizarre welcome offer of 38,000 bonus miles when spending $3,000 in the first 90 days. There’s therefore very little here to entice anyone beyond staunch Cathay loyalists.

Here are the new card details, then the original post follows.

The Offer & Key Card Details

Card Offer and Details

Cathay Pacific Visa Signature card ⓘ $263 1st Yr Value EstimateClick to learn about first year value estimates 38K Miles Non-AffiliateThis is NOT an affiliate offer. We always present the best offer even when it means less revenue for Frequent Miler 38K miles after $3,000 spend in the first 90 days $99 Annual Fee Learn more Information about this card has been collected independently by Frequent Miler. The issuer did not provide the details, nor is it responsible for their accuracy. Recent better offer: Note that some received a targeted email offer for 65K miles after $5K spend in 90 days on the old version of the card Earning rate: ✦ 3X Cathay Pacific & Hong Kong Express ✦ 2X dining & dining delivery services ✦ 1X everywhere else Base: 1X (1.1%) Dine: 2X (2.2%) Brand: 3X (3.3%) Other: 1X (1.1%) Card Info: Mastercard World Elite issued by Synchrony. This card has no foreign currency conversion fees. Noteworthy perks: 15% off when using promo code CXSYF15OFF through 12/31/25 ✦ Earn 10 Status Points for every USD5,000 in eligible purchases made​ each month up to a maximum of 100 Status Points per calendar year ✦ Priority boarding ✦ Priority check-in ✦ 10% redemption discount on hotel, car rental and experiences awards with Asia Miles ✦ 10% savings on Asia Miles Gift Miles and Mileage Transfer Fee transactions ✦ Primary cardholders can redeem Asia Miles to access Cathay Pacific Business Class lounges

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In late 2024, the Cathay Pacific credit card issued by Synchrony stopped taking new applicants. We didn’t know at the time if or when it would make a return, nor if it would be issued by Synchrony or another card issuer if it did return.

We now have a lot more answers. The all new Cathay World Elite Mastercard will be returning soon and will once again be issued by Synchrony.

Two important things we don’t know yet are when exactly the card will be relaunched and what – if any – welcome offer there’ll be. However, we do know much more about the new card’s features and benefits courtesy of this page.

The annual fee will $99 per year, with no indication that it’ll be waived in the first year. You’ll be able to earn bonus miles in certain categories of spend:

• 3x – Cathay Pacific and Hong Kong Express travel and in-flight purchases
• 2x – Dining and dining delivery services
• 1x – All other spend

If you’re interested in earning status with Cathay Pacific, the card can help you get closer to the next status level, but you won’t be able to spend your way to status entirely, or even majorly. For every $5,000 you spend on the card, you’ll earn 10 Status Points, with a limit of 100 Status Points earned per calendar year. You have to earn 300, 800 or 1,200 Status Points per year to earn Silver, Gold or Diamond status respectively, so maxing out with $50,000 spend on the card in a year will only get you a third of the way to Silver status.

For frequent Cathay fliers, one of the card’s best features will be the ability to use promo code CXSYF15OFF to save 15% on paid flights on Cathay that originate in the US. That discount is valid not only on flights to Hong Kong, but beyond to other countries including Australia, Japan, South Africa, United Arab Emirates and more. You can read more about that the 15% discount here.

Other features include:

• Priority boarding (board at same time as Premium Economy passengers)
• Priority check-in (check in at Premium Economy counters). Those traveling with you on the same itinerary are also eligible for this benefit
• 10% discount when redeeming Asia Miles for hotels, experiences and car rentals
• 10% discount on Gift Miles and fees when transferring Asia Miles
• The ability to redeem Asia Miles for Cathay Pacific Business Class lounge access

Quick Thoughts

This new Cathay Pacific card is, as things stand, far from being the most compelling airline credit card. Something that could change that is if they offer a very generous welcome offer when officially launching the card. I wouldn’t hold out much hope for that though because for much of its history in its previous incarnation, the welcome offer only awarded 40,000 bonus Asia Miles after $3,000 of spend. Credit cards issued by Synchrony also aren’t known for having the most generous welcome offers, so I’d be surprised if we saw anything about 50,000 miles. I’d be more than happy to be proven wrong though.

One way that Cathay could’ve had a more interesting card is if they provided an avenue to earn status in its loyalty program through spend and, by extension, with Oneworld. Being limited to earning 100 Status Points in spend per year when the lowest rung on the status ladder requires 300 Status Points means there’ll be little incentive to put more than $50,000 spend on the card per year. As it is, even putting that much spend on the card won’t make any sense given its earning categories other than those who’ll actually need those additional Status Points.

As mentioned earlier, this card isn’t available for applications yet, so we’ll provide an update as soon as that’s possible.

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