Cathay Pacific has a global transfer bonus promotion for select partners, which is a lacklustre. It turns out however, that there’s also a UK-exclusive promotion that is much more interesting. Until 8 July, you’ll receive a 10% bonus when transferring points from eligible UK banking partners to Cathay Pacific:
- American Express
- HSBC
- Yonder
There doesn’t appear to be a cap on the bonus. The extra miles will be credited within 10 weeks after the promotion ends.
Transfer bonuses from UK banks are relatively rare, so this is worth considering if you were already planning to move your points to Cathay. In terms of HSBC you can transfer as little as just one point, which is quite handy to trigger Cathay’s promotions, when there are any.
On the other hand, Amex UK teamed up with Accor lately with the latter becoming a Membership Rewards transfer partner. In the latest development, Amex Platinum cardholders will now get complimentary Accor Gold status.
Back in the days when Accor was giving it away to virtually everyone, Platinum status was once part of the Amex Platinum package. Accor Platinum has gained substantially more value since then (although mostly in Asia Pacific, admittedly), so it’s unsurprising that the deal has now downgraded to Gold only. It seems that Centurion cardholders will get Platinum instead.
Comparable to Marriott Gold, Accor Gold comes with room upgrade, early check-in / late check-out (all subject to availability) and a welcome drink. The most meaningful benefit is complimentary breakfast for one person in China.
I don’t think you’ll get status nights from the deal so it’s not helpful in the fast-track-to-Platinum sense. It’s unclear whether the deal exists in other countries.
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