Rewards Guide Detail

Do not rush a transfer without checking an award

Use the programme's official award search with your passenger count, route, dates and cabin. Record the miles and cash required for a bookable option. A flight being sold for cash does not mean an award seat is available on it.

Availability is a snapshot: another traveller may book the seat while your transfer is processing. Prepare alternatives on nearby dates, at another airport or in a lower cabin. Ask whether the programme offers a hold rather than assuming your seat can be reserved.

Write down the six rules before confirming

Open both the bank's transfer terms and the airline or hotel's programme terms. Match the product, transfer channel and current period. Do not apply another card's ratio, another market's offer or an expired promotion to your account.

Read reversal rules before confirming. For example, HSBC's RewardCash Mileage Programme terms say transferred RewardCash cannot be returned to the card account or moved again to another participating airline. This is an HSBC rule, not a claim that every bank uses the same terms.

• Blocks: the minimum amount and increments
• Ratio: bank points required for a stated number of miles
• Fees: charges per transfer, per year or by channel
• Time: normal processing and separate bonus-crediting schedules
• Expiry: rules for both bank points and incoming miles
• Reversal: whether a submitted transfer can be cancelled, returned or redirected

Calculate in whole blocks to avoid moving too much

Suppose you need another 14,000 miles and a fictional transfer rule converts each block of 1,000 points into 800 miles. 14,000 ÷ 800 = 17.5, so round up to 18 blocks: transfer 18,000 points for 14,400 miles, leaving 400 miles after redemption. This is a teaching example, not a current bank ratio.

Confirm you have enough points and a use for the leftover miles. If a transfer bonus exists, record base and bonus miles separately. Do not count a bonus credited later as spendable today unless its official schedule fits your booking deadline.

Check the account details and wait for miles to arrive

Check the membership number and name carefully before submitting, including recipient eligibility under both sets of terms. Cathay's membership terms require the name given to a partner to match the registered membership name exactly; processing time varies by partner and transaction type.

Keep the confirmation reference, submission date, points debit and stated processing time. Once miles arrive, search again and review the final miles, cash, passenger details and change rules before paying and ticketing. If the stated time passes without credit, ask the bank using your confirmation record before submitting a duplicate transfer.

Official references

This guide is our original explanation; official sources remain authoritative for current product and programme details.