Cathay Pacific Marco Polo Club moves to revenue-based system

Cathay Pacific has announced sweeping changes to its Marco Polo Club loyalty programme. From April 15 next year, the scheme will become a points-based system, worked out through a combination of cabin, fare class and distance travelled. In a statement, Cathay said this "will see members who fly in premium classes earn tier status faster. It will allow members to earn club points from a wider range of fares, including discounted fare types that are currently not applicable to club status." The airline added: "All popular member benefits, including unlimited lounge access for Silver members and above, as well as priority boarding and check-in, remain unchanged." At the same time, Cathay will introduce more flexible and family-friendly benefits, including:

• Extra lounge passes for members and their invited guests
• Bookable upgrades for Gold and Diamond members
• Additional Gold companion card for Diamond members
• "Membership holidays" enabling members to retain their status for one year, in recognition of those who may need to temporarily reduce their travel activity
• Lower qualifying age for young members, down from 18 to 12

As part of the transition to the points programme, the Marco Polo Club will convert each member's mileage or sectors into club points, based on which is the most favourable for individual members. For example, a Gold member who has accumulated 48,000 Club miles as of April 15 would have accumulated 80 per cent of the 60,000 miles required for Gold renewal. Under the new system, the same ratio will apply in the sense that his/her mileage will be converted to 480 points – that is, 80 per cent of the 600 points required for renewal.

The changes will not impact accrual and awards redemption under the Asia Miles rewards programme, Cathay said.

Full details of the changes, including a club points calculator, can be found at cathaypacific.com/clubchanges. Members can also phone +852 2683 6788 or +800 2683 6788, or email [email protected]. The following details are from Cathay Pacific's press release: 1. New points-based earning grid The current system of status accrual, which focuses on mileage and sectors flown, will be replaced by a points-based system using a combination of cabin, fare class and distance travelled. The Cathay Pacific and Dragonair accumulation grid is as shown below. 2. Comparison of current and new tier benefits The club will retain all popular member benefits, including unlimited lounge access for Silver members and above, as well as priority boarding and check-in. Members will also enjoy more flexibility than before with a new range of benefits and family-friendly rewards, as shown below. 3. Comparison of current and new tier qualification The more balanced approach will see members who fly in premium cabin classes earn tier status faster. At the same time it will allow members to earn club points from a wide range of fares, including discounted fare types (S, N, Q) that are currently not applicable to club status. cathaypacific.com Tom Otley