Discussion on April 2016 changes: MPC Changes April 2016

What is the difference between The Marco Polo Club and Asia Miles?

The Marco Polo Club (MPC) is Cathay Pacific’s official loyalty programme. The Marco Polo Club gives you benefits for being loyal (eg lounge access, extra baggage). Members of The Marco Polo Club are automatically enrolled as Asia Miles members.

Asia Miles (AM) is the travel reward program where you can earn “mileage currency” (Asia Miles) for a variety of activities and spend that currency on a variety of rewards. You collect Asia Miles when you fly with CX, its partner airlines and other oneworld airlines. You can also collect Asia Miles on hotel stays, holidays and car rental, and when you're shopping, through deals with a wide range of partners. You can then spend them on flights and upgrades, and other lifestyle redemptions. You do not need to be a member of The Marco Polo Club to earn Asia Miles.

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Marco Polo Club FAQs:


Cathay Pacific’s Marco Polo Club homepage: https://www.cathaypacific.com/cx/en_...roduction.html



How do I become a member of The Marco Polo Club?

You can join The Marco Polo Club by enrolling online at the Cathay Pacific website, and paying a joining fee of USD 100. This will enrol you into the entry-level of MPC which is Green.

If you are based in Hong Kong, you can apply for the American Express Cathay Pacific Credit Card which will waive your first year fee for entry to MPC. After your first year, you need to renew your MPC membership like any other MPC member, regardless of your Amex spending.



Club Points:

Club points are separate and different to Asia Miles. Club points are used to measure your eligibility for the various MPC tiers, and are earned by flying only. You can earn club points whenever you fly in eligible fare classes with Cathay Pacific, Dragonair or any oneworld alliance airlines. Club points are calculated based on a combination of airline, cabin, fare class and distance travelled.

To see how many club points you will earn, look at the club points earning table on the Cathay Pacific website: https://www.cathaypacific.com/cx/en_HK/frequent-flyers/about-the-club/earning-club-points.html



Marco Polo Club Tiers:

There are four primary membership tiers in the MPC:

Green entry level
Silver equivalent to oneworld Ruby
Gold equivalent to oneworld Sapphire
Diamond equivalent to oneworld Emerald

In addition to this, there is Diamond Plus which is provided to the top 1% of members based on their actual CX spend, and Diamond Invitation which is invitation-only.



Green Tier Benefits:

• Designated Marco Polo Club check-in counters
• Priority Boarding

Silver Tier Benefits:

• Extra-legroom seat reservation free of charge
• Advanced seat reservation free of charge
• Priority Waitlisting
• Business Class counter check-in
• Priority Boarding
• 10kg additional checked baggage allowance
• 10kg special cabin baggage allowance
• Priority baggage handling
• Cathay Pacific and Dragonair Business Class lounge access when departing on flights marketed and operated by Cathay Pacific or Dragonair

Gold Tier Benefits:

• Extra-legroom seat reservation free of charge
• Advanced seat reservation free of charge
• Priority Waitlisting
• Guaranteed Economy class seat in Y fare class when reserved at least 72 hours in advance
• Business Class counter check-in
• Priority Boarding
• 15kg (or 1PC) additional checked baggage allowance
• 10kg special cabin baggage allowance
• Priority baggage handling
• Cathay Pacific and Dragonair Business Class lounge access when departing on flights marketed and operated by Cathay Pacific, Dragonair or oneworld carriers. One guest may accompany the member into the lounge.
• Arrival Lounge access – no guests.

Diamond Tier Benefits:

In addition to the Gold tier benefits, Diamond members enjoy:

• Guaranteed Economy class seat in Y fare class when reserved at least 24 hours in advance
• Guaranteed Premium Economy class seat in W fare class when reserved at least 24 hours in advance
• Guaranteed Business class seat in J fare class when reserved at least 24 hours in advance
• First Class counter check-in
• 20kg (or 1PC) additional checked baggage allowance
• 15kg special cabin baggage allowance
• Cathay Pacific First Class lounge access when departing on flights marketed and operated by Cathay Pacific, Dragonair or oneworld carriers. Two guests may accompany the member into the lounge.

How do I earn status in The Marco Polo Club?

In order to renew or upgrade tiers within a membership year, you need to earn the following amount of club points:

Green – 100 club points

Silver – 300 club points

Gold – 600 club points

Diamond – 1200 club points

A membership year lasts 12 months from the date you have enrolled, renewed, upgraded or downgraded into your current tier. Upon renewal, upgrade or downgrade, your club points will automatically be reset to zero and a new membership year begins.

You cannot achieve Gold or Diamond status by simply earning 600 or 1200 club points within a single 12 month period. This is due to your membership year resetting upon each tier upgrade.

For example:

When you join MPC, you start with zero club points and Green status. Let’s say this is January 2017. You now have 12 months to either:

• Earn 100 club points to renew Green or
• Earn 300 club points to achieve Silver Status

If you earn 300 club points by March 2017, you are upgraded to Silver status, and your membership year and club point balance is reset to zero. You now have 12 months (until March 2018) to either:

• Earn 300 club points to renew Silver status or
• Earn 600 club points to achieve Gold status

If you earn 600 club points by October 2017, you are upgraded to Gold status, and your membership year and club point balance is reset zero again. You now have 12 months (until October 2018) to either:

• Earn 600 club points to renew Gold status or
• Earn 1200 club points to achieve Diamond status

Once you reach Diamond status, you need to continue to earn 1200 club points in each subsequent 12 month period in order to renew your status.



I am not going to earn enough miles to requalify at my current tier. Does Cathay do soft landings or will I be sent straight to the tier at which I have enough miles to qualify for?


There is no official soft landing policy. It is possible if you are a Diamond, to go straight back to Green if you fly less than 300 club points in a year. Sometimes soft landings are reported, but it is on a case-by-case basis.



I am a silver, and I am going to fly 590 club points in my current year. Will Cathay be lenient and bump me to Gold?

Based on experience in the pre April 2016 system, it appears that Cathay is not lenient for attaining a new tier. Consider making alternative plans to reach the additional club points before your membership year ends.



I am going to be just shy of requalifying at a certain tier. Will Cathay let me have that tier anyway?
Anecdotal evidence suggests that if you are just short of retaining your current tier before your membership year expires, you will be requalified at that tier on expiry date. There doesn't appear to be a hard and fast rule regarding how much of a shortfall is allowed.

Alternatively, writing in to the Club to explain your circumstances may result in them extending your deadline for requalification.



Mid-Tier Benefits:

Mid-tier benefits are designed to reward members to go beyond their club point renewal level to achieve additional benefits.

Green mid-tier benefits:

• 200 club points: One Business Class Lounge Pass

Silver mid-tier benefits:

• 450 club points: Two Business Class Lounge Pass

Gold mid-tier benefits:

• 800 club points: Two Business Class Lounge Pass
• 1000 club points: Four Bookable Upgrades (ultra-short, short or medium haul)

Diamond mid-tier benefits:

• 1400 club points: Two First or Business Class Lounge Pass
• 600 club points: Four Bookable Upgrades
• 1800 club points: Complimentary Companion Gold Membership

If I am a Diamond member, will I receive the Gold mid-tier benefits at 800 and 1000 tier points?

No – you only receive the mid-tier benefits of your current membership tier.



Is there any requirement on the underlying booking sub-classes when using a mid-tier bookable upgrade?
Yes, the original flight needs to be booked in an “upgradable” sub-class, the same sub-classes that qualify for Asia Miles upgrades :

• Economy: Fare classes [Y B H K M] will be upgraded into fare class E
• Premium Economy: Fare classes [W R] will be upgraded into fare class I
• Business: Fare classes [J C D I] will be upgraded into fare class A

There needs to be seat availability in your target fare class. For example, if you are ticketed in Business, and you want to upgrade to First Class, there needs to be "A" fare class available for sale.


When do bookable upgrades expire?

Bookable upgrade entitlements must be claimed within 12 months after it has been issued. The departure date of the flight for bookable upgrade is not required to be within 12 months from the date of issuance, however, this date must be 15 to 360 days after the claim date.


If I use a bookable upgrade, do I earn club points and Asia Miles on the original ticket fare class, or the new fare class?

You earn on the new fare class.



Does The Marco Polo Club status match?
MPC generally does not status match to another carrier's elite FFP just because you want one. You may write to the Club with details of your past flying pattern, and they will consider status matches on a case-by-case basis.

For more information , please read this thread: CX Status Match


I am moving to HK - should I consider changing to Asia Miles / Marco Polo Club?

Please see this thread for questions on moving to HK and your choice of loyalty program: Moving to HK master thread




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Asia Miles FAQs:


What Asia Miles will I earn for a particular flight and fare class?

Please refer to the Asia Miles website for the earning rates on Cathay Pacific and other Airline Partners.

Airline Partner Earning details


What are good credit cards to earn Asia Miles in HK?

See this thread: Best Credit Card Conversion Rates for Asia Miles (HK)