How to Upgrade from Economy to Business Class on Cathay Pacific

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Bid, upgrade with miles, or spend points for a better seat
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Upgrading from Cathay Pacific’s Economy Class to Business Class is a huge step up in comfort and amenities. This kind of upgrade is usually possible by using Cathay Pacific’s Upgrade Bid program, spending Cathay Status Points, redeeming Asia Miles, or paying the difference in ticket prices. Read on if you want to make sure you get that upgrade into the lap of luxury!

How to Bid for a Cathay Pacific Upgrade

Go to the Upgrade Bid page on Cathay Pacific's website, enter your booking reference number and your last name, and click Check Flight. If your flight is eligible, you'll be offered a chance to submit a bid. Use the bid gauge to make a strong bid and wait for an email from Cathay Pacific notifying you if your bid was successful.

Section 1 of 5:

Using Upgrade Bid

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  1. After booking a Cathay Pacific flight, go to their official Upgrade Bid page and provide your last name (family name) and booking reference number. Not all flights are eligible for Upgrade Bid, but if yours is, you’ll be offered the chance to submit a bid on the next page.
    • You can also be invited to bid for an upgrade by Cathay Pacific. If you’re interested in getting these invites, make sure you provide an accurate email address that you check often when buying a ticket. [1]
    • NOTE : You can only use Upgrade Bid and the other methods in this article to jump up one class, not two (unless you pay the full difference in ticket prices , which we show how to do below). You can’t upgrade from Economy to Business Class unless your flight lacks the intermediate Premium Economy Class.
  2. The bid page for your flight will provide a minimum and maximum allowable bid. When you make a bid, the “bid gauge” will indicate the relative strength of your bid. The stronger your bid, the better your chance of “winning” the upgrade! [2]
    • If you decide you want to raise, lower, or cancel your bid, you can keep making adjustments until 26 hours before your flight’s listed departure time (as long as your bid hasn't already been accepted). [3]
    • When using Upgrade Bid, you're bidding against other Cathay Pacific ticket holders for available upgrades on your particular flight. Cathay Pacific is frustratingly vague about their bid evaluation criteria, but it’s safe to assume that the higher your bid, the better your odds of success.
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  3. If your bid is successful, Cathay Pacific will send you a confirmation email and charge the payment method you selected. Enjoy your successful bid and upgrade! [4]
    • In rare instances you may not be informed of a successful bid until the day before your flight.
    • You won’t be charged anything if your bid is unsuccessful. You also won’t be notified by Cathay Pacific.
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Section 2 of 5:

Redeeming Your Asia Miles

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  1. Sign up for a free account on Cathay , Cathay Pacific's benefits membership program. As a member, you’ll earn Asia Miles when you fly with Cathay Pacific and their oneworld partners, including Air Canada, American Airlines, British Airways, and many more. When you collect enough Asia miles, you can redeem them for class upgrades. [5]
  2. You’ll accrue Asia Miles each time you fly with a participating carrier, so check your account often to keep tabs on how many miles you’ve earned. To upgrade from Economy to Business on a Cathay Pacific flight (that doesn’t have Premium Economy), you’ll need the following number of miles: [6]
    • 11,000 Asia Miles for a flight of up to 750 mi (1,210 km).
    • 19,500-22,500 Asia Miles for a flight of up to 2,750 mi (4,430 km).
    • 40,500 Asia Miles for a flight of up to 5,000 mi (8,000 km).
    • 59,000 Asia Miles for a flight of up to 7,500 mi (12,100 km).
    • 77,000 Asia Miles for a flight of over 7,500 mi (12,100 km).
  3. Provide your Asia Miles membership information when buying your ticket on the Cathay Pacific site or with a Cathay Pacific agent. If there’s a seat in Business Class available on your chosen flight, you’ll automatically be given the option to upgrade your purchased ticket. Simply agree to redeem your miles and you’re good to go! [7]
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Section 3 of 5:

Spending Your Cathay Status Points

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  1. Sign up for free and you’ll automatically start at the Green level and earn points each time you fly with Cathay Pacific and their airline partners. Earning points unlocks new club tiers—Silver, Gold, and Diamond—and access to a range of amenities and benefits.
  2. It takes 300 points to go from Green to Silver, 600 points to reach the Gold level, and 1200 points to reach the Diamond level. Only Gold and Diamond members can use their points to get a “Bookable Upgrade” to the next available cabin class. [8]
    • Your points reset every year (on the anniversary of your initial signup) and every time you upgrade or downgrade. For example, you have to earn 600 points each year to stay in Gold. This also means you have to make sure to use your points before they expire!
  3. With 1000 points (which puts you in a Gold membership), you can get up to 4 one-level upgrades on Cathay Pacific flights of up to 3,700 mi (6,000 km) in distance. With 1600 points (Diamond level), you can get up to 4 one-level upgrades on Cathay Pacific flights of any length. Here’s the process: [9]
    • Book up to 4 Economy (not Economy Light) tickets on one Cathay Pacific flight, one ticket on four flights, or another combination thereof. Choose flights with no Premium Economy level if you want to be able to upgrade from Economy to Business.
    • At least 3 days before your departure date, log into your Cathay account and click Redeem flight award, then Upgrade awards.
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Section 4 of 5:

Paying the Difference to Upgrade

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  1. Say, for example, you bought an Economy Class round-trip ticket from Chicago to Hong Kong for $1500 USD, and a Business Class ticket for the same round trip costs $8500 USD. If you’re willing to pay the full $7000 USD difference, contact Cathay Pacific (or your travel agent) or go to Manage Bookings to upgrade your existing ticket. [10]
    • In addition to the difference in ticket price, expect some associated upgrade fees. Discuss these with your Cathay Pacific contact or travel agent.
    • To change your bookings online, sign into the Manage booking tool with your Cathay membership or email address. Keep in mind that not all flights allow you to change your booking, especially if there are no seats available or it's last minute.
    • NOTE : This method is your only option if you want to upgrade from Economy to Business on a flight that also has the intermediate Premium Economy class.
  2. When you get to the Cathay Pacific check-in counter or the online check-in tool , check if there are any available seats in Business class so you can upgrade your current ticket from Economy. Here again, expect to pay the listed price difference between the tickets, plus some extra fees.
    • Improve your odds by arriving at the airport well ahead of your flight—this is often an “early bird gets the worm” situation!
  3. There’s not much of a chance that asking nicely will work, but it doesn’t hurt to try! In addition to being very polite and straightforward with your request, e.g., "Thanks for all your help so far. By the way, is there any chance you could offer me a discount on the upgrade amount?" Taking the following measures might increase your odds from “yeah, right” to “maybe, but don’t count on it”: [11]
    • Join Cathay Pacific’s rewards program. Even if you don’t have enough points to earn an upgrade, being a Cathay member may give you a better chance of snagging a “courtesy” discount than if you’re a non-member.
    • Volunteer to take a different flight. If you have the flexibility to take either an earlier or later flight, you might ease an overbooking situation and be rewarded with a discounted upgrade.
    • Fly solo. Your odds of snagging a discounted upgrade for a single ticket are already slim and will become practically non-existent if you try to get discounts for multiple tickets.
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Section 5 of 5:

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

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  1. 1
    How much is it to upgrade from Economy to Business in Cathay? The price to upgrade from Economy to Business class on a Cathay Pacific flight varies greatly from flight to flight. There's no one specific amount you can expect to pay.
  2. 2
    Does Cathay Pacific offer bids for upgrades? Yes! Cathay Pacific allows passengers to upgrade their flights through a number of methods, including using their Upgrade Bid option (on flights with empty seats only), cashing in Asia Miles, spending Status Points, and paying the difference between the two tickets.
  3. 3
    Is bidding for a flight upgrade worth it? It can be worth it to bid for a flight upgrade if the price of a strong bid is less than the cost difference between the two class ticket prices. For example, if you purchased an Economy class ticket for $700, and a Business class ticket cost $1500, the bid would only be worth it if it was less than the $800 difference. You can check the strength of your bid using the gauge on Cathay Pacific's Upgrade Bid page .
  4. 4
    Does Cathay Pacific give free upgrades? The only time Cathay Pacific upgrades Economy or Premium Economy class passengers to Business class free of charge is if they overbook. In that case, Cathay Pacific is at fault for overselling seats, making it their responsibility to ensure everyone who booked a ticket makes it to their destination – even if they have to be moved to a higher cabin class!
  5. 5
    Can I upgrade 2 cabin classes on Cathay Pacific? No, you can't upgrade 2 cabin classes on a Cathay flight. This means if you're in Economy class on a flight that has a Premium Economy class above you instead of Business class, you won't be able to upgrade to Business for that flight.
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      • If you fly with Cathay Pacific and their oneworld partners often, sign up for their Cathay benefits membership. It's free to start and will help you earn points and miles each time you fly and spend money at one of their retail partners. You can then redeem those points and miles for booking upgrades on eligible flights.
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      References

      1. ↑ https://milelion.com/2018/03/21/heres-my-experience-bidding-for-a-cathay-pacific-upgrade/
      2. ↑ https://milelion.com/2018/03/21/heres-my-experience-bidding-for-a-cathay-pacific-upgrade/
      3. ↑ https://www.cathaypacific.com/cx/en_HK/faqs/manage-your-booking/upgrade-bid/is-there-a-time-limit-on-making-an-offer.html
      4. ↑ https://www.cathaypacific.com/cx/en_HK/faqs/upgrade-bid/bid-assessment/when-will-i-be-informed-if-my-offer-was-successful.html
      5. ↑ https://www.forbes.com/advisor/credit-cards/travel-rewards/cathay-pacific-asia-miles
      6. ↑ https://flights.cathaypacific.com/en_HK/redeem-flights/flight-award-chart.html#AsiaMilesawardschart
      7. ↑ https://thepointsguy.com/guide/cathay-pacific-asia-miles/
      8. ↑ https://www.forbes.com/advisor/credit-cards/travel-rewards/cathay-pacific-asia-miles/#how_to_redeem_asia_miles_section
      9. ↑ https://www.forbes.com/advisor/credit-cards/travel-rewards/cathay-pacific-asia-miles/#how_to_redeem_asia_miles_section
      1. ↑ https://www.cathaypacific.com/cx/en_HK/manage-booking/travel-extras/upgrade-your-flight.html?cxsource=TOP-NAV_OFFERS_3_2
      2. ↑ https://www.alternativeairlines.com/blog/flight-upgrade-for-free

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