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Part of Cathay / Asia Miles hub
GUIDE
How to set up an Asia Miles Redemption Group of nominees
A Cathay member sets up a Redemption Group by registering up to five individuals at any one time as Redemption Group Nominees — the people for whom the member can then redeem Asia Miles for Awards. [1] Registration is made on the member's Membership account on the Website or on the Asia Miles by Cathay App, providing the information those channels require, and the name must be entered exactly as it is to be used, because any correction to a registered Nominee's name counts as a replacement of that Nominee. [1] Members may register up to five Nominees free of charge during their Membership lifetime, while replacing a Nominee, or adding one to replace a Nominee who has been removed, is allowed up to three times per Membership Period subject to payment of the required fee. [1]
Facts checked: 18 October 2026
Key takeaways
- A member may nominate up to five individuals at any one time as Redemption Group Nominees, and the Redemption Group is simply the group of those Nominees. [1]
- Nominees are registered on the member's Membership account on the Website or on the Asia Miles by Cathay App, using the information required there. [1]
- Up to five Nominees may be registered free of charge during a member's Membership lifetime; replacements and additions to replace a removed Nominee are capped at three times per Membership Period and attract the required fee. [1]
- A name correction on a registered Nominee is treated as a replacement of that Nominee, which brings the change into the replacement rules. [1]
- Children under the age of 12 and infants can be Nominees and are treated the same as an adult Nominee for redemption, requiring the same Asia Miles for Flight Awards; corporations and other legal entities cannot be Nominees. [1]
- Nominees never redeem for themselves: Awards must be redeemed by the member on behalf of Nominees. [1]
What you can do after reading this guide
- Register a Redemption Group of up to five individuals and know which channel to use for it.
- Judge when adding, removing or replacing a Nominee stays inside the free allowance and when the required fee and the three-times-per-Membership-Period cap apply.
- Prepare a Nominee's name correctly, so that the name in a reservation matches the name registered with the Cathay Membership Programme.
- Tell which awards, upgrades and lounge passes a Nominee can actually use, and where the Nominee must travel with you.
- Recognise the actions a Nominee cannot take, such as redeeming Awards or donating Asia Miles themselves.
Who this applies to and what you need first
This guide covers the Redemption Groups section of the Cathay Membership Programme Terms and Conditions, English version, effective 1 January 2026, and applies globally to members of the Cathay Membership Programme. [1] Rules for other programmes, for other language versions of the terms and for awards issued outside Asia Miles are not covered here. [1]
You need a Membership account, because Nominees are registered on the member's Membership account on the Website or on the Asia Miles by Cathay App. [1] You also need the information those channels ask for about each individual you nominate. [1] Since Asia Miles can be transferred to the account of any chosen Redemption Group Nominee subject to payment of a service fee, a Nominee needs an account to receive them. [1]
A few features work through the Redemption Group rather than the membership alone: Airport Upgrade Awards for Nominees are only accepted where the names have been registered in advance, and a member who is a Minor and has a Guardian who is a member must nominate that Guardian as a Redemption Group Nominee, and be nominated in return, before the Guardian can be registered in the Minor's Membership account. [1]
How do you set up a Redemption Group?
- Decide who you are nominating, remembering that you may nominate up to five individuals at any one time. [1]
- Check that each person is eligible to be a Nominee: children under the age of 12 and infants may be Nominees, and corporations or other legal entities cannot. [1]
- Open your Membership account on the Website or on the Asia Miles by Cathay App and register the Nominees there, providing the information required on that channel. [1]
- Enter each name exactly as it should appear, because you must ensure the name of the Nominee is correctly registered and any correction to a registered name is treated as a replacement of that Nominee. [1]
- Check the names that appear in a reservation against the registered names, since they must exactly match the names registered with the Cathay Membership Programme. [1]
- If the Nominee is to use an Airport Upgrade Award, register the name in advance and allow at least 24 hours for the names to be updated, as Airport Upgrade Awards for Redemption Group Nominees will not be accepted where names have not been registered beforehand. [1]
- Keep track of your allowance: up to five Nominees may be registered free of charge during your Membership lifetime, and replacing an existing Nominee or adding a new Nominee to replace a removed one is allowed up to three times per Membership Period subject to payment of the required fee. [1]
- When you are ready to travel, redeem the Award yourself on the Nominee's behalf, because Awards must be redeemed by members on behalf of Nominees. [1]
Redemption Group limits, changes and fees
| Item | What applies | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Nominee limit | Up to five individuals at any one time may be nominated as Redemption Group Nominees. [1] | [1] |
| Who can be a Nominee | Individuals nominated by the member; children under the age of 12 and infants may be Nominees and are treated the same as an adult Nominee for redemption purposes, requiring the same Asia Miles for Flight Awards. Corporations or other legal entities cannot be Nominees. [1] | [1] |
| How Nominees are registered | On the member's Membership account on the Website or on the Asia Miles by Cathay App, by providing the information required on the Website or the app. [1] | [1] |
| Free registrations | Up to five Nominees may be registered free of charge during the member's Membership lifetime. [1] | [1] |
| Replacing or adding | Subject to paying the required fee, a member may replace an existing Nominee, or add a new Nominee to replace a Nominee that the member has removed, up to three times per Membership Period. [1] | [1] |
| Name corrections | Corrections to the name of a registered Nominee are considered a replacement of that Nominee. [1] | [1] |
| Fee | The required fee is set out on the Optional Services and Fees Page and may be changed by AML from time to time; depending on the member's Status, a service fee may be charged to replace a Nominee or register a Nominee beyond the number of complimentary nominations. No fee amount is stated in the terms themselves. [1] | [1] |
| Waiting period | No waiting period for registering, replacing or removing a Nominee is stated; for an Airport Upgrade Award, the name must be registered in advance and at least 24 hours allowed for the names to be updated. [1] | [1] |
| What Nominees can use | Awards redeemed by the member on their behalf, including Flight Awards and travel awards; Upgrade Awards and Airport Upgrade Awards; Business Class lounge passes awarded to Gold Members at 800 Status Points and First or Business Class lounge passes awarded to Diamond Members at 1,400 Status Points; Bookable Upgrades awarded to Diamond Members with 1,600 Status Points or more; and Asia Miles transferred to the Nominee's account subject to a service fee. [1] | [1] |
Membership Periods, Status and Status Point thresholds are set elsewhere in the programme terms and are not restated here; the citation numbers above all point to the same official terms document. [1]
Worked example (illustration)
Illustration only: a member registers five Nominees on the Asia Miles by Cathay App, which uses the five complimentary registrations available during a Membership lifetime. [1] Later the member removes one Nominee and adds another person in their place; that change counts as one of the three replacements or additions allowed per Membership Period and is subject to payment of the required fee. [1] When the member then redeems an Airport Upgrade Award for the new Nominee, the name is registered in advance with at least 24 hours allowed for the update, and the name on the reservation matches the registered name exactly. [1] If the member holds Diamond Status and has achieved 1,400 Status Points, two First Class or Business Class lounge passes are awarded and may be used by the member, their travel companion or their Redemption Group Nominee, with the Nominee able to use the pass on flights operated or marketed by Cathay Pacific without travelling together with the member; each lounge pass is valid for 12 months from the date of issue. [1] The miles deducted for the Award are the miles required for that Award; no fee amounts, taxes or totals are calculated here, because the terms give no fee amount. [1]
Common reasons it fails
- The name in the booking does not match the registered name. Names of Redemption Group Nominees that appear in reservations must exactly match the names registered with the Cathay Membership Programme. [1]
- The name was corrected after registration. Any correction to the name of a registered Nominee is treated as a replacement, so it falls under the replacement rules and may attract the required fee. [1]
- The name was not registered before an Airport Upgrade Award. Airport Upgrade Awards for Redemption Group Nominees will not be accepted if their names have not been registered in advance. [1]
- The Nominee travels alone on an Airport Upgrade Award. For Airport Upgrade Awards, the Redemption Group Nominee must travel with the member on the same flight. [1]
- The Nominee tries to redeem. Awards must be redeemed by members on behalf of Nominees, and Nominees may not make any redemptions for Awards themselves. [1]
- A sixth person is added. A member may nominate up to five individuals at any one time. [1]
- A company is nominated. Corporations or other legal entities cannot be Nominees. [1]
- A minor and guardian skip the mutual nomination. A member who is a Minor and a Guardian who is a member must nominate each other as Redemption Group Nominee in their respective Membership accounts before the Guardian can be registered in the Minor's account. [1]
Exceptions and limits
- Upgrade Award versus Airport Upgrade Award. A Redemption Group Nominee is not required to travel with the member if an Upgrade Award is arranged in advance, but for Airport Upgrade Awards the Nominee must travel with the member on the same flight. [1]
- Lounge passes by Status. Two Business Class lounge passes at 450 Status Points are available to Silver Members and their travel companion, while the passes at 800 Status Points (Gold) and 1,400 Status Points (Diamond) extend to a Redemption Group Nominee; nominees can use the pass on flights operated or marketed by Cathay Pacific without travelling with the member. [1]
- Lounge passes are fixed at issuance. Once the lounge passes are issued, the eligibility, lounge class and sharing restrictions remain as they were at issuance, and any change in member status does not change the entitlements associated with the lounge pass. [1]
- Bookable Upgrades are fixed at issuance. Once Bookable Upgrades are issued, the eligibility, validity, distance applicability and sharing restrictions remain as they were at issuance. [1]
- Bookable Upgrades. Four Bookable Upgrades for all flight distance, available to the member, their travel companion or their Redemption Group Nominee, are awarded to Diamond Members with 1,600 Status Points or more, each valid for 12 months from the date of issue. [1]
- Some companions need not be Nominees. The companion passenger on a Companion Ticket Award need not be a Nominee in the member's redemption group, and Asia Miles-redeemed lounge passes may be used for companions, friends or family members who are not required to be Redemption Group Nominees. [1]
- What Nominees cannot do. Nominees may not redeem Awards themselves, cannot donate Asia Miles for charity, and Lifestyle Award redemption requests from parties other than the member, including Nominees, will not be processed. [1]
- Transferred miles expire. Asia Miles transferred to a Redemption Group Nominee's account are valid for 18 months from the date of transfer. [1]
Frequently asked questions
How many people can I nominate?
Up to five individuals at any one time. [1] Up to five Nominees may be registered free of charge during your Membership lifetime, and replacing an existing Nominee or adding a new Nominee to replace a removed one is allowed up to three times per Membership Period subject to payment of the required fee. [1]
Can I nominate a child or an infant?
Yes. Children under the age of 12 and infants may be Nominees, and for redemption purposes they are treated the same as an adult Nominee and require the same Asia Miles for Flight Awards. [1] Terms and conditions apply to child and infant travel, including Airline Partner carrier terms and conditions where applicable. [1] Corporations and other legal entities cannot be Nominees. [1]
Can a Nominee redeem miles from my account themselves?
No. Awards must be redeemed by members on behalf of Nominees, and Nominees may not make any redemptions for Awards themselves. [1] If you transfer Asia Miles to a Nominee's account, those miles are valid for 18 months from the date of transfer. [1]
Does the Nominee have to travel with me?
It depends on the award. A Redemption Group Nominee is not required to travel with you if an Upgrade Award is arranged in advance, but for Airport Upgrade Awards the Nominee must travel with you on the same flight. [1] A Nominee can use a Gold or Diamond lounge pass on Cathay Pacific operated or marketed flights without travelling with you. [1] Diamond Members with 1,600 Status Points or more hold Bookable Upgrades that their Redemption Group Nominees may enjoy without travelling together with them. [1]
Next step and official entry points
- Cathay Membership Programme Terms and Conditions (PDF, effective 1 January 2026) — read the Redemption Groups section for the nominee limit, the registration channel, the free and paid changes and the uses open to Nominees. [1]
- Cathay programme hub on Flyerfolio — start here for the wider programme picture, then come back to register your Nominees. [1]
- Award beneficiary rules — compare how nominating a person to receive your miles works in other programmes before you book.
Sources
Sources checked on 18 October 2026. This guide covers the Redemption Groups section of the Cathay Membership Programme Terms and Conditions, English version, effective 1 January 2026 — the nominee limit, registration, free and paid changes, name matching, and what Nominees can and cannot use — and does not cover the amount of any fee, Status earning levels, or the rules of other programmes.
- Cathay Membership Programme Terms and Conditions (PDF, effective 1 January 2026), checked 18 October 2026