FlyerfolioMiles and membership
English

Status: checked against official sources; automated independent review

Part of Cathay / Asia Miles hub

GUIDE

How to use Asia Miles award stopovers and open jaws

Asia Miles award stopovers and open jaws are the intermediate stops and surface segments that the Cathay Membership Programme permits on a flight award booked with Asia Miles. The terms that govern such awards are effective on and from 1 January 2026 (Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China Time) and are provided by Asia Miles Limited [3]. They place flight-award redemption in dedicated sections, but do not publish a stopover allowance, an open-jaw limit, a connection limit or a charge for either [3].

Facts checked: 18 October 2026

Key takeaways

  • Asia Miles flight awards are governed by the Cathay Membership Programme Terms and Conditions, effective on and from 1 January 2026 (Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China Time) and provided by Asia Miles Limited [3].
  • The terms carry separate sections for “Flight Awards Redemption – General Conditions”, “Flight Awards – Standard Awards” and “Flight Awards – oneworld Multi-carrier Awards”, among others [3].
  • Miles must still be live when an award is taken: under the activity-based system the expiry date moves 18 months from the last crediting or debiting date, not from the transaction date [4].

Which document governs a routing

Cathay's membership rulebook is a single document covering the whole programme, and it took effect on 1 January 2026 (Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China Time) [3]. The programme is provided by Asia Miles Limited, and the terms govern the contractual relationship between that company and members [3].

The text asks readers to read it carefully, noting that it contains limitations and exclusions of liability in favour of Asia Miles Limited, Cathay Pacific Airways Limited and partners [3]. For a routing question, the practical consequence is that the answer sits inside that document rather than in a general assumption about how award tickets behave [3].

Where award routing sits in the terms

The contents of the terms list a run of award-related sections: “Redemption Groups”, “Flight Awards Redemption – General Conditions”, “Redeeming Flight Awards”, “Flight Awards – Standard Awards”, “Flight Awards – Companion Ticket Awards”, “Flight Awards – Upgrade Award and Airport Upgrade Awards”, “Flight Awards – oneworld Multi-carrier Awards” and “Priority Redemption for Discounted Flight Awards” [3].

Standard Awards and oneworld Multi-carrier Awards are set out as separate sections.

What is not published

Four questions matter for a routing. How many stopovers may an Asia Miles award contain? May the ticket end somewhere other than where it began? How many connecting sectors are allowed on top of the stops? And does a long stay in one city count as a stopover or as a connection?

The terms keep each award type in its own section, so a limit that belongs to one of them is not evidence of the limit for the other [3].

What the sources do make clear is that a member can see Asia Miles split into earning and spending rules, with sections on “Miles Transfer and Renewal” and “Miles Top-Up” alongside the award sections [3]; routing conditions are a distinct question from how miles are earned, moved or renewed [3].

Effective dates and limits

  • The date on the terms matters. The version described here is effective from 1 January 2026 (Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China Time), so an older copy of the same document does not describe the current programme [3].
  • Further changes are already announced. Cathay lists key changes taking effect on 1 January 2026 and further changes from 1 January 2027, all in Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China Time, and says the updated terms do not yet reflect the 2027 changes and that a version reflecting them will be provided in 2026 [6]. The listed changes concern the membership period, Status Points, a new Diamond Exec status and status benefits; no award-routing change appears among them [6].
  • Two expiry regimes run side by side. Asia Miles moved from a time-based to an activity-based system from 1 January 2020 (Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China Time), so newly earned miles no longer expire three years after being credited, while miles credited on or before 31 December 2019 continue to follow the former arrangement [4].
  • The clock runs from the account entry. The expiry date is extended by 18 months from the last miles crediting or debiting date, not from the activity or transaction date [4].
  • Liability wording. The terms include limitations and exclusions of liability in favour of Asia Miles Limited, Cathay Pacific Airways Limited and partners [3].

Sources

Sources checked on 18 October 2026. It covers the Cathay Membership Programme and Asia Miles flight awards only; award routing rules for other oneworld programmes, and for programmes outside oneworld, are not covered here.

  1. Cathay Membership Programme Terms and Conditions, checked 18 October 2026
  2. Cathay FAQ: what is the new change on the expiry rule of Asia Miles?, checked 18 October 2026
  3. Key changes to the Cathay membership programme, checked 18 October 2026