Synchrony Bank Cathay Pacific Visa Signature Review
Updated August 29, 2020.
The Facts
The Math
For general spending, we recommend Amex SPG which returns 1.25 Asia Miles per dollar spent when you transfer SPG points to Asia Miles at bulks of 20K, or Amex EveryDay Preferred which returns 1.5 Asia Miles per dollar spent when you have at least 30 transactions per month and transfer Amex Membership Rewards (MR) points to Asia Miles. You may also consider any other premium Amex MR cards such as Amex PR Gold, Amex Platinum, or any premium Citi ThankYou cards such as ThankYou Premier, Citi Prestige, as both premium programs allow point transfer to miles of multiple programs including Asia Miles.
Cathay Pacific Visa shines when you have large Cathay Pacific purchases and/or foreign purchases. However, the aforementioned Amex PR Gold, ThankYou Premier, and Citi Prestige all offer 3x points on airfare, thus 2x Cathay Pacific is not really that special. 1.5x foreign purchases is a quite unique feature, as the foreign transaction fees are waived. Amex SPG does waive foreign transaction fees but the return rate is lower, and Amex EveryDay Preferred doesn't waive this fee.
The Conclusion
The reason to keep Cathay Pacific Visa after the first year is when you have large Cathay Pacific and/or foreign purchases. For general spending, you have several other options that offer higher return and flexibility.
The Facts
- Annual Fee: $95
- Signup Bonus: 40,000 miles you spend $2,000 within 3 months of new account opening. Historical Best Bonus of the card: 50,000 miles in August 2017; 60,000 miles with $10K spending requirement in April 2018.
- Application Landing Page
- Rewards: 2x Cathay Pacific, 1.5x dining, 1.5x international purchases, 1x everywhere else.
- Best Use of Asia Miles: Asia Miles is the frequent flyer program of Cathay Pacific Airways, a member of oneworld. Asia Miles are generally valuable when redeemed for travel on Cathay Pacific or its partner airlines.
- Cathay Pacific Benefit: Complimentary Marco Polo Club green elite tier for the first year for new members. Green is the entry level elite status of Marco Polo Club, the elite member program of Cathay Pacific, and can be renewed by earning 100 Club points each year or paying a annual $100 renewal fee. It offers access to Marco Polo Club counters at select airports, priority boarding, and options to redeem Asia Miles for premium economy seats, extra baggage, and airport lounge access.
- Other Benefits: waived foreign transaction fees, with an embedded EMV chip.
- Other Facts: Synchrony Bank used to be known as GE Capital Retail Bank before June 2014. This Visa card was introduced in February 2017.
The Math
For general spending, we recommend Amex SPG which returns 1.25 Asia Miles per dollar spent when you transfer SPG points to Asia Miles at bulks of 20K, or Amex EveryDay Preferred which returns 1.5 Asia Miles per dollar spent when you have at least 30 transactions per month and transfer Amex Membership Rewards (MR) points to Asia Miles. You may also consider any other premium Amex MR cards such as Amex PR Gold, Amex Platinum, or any premium Citi ThankYou cards such as ThankYou Premier, Citi Prestige, as both premium programs allow point transfer to miles of multiple programs including Asia Miles.
Cathay Pacific Visa shines when you have large Cathay Pacific purchases and/or foreign purchases. However, the aforementioned Amex PR Gold, ThankYou Premier, and Citi Prestige all offer 3x points on airfare, thus 2x Cathay Pacific is not really that special. 1.5x foreign purchases is a quite unique feature, as the foreign transaction fees are waived. Amex SPG does waive foreign transaction fees but the return rate is lower, and Amex EveryDay Preferred doesn't waive this fee.
The Conclusion
The reason to keep Cathay Pacific Visa after the first year is when you have large Cathay Pacific and/or foreign purchases. For general spending, you have several other options that offer higher return and flexibility.