Is Cathay Pacific’s Marco Polo Club worth it?
I was discussing with my SO the apparent pros of being loyal customer of Cathay Pacific and she asked me why not share it on here. The gist of that discussion was that the value I got flying with Cathay is worth way more than what I paid to sign up as a member years ago. Read on and see if you agree with me.
Asia Miles versus Marco Polo Club
Cathay Pacific has two different reward systems in place. Their Asia Miles program tracks your mileage and you can redeem benefits using your accumulated Asia Miles, including attractive business / first class tickets. This program is free to join and is always recommended for those who frequently fly with Cathay Pacific (or if you are Singaporean, an alternative miles redemption for your credit card miles).
Their Marco Polo club is more exclusive as it is a pay-to-join club. The entrance fee is nominal at US$100. But, as a member, you will benefit from other privileges once you cross the hurdle and get yourself from “Green” to “Silver”.
Is it worth US$100 to join Marco Polo Club?
Fairer Frequent Flier System
The initial fee of US$100 looks expensive to most but I feel Cathay Pacific’s system is a fairer system than for example SQ’s. Let me explain.
While Singapore Airlines also differentiates between their Krisflyer program and their PPS club, PPS is tied to spending on SQ’s business or first class rather than an entrance fee. The spending is therefore way steeper than US$100. To put it in layman term, unless you fly often with SQ (and on their business/first class), it is almost impossible to join their PPS Club.
Leaving aside PPS, SQ’s Krisflyer has its own class system (Krisflyer, Krisflyer Elite Silver and Krisflyer Elite Gold). Of the three different classes, the only class that is worth mentioning is their Elite Gold (at 50,000 elite miles) as it comes with free worldwide lounge access (together with 1 guest) including Star Alliance Lounges and also priority check-in and boarding. If I were to remove all the fluff, this would mean that you, as a Krisflyer member, will have to slog it out to achieve Elite Gold Status before you can really benefit from anything.
How does this compare with Cathay Pacific’s Marco Polo Club?
There are already clear benefits from the start. As a green member, you will immediately have access to designated check-in counters and also priority boarding compared to ordinary passengers. More importantly, the other benefits such as lounge access are separated into different categories starting as low as the next tier (i.e. “Silver”) and becoming more generous as you go higher. You do not have to slog in order to benefit from your status.
For example, assuming 100% mile earning rate for SQ (i.e. Economy Flex), a return ticket to Taipei might earn you approximately 4000 miles. Each ticket will cost you approximately S$1,486. To achieve Elite Gold (and therefore be able to enjoy the benefits stated above), you will have to fly 12.5 return trips and spend S$18,575.
By comparison, access to Cathay Pacific Lounges become available once you achieve “Silver” status which requires 300 club points. A similar return ticket to Taipei via Hong Kong would cost approximately S$1100 and would earn 70 club points. To achieve Marco Polo Silver and so gain access to Cathay Pacific’s lounges, you just need to fly 4.2 return trips and spend approximately S$4,714.
For the critics out there, who would be by now jumping in their seats saying that the above comparison is unfair as SQ’s Elite Gold would give access to not only SQ’s lounges but also Star Alliance Lounges, please hold your hand. I’m coming to just that.
Marco Polo’s Gold Class at 600 club points allows you (and a guest) to not only access Cathay Pacific’s lounges but also Oneworld Alliance Lounges. That would cost you just S$9,428 or just half of what it would cost you with SQ.
Marco Polo’s Diamond Class at 1200 club points (or just S$18,857) would grant you (and a guest) access to First Class Lounges both for Cathay Pacific and also Oneworld Alliance Lounges.
While both Marco Polo Diamond and Krisflyer Elite Gold cost the same and also would give similar benefits, as a Marco Polo Club member, you will start benefiting more earlier. As a person who had just joined the frequent flier game, the prospect of benefiting earlier would be more appealing to me. I think you will agree with the same.
Cost-benefit analysis
Other than fairness, the other comparator would be the actual value you reap from being a member. From my own experience flying with Cathay Pacific, I can safely say that the value is more than the initial US$100 that I invested.
First, the free lounge access adds up. In terms of commercial value, purchase lounge access can range from US$32 per visit (Using Priority Pass) all the way to US$75 for paid lounge access to Cathay’s own lounges in Hong Kong. Assuming you manage to achieve silver status and fly somewhat frequently (say once per month), it will add up to at least US$768. For those inclined to go heavy on the booze, this is one “free” way to load up.
Second, free upgrades also help. To be frank upfront, upgrades are uncommon. This is especially so for lucrative legs. However, I have been upgraded for certain less popular legs rather frequently after obtaining my silver status. These upgrades, although not the best, are still upgrades and still worth some value (i.e. more than US$100). Status also play a role especially when on full flights. Just recently, for my return flight back from Hong Kong, the flight was full and my SO and myself were assigned separate seats (she gave me death stares, I swear). I made a request to sit together with her and the counter staff said she will put in a request for us. Come time for boarding we were greeted with resounding “beep” – we have been upgraded to Premium Economy for free. Yipee! Thanks Cathay Pacific!
Conclusion
If you are travelling within Asia frequently, Cathay Pacific’s Marco Polo Club might be ideal and should be considered seriously as a competitor to Singapore Airlines’ PPS Club/Krisflyer Elite Gold. In terms of fairness and also benefits to be reaped, Cathay Pacific’s Marco Polo Club ranks way ahead than Singapore Airlines’.
While I agree Cathay Pacific’s in-flight catering has much to be desired, I think this is more than offset by the low-ticket prices compared with SQ. If you dislike the on-board food, why not simply just load up in Cathay’s Lounges before flying?
Let me know your view below. Signing off.