Cathay World Elite Mastercard
Synchrony$99 a yearWorld Elite MastercardNo foreign transaction feeIssuer's page
A fair time to apply if the card fits how you spend.
Already have it? Keep it if what you use each year covers the fee.
Welcome bonus
38,000miles
after $3,000 in purchases in the first 3 months
A typical spender, at Miles' point values.
| First-year value | Amount |
|---|---|
| Welcome bonus38,000 points at 1.1¢ | $418 |
| Rewards above a 2% no-fee cardvs Double Cash, on $32,500 typical spend | +$7 |
| Annual fee | −$99 |
| Meeting the $3,000 minimumearns 1.1% here vs 2% on Double Cash | −$27 |
| First year | $299 |
| Each year after | −$72 |
Not counted in the first year: other benefits (each year after counts them).
Earning
| Rate | Category | Return |
|---|---|---|
| 2X | Dining | 2.2% |
| 3X | Cathay Pacific purchases | 3.3% |
| 3X | Hong Kong Express purchases | 3.3% |
| 1X | Everything else | 1.1% |
Noteworthy perks
- Priority boarding (present physical card to board with premium economy group)
Personal card · Earns Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
Benefits
Lounge Access (1)
- Cathay Pacific Business Class Lounges (Unlimited): paid guests allowed
Elite status (1)
- Cathay Pacific Asia Miles: Earn 10 Status Points for every USD $5K in eligible purchases each month, up to a maximum of 100 Status Points per calendar year.
Other Perks
- Up to 15% off Economy Flex/Essential/Light fares and 10% off Business/Premium Economy with promo code CXSYF15OFF through 12/31/26 on eligible flights departing from US
- Priority check-in at Premium Economy class airport check-in counters for primary cardholders and travel companions
- Priority boarding (present physical card to board with premium economy group)
- 10% redemption discount on car rental, experience and hotel awards with Asia Miles
- 10% savings on Asia Miles Gift Miles and Mileage Transfer Fee transactions
- World Elite Mastercard benefits including concierge access
Sources and methodology
First-year value is Miles' estimate for a typical spender: the welcome bonus at Miles' point values, plus the rewards this card earns above the best no-annual-fee card's everyday rate on a typical year of spending, plus credits at the share a typical holder uses rather than their face value, plus any certificate or free night earned in that year, minus the first-year fee and the cost of putting the minimum spend on this card instead of that one.
Lounge access, elite status, other benefits, purchase and travel protections, and a certificate or free night that arrives on the card's anniversary are listed beside the first-year figure, not in it. Each year after counts them, with the rewards and credits, less the annual fee. A credit or benefit that needs a spend or a stay counts only where its condition is printed beside it, and credits gated on spend most people never reach are left out.
The fee, offer, earning rates, credits and protections come from the card's record in the Miles dataset, kept against the issuer's own terms. The verdict line is chosen from a fixed set of sentences by Miles' analysis of the offer and the card; nothing on this page is written by hand for one card.
Recent changes
- changed from null to Cathay CardOct 8, 2026
- changed from null to 3000Aug 13, 2026
- changed from null to 90Aug 13, 2026