Asia Miles Pauses JAL Award Bookings: What It Means for Japan
Updated as of 10 Oct 2026. Cathay Pacific’s wording is as quoted in its notice to members on 9 Oct 2026. We haven’t found the notice on an official Cathay page yet and will add it when it appears.
Cathay Pacific’s Asia Miles has stopped issuing award tickets on Japan Airlines. There’s no reason and no end date. If you were planning to move HDFC, Amex, Axis or SBI points into Asia Miles for a JAL trip to Japan, stop. Here’s what changed, who’s affected, and where to book Japan with points instead.
What Cathay said
| New JAL awards | “Temporarily suspended until further notice” |
| Existing JAL award tickets | Can still be flown as normal |
| Changes to tickets with a JAL flight | Not possible for now, so a date change may mean cancelling |
| Reason or end date | None given |
Who this hurts
- HDFC Infinia and Diners Black holders. HDFC doesn’t transfer to JAL, so Asia Miles was one of the few ways to put HDFC points on JAL. That route is gone for now.
- Amex India members. Same story: no JAL transfer, and Asia Miles was the oneworld back door.
- Anyone holding a JAL award booked with Asia Miles. Your ticket is safe, but don’t count on changing it. If plans are shaky, decide early.
- Round-the-world planners. Asia Miles’ multi-carrier award can no longer include JAL. Our round-the-world guide already points you to JAL’s own oneworld award, which isn’t affected.
Where to book Japan instead
| You have… | Book with | Why |
|---|---|---|
| HSBC Premier or TravelOne | JAL Mileage Bank (1:1) | Books JAL directly; the pause doesn’t touch it |
| Axis Olympus | JAL Mileage Bank (1:4) | Olympus gets only 1:2 to Asia Miles, so JAL was always the better ratio |
| Axis Atlas, Olympus or Horizon | Miles & More on ANA or Air India | India to Japan in business from 37,500 miles one way on the partner chart |
| SBI Card MILES | JAL Mileage Bank (2:1) | Direct JAL, no Cathay in the middle |
| HDFC or Amex only | Cash, for now | The ANA Hello Blue Sale has Delhi–Tokyo business from ₹1,90,000 round trip, booking until 15 Oct |
Will it come back?
We don’t know, and neither airline has said. “Temporarily” in a loyalty notice can mean a week or a year. Until Asia Miles shows JAL seats again, treat it as gone. Don’t transfer points to Asia Miles on the hope that it returns; transfers are one-way and Asia Miles expire if your account is inactive.
DealUni take
For most Indian cardholders this changes less than it sounds. If you have HSBC, Axis or SBI points, JAL Mileage Bank was usually the better deal anyway. The real losers are HDFC and Amex holders, who just lost their cleanest route onto JAL. For them, the answer for Japan right now is Star Alliance via other programmes, or cash during sales like ANA’s.
Japan ke liye abhi Asia Miles mein points mat bhejo. (Don’t send points to Asia Miles for Japan right now.)
Sources: Cathay Pacific member notice (9 Oct 2026); Asia Miles; JAL Mileage Bank; Miles & More award chart. Checked 10 Oct 2026.
