Best Credit Cards for Earning Miles in Hong Kong (2026)

Last updated: January 2026

Introduction

You have probably seen the photos: friends sipping champagne in business class, stretching out in lie-flat seats on the way to London, casually mentioning they “used miles” for the flight. And you have probably wondered: is that actually achievable for a normal person in Hong Kong?

The short answer is yes—but it requires choosing the right credit card and understanding when miles actually make sense versus just taking the cashback.

This guide breaks down the eight major miles-earning credit cards available in Hong Kong, explains the maths behind miles versus cash, and most importantly, helps you figure out which card fits your spending habits. Because here is the truth that no bank wants to admit: there is no single “best” miles card. The best card is the one that matches how you actually spend.

Want to skip straight to the answer? Our miles calculator lets you input your actual monthly spending and instantly ranks all cards by how many miles you would earn.

Why Would You Want Miles Instead of Cash?

Let’s address the elephant in the room. Cashback is simple: spend money, get money back. You can use it to pay bills, buy groceries, or treat yourself. It is tangible and immediate.

So why would anyone choose miles instead?

The Value Multiplier Effect

The magic of miles is that they are worth more when redeemed for premium travel than their equivalent cash value would buy—but only if you redeem them strategically.

Let’s look at a real example. As of January 2026, we searched for Cathay Pacific flights from Hong Kong to London (May 1-8):

Economy Class:

At the standard valuation of HK$0.10 per mile, those 54,000 miles are “worth” HK$5,400. You are getting slightly better value than cash, but nothing dramatic.

Business Class:

Now the maths gets interesting. At HK$0.10 per mile, those 176,000 miles are “worth” HK$17,600. But the cash ticket costs HK$53,000. You are getting 3x the value per mile when you redeem for business class.

The Real Comparison: Miles vs Cashback

Let’s see what it would take to “earn” that HK$53,000 business class ticket through cashback versus miles:

The Cashback Route:
* At 2% cashback, you would need to spend HK$2,650,000 to earn HK$53,000 in cashback to buy the ticket.

The Miles Route:
* At HK$4 per mile (a typical good rate), you would need to spend HK$704,000 to earn 176,000 miles.

That is nearly 4x more efficient for the same seat. And at the best earning rates (HK$2/mile), you would only need to spend HK$352,000.

The key insight: Miles are worth collecting if you redeem them for business or first class. For economy, the value advantage largely disappears.

When Miles Make Sense

Miles are worth pursuing if:

• ✅ You redeem for business or first class (where the value multiplier is 2-3x or more)
• ✅ You are loyal to one airline alliance (oneworld for Cathay, Star Alliance, etc.)
• ✅ You have flexible travel dates (award availability matters)
• ✅ You would otherwise never pay cash for premium cabins

When Cashback Wins

Stick with cashback if:

• ✅ You only fly economy (the value multiplier largely disappears)
• ✅ You prefer flexibility over airline loyalty
• ✅ You want guaranteed, immediate value
• ✅ You rarely fly or prefer domestic travel

Neither choice is wrong. It depends entirely on what you value—and crucially, how you plan to redeem.

Understanding Miles Earning: The HK$/Mile Metric

Banks love to advertise confusing numbers like “9X points!” or “3X rewards!” but what actually matters is: how many Hong Kong dollars do you need to spend to earn one mile?

Lower is better. Here is the spectrum:

Throughout this guide, we will convert all the confusing multipliers into this simple metric so you can compare apples to apples.

TL;DR: Quick Comparison Table

The Cards: Detailed Breakdown

BOC Cheers Visa Infinite Card

The Pitch: The best miles earning rate in Hong Kong—if you can qualify.

The BOC Cheers Infinite earns Gift Points that convert to miles at 15 points = 1 mile. At 10X earning on bonus categories, that works out to HK$1.5 per mile—the best rate available on any Hong Kong credit card.

Earning Structure:

The Good:
* HK$1.5/mile is genuinely exceptional—50% better than the next best option
* High caps: $10k dining + $25k foreign currency = $35k of boosted spending per month
* Flexible redemption: convert to cash (250 points = $1) OR miles (15 points = 1 mile)
* Annual fee waived first year

The Traps:
* Income requirement of HK$600,000/year. This is the highest of any card on this list.
* Requires HK$5,000 monthly spend to unlock 10X rates. Spend less, and everything drops to 1X.
* Non-bonus categories earn a terrible HK$15/mile
* Annual fee of HK$3,800 after first year

Best For: High earners who dine out frequently and travel internationally.

Verdict: If you qualify for this card and can hit the $5k threshold, it is mathematically the best miles card in Hong Kong. The catch is that most people cannot qualify.

BOC Cheers Visa Signature Card

The Pitch: The Infinite’s more accessible sibling—still excellent rates.

Same points structure as the Infinite (15 points = 1 mile), but with 8X instead of 10X on bonus categories. That still works out to HK$1.875 per mile—among the best in Hong Kong.

Earning Structure:

The Good:
* HK$1.9/mile is still better than HSBC EveryMile or DBS Black
* Much more accessible: only HK$150,000 income requirement
* Lower annual fee: HK$2,000 (waived first year)
* Same flexible cash/miles redemption as Infinite

The Traps:
* Still requires HK$5,000 monthly spend to unlock 8X rates
* Lower caps than Infinite ($7.5k dining, $18.75k foreign currency)
* Non-bonus categories still earn a terrible HK$15/mile

Best For: Frequent diners and travelers who want excellent miles rates but do not meet the Infinite’s income requirement.

Verdict: The sweet spot for most miles collectors. Excellent earning rates with realistic qualification requirements.

HSBC EveryMile Credit Card

The Pitch: A cashback card with exceptional miles conversion.

Unlike most miles cards that earn “points,” the EveryMile earns RewardCash that converts to miles at the best rate in the HSBC family: HK$0.05 = 1 mile.

Earning Structure:

The Good:
* HK$2/mile on transport and cafés is excellent for daily commuters
* Transfer to 13+ airline programs including Asia Miles, Avios, KrisFlyer, and more
* No spending caps or thresholds
* No need to track complex multipliers

The Trap:
* Supermarkets earn only 0.4%. This is a major exclusion that catches people off guard. Do not use this card at Wellcome or ParknShop.
* Insurance and bill payments also earn the terrible 0.4% rate

Best For: Daily commuters who spend on MTR, buses, cafés, and want flexibility to transfer miles to different airlines.

Verdict: The best all-around miles card for most Hong Kong consumers. Just bring a different card for groceries.

Standard Chartered Cathay Mastercard

The Pitch: Dead simple. Earn Asia Miles directly with no conversion needed.

This is a “pure miles” card. You do not earn points that you later convert—you earn Asia Miles that land directly in your Cathay membership account.

Earning Structure:

The Good:
* Simple two-tier structure—no mental gymnastics required
* No spending caps or monthly thresholds
* Lowest income requirement among miles cards (HK$96,000)
* HK$4/mile on foreign currency is competitive

The Trap:
* Hotel bookings must be direct. If you book through Agoda, Expedia, or Booking.com, you earn the worse HK$6/mile rate. Only direct hotel bookings count.
* You are locked into Asia Miles. If you want to fly Singapore Airlines or British Airways, these miles are useless.

Best For: Cathay Pacific loyalists who want simplicity and fly oneworld alliance regularly.

Verdict: The “set it and forget it” card. Not the highest earning rate, but zero complexity.

DBS Black World Mastercard

The Pitch: Incredible foreign currency earning, but requires volume.

The DBS Black earns “DBS$” which can be redeemed for cash (DBS$1 = HK$1) or miles (DBS$48 = 1,000 miles).

Earning Structure:

The Good:
* HK$2/mile on foreign currency is among the best in Hong Kong
* Flexible redemption: you can switch between cash and miles whenever you want
* Foreign currency includes online purchases from overseas merchants
* Local spending at 2X (0.8%) is decent, earning HK$6/mile

The Traps:
* Monthly extra reward cap of DBS$240. Even if you spend HK$100,000 on foreign currency, your bonus is capped.
* Requires HK$20,000 monthly eligible spend to unlock the 2.4% rate
* Must register via DBS Card+ app to be eligible for 6X rate quarterly, if you miss the signup, you will not get the extra earning.
* High annual fee of HK$3,800

Best For: Frequent international shoppers who consistently spend HK$20k+ monthly and value the cash/miles flexibility.

Verdict: A powerful card for the right user, but the threshold and caps make it unsuitable for average spenders.

Citi PremierMiles Credit Card

The Pitch: Transferable points with a solid foreign currency bonus.

Citi PremierMiles earns ThankYou Points that convert to miles at 12 points = 1 mile (better than Citi Rewards’ 15:1 rate).

Earning Structure:

The Good:
* Points are transferable to multiple airline programs
* No caps on points earning
* Relatively straightforward structure

The Trap:
* RMB and MOP are excluded from foreign currency bonuses. If you travel to Mainland China or Macau frequently, this card is useless for those trips.
* Local earning at HK$8/mile is below average
* Requires HK$20,000 total monthly spend to unlock the 4X rate

Best For: Travellers who avoid China/Macau and want transferable points.

Verdict: A solid mid-tier option, but the RMB/MOP exclusion is a dealbreaker for many Hong Kong residents.

American Express The Platinum Card

The Pitch: Premium card with exceptional earning—if you can stomach the fee.

The AMEX Platinum earns Membership Rewards points at up to 9X through the “Accelerator” program, converting at 18 points = 1 mile.

Earning Structure:

The Good:
* HK$2/mile on three major categories is exceptional
* 9X on supermarkets and gas stations is unique—no other card does this
* 9X on travel OTAs (Agoda, Booking.com, Klook) is fantastic for trip planning
* Premium perks: lounge access, hotel status, travel insurance
* Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay all earn full rewards

The Traps:
* Annual fee of HK$9,500—not waived first year. You need to spend a lot to justify this.
* HK$15,000 quarterly cap on each 9X category. After that, rates drop significantly.
* Dining is NOT a bonus category (only 2X)
* Cash redemption is terrible (300 points = HK$1)

Best For: High-income professionals who maximize premium benefits AND consistently hit the 9X categories.

Verdict: Mathematically excellent, but the annual fee means this only makes sense for serious spenders who also value the premium perks.

Mox Credit Card (Miles Mode)

The Pitch: A free card with solid miles earning—if you have the balance.

Mox offers two modes: CashBack and Miles. In Miles Mode, you earn Asia Miles directly.

Earning Structure:

The Good:
* No annual fee—rare for a miles card
* 0% FX markup saves you 1.95% compared to other cards
* No category restrictions—everything earns the same rate
* Miles credited daily to your Cathay account

The Trap:
* Standard tier at HK$10/mile is genuinely bad. You are better off with almost any cashback card.
* Premium tier requires parking HK$250,000 at Mox, which has opportunity cost
* Locked to Asia Miles only

Best For: People who already keep HK$250k+ at Mox and want to earn miles passively.

Verdict: Great at Premium tier, skip at Standard tier. If you do not have the balance, use CashBack mode instead.

There Is No “Best” Card

Here is the truth that credit card comparison sites do not want to tell you: the best card depends entirely on your personal spending habits.

Someone who spends HK$5,000/month on transport and cafés will have a completely different optimal card than someone who spends HK$30,000/month on overseas shopping.

The thresholds matter. The caps matter. The categories you actually spend in matter.

That is why we built our comparison calculator. Instead of reading generic advice, you can input your actual monthly spending across different categories and see exactly how many miles (or dollars of cashback) each card would earn you.

Try it. You might be surprised which card comes out on top for your lifestyle.

Strategy: Pairing Cards for Maximum Miles

Advanced miles collectors do not rely on a single card. They use a card pairing strategy to maximize earnings across all categories.

Example Combo:

By using the right card for each category, you can achieve an effective rate far better than any single card could provide.

FAQ

Q: How many miles do I need for a free flight?

Here are some Asia Miles redemption examples (round-trip):

Remember: business class redemptions give you far better value per mile. A HK$7,400 economy ticket for 54,000 miles works out to HK$0.14/mile. A HK$53,000 business ticket for 176,000 miles works out to HK$0.30/mile—more than double the value.

Q: Do miles expire?

Asia Miles expire after 18 months of account inactivity. As long as you earn or redeem at least once every 18 months, they stay alive.

Q: Can I transfer miles between programs?

Generally, no. Once miles are in Asia Miles, they stay there. However, cards like HSBC EveryMile let you choose which program to transfer to before you convert.

Q: Are miles cards worth the annual fee?

Do the maths. If a HK$2,000 annual fee card earns you an extra 20,000 miles per year compared to a free card, that is HK$0.10 per mile—still a good deal if you redeem for premium travel.

You should also keep in mind that some banks will waive your annual fee if you ask for it, or if you meet certain goals (total spend, other banking relationships etc), so it’s worth to ask your bank about what’s needed for a perpetual waiver.

Also remember that almost all cards (with notable exception of AMEX) will waive the first year fee.

Methodology

This guide is based on our analysis of official bank Terms and Conditions as of January 2026. We calculated effective miles rates by converting all point multipliers into the standardized “HK$ per mile” metric. We also factored in spending thresholds, monthly caps, and category restrictions that other comparison sites often overlook.

Disclaimer: Earning rates and terms are subject to change. Always verify with the official bank website before applying.

Want personalized results? Use our miles calculator to see exactly which card is best for your spending pattern.