Points Redemption Across Airline’s Alliance (Cathay & Qatar)

❝ Winter is coming ❞

Nights grow longer, winds growing stronger… So I decided to look for a destination that is warm (not hot)… and of course, relatively cheap.

Then it hit me, why not try to go Southeast Asia, and then home? Cheaper because… well… accommodation is free. Just stay with parents.

Plus its nearing December, so relatively cooler.

jump to QR redemption via CX ↗️

Planning the Trip

FRA is quite far from where I live. Despite not being the capital, it is one of the hubs in Europe. So most airline are flying there. It is also not my first choice of airport, but if I want to travel far cheaply*, then I need to go to Frankfurt first.

The good thing is that there was an ongoing Spontaneous Escapes by Singapore Airlines, which gives upto 30% discount on award flights. Downside is, FRA-SIN route is almost always only in economy. But who cares. It felt like A380 are more comfortable than B777. But that’s probably just my bias.

And of course I need to plan for my return trip. Since I will most probably be carrying heavier stuff on return, it would be far more convenient if I fly nearer (rather than to FRA). The good thing is: there was an ongoing 10% Bonus Miles for Cathay Pacific during that planning period. So that increases my options for return.

*by paying only taxes

Booking the Trip

First, deciding the timing. Because there will be blackout dates. As mentioned in here, when redeeming, it is highly suggested to be as flexible as you could be ↗️

Then the length of stay. I have to factor in the obvious:

• Remaining vacation
• Work schedule
• Other plans

With that, I have to find a return, and not to Frankfurt. So… search in Singapore Airline’s website for Star Alliance partners, and Other Airline partners… which unfortunately… no results.

⚠️ Its just a sample return. Its not necessarily to Hamburg that I’m looking for exactly

And then I remembered…

💡 Cathay Pacific is oneworld member

💡 Qatar Airways is also a oneworld member

∴ Qatar redemption would actually be possible via Cathay Pacific.. so why not check it out?

Cathay Pacific Redemption of Qatar Flight

First thing’s first… check availability..

Tada!!! Luckily there was an available flight ±7days on my desired dates.

Next is knowing the seat configuration of the available flights. This can be done via the partner’s website.

Why check seat config? Because I personally prefer to have the 1-2-1 seat rather than the 2-2-2 seat, and Qatar offers QSuite on selected flights, for the same amount of miles. So why not maximize comfort for the same price, right?

Also, MNL-DOH leg is always B777 (at least that’s what I have seen)

Determining this right away from Cathay’s website is not possible since it jumps directly to the payment page instead of offering seat selection.

I normally would just look for this “Tag”, and compare all those according to the length of layover. Then select the shortest. In this example, it was the shortest. Well, actually it was the only offered 😂

Once I have this confirmed, I went back to Cathay’s website, select the correct flight (code and time), and proceed with the booking.

Once paid, I got the ticket by email.

But seats…. right?

That is easily manageable via Qatar’s website. And for free*

*I have read some posts over the internet that Qatar started charging fee for seat selection if award tickets. I’m not so sure about that since it was free when I selected

And….

⚠️ No I didn’t select 6B. This is just an example

So its fairly easy. But it may not always be the case. The partner airline may not offer that possibility as I have experienced in a different booking. But that will be for another story.

All in all, including my Singapore Airline flight (and train to Frankfurt), the trip cost me roughly 300 € only, whereas it will cost me around 900 € for Qatar Airways and Economy cabin if cash.

Is it worth it? For my mental health, yes 😂