Cathay joins forces with Shinsegae Duty Free for partnership expansion in Korea

Cathay has announced that it has become the first foreign airline to sign a business agreement with Shinsegae Duty Free. The partnership will enable Cathay members across the world to earn Asia Miles when making a purchase at Shinsegae Duty Free, starting from February 2024.

The signing ceremony, which took place on 19 December 2023 at the Westin Chosun Hotel in Seoul, was attended by Paul Smitton, Cathay Director Customer Lifestyle and CEO of Asia Miles, Donald Morris, Country Manager Korea, and Shin Yeol Yoo, CEO of Shinsegae DF.

The collaboration with Shinsegae Duty Free, one of the top three duty-free shops in Korea, will reinforce Cathay as a premium travel lifestyle brand. This follows the launch of the master brand ‘Cathay’ globally in September this year, representing our evolution into a premium travel lifestyle brand comprising complementary categories such as flights, holidays, shopping, wellness, dining and payment. Asia Miles is the currency for earning and redeeming miles across these categories.

With the agreement, Cathay members can earn 1 Asia Mile for every KRW1,000 spent on duty-free purchases at Shinsegae Duty Free, with an additional 250 Asia Miles for purchases of KRW300,000 or more. Miles earned can also be used to redeem rewards and experiences at any of Cathay’s 800 travel and lifestyle partners worldwide.

Cathay members can also receive special discounts, including an e-voucher with a shopping allowance and various coupons to spend at Shinsegae Duty Free, worth around KRW340,000. Shinsegae Duty Free prepaid cards can be purchased at Cathay’s online shop using Asia Miles. All passengers travelling to Korea on Cathay Pacific will receive a separate e-voucher with a shopping allowance for Shinsegae Duty Free.

Cathay and Shinsegae Duty Free will continue to discuss further partnerships to expand the ecosystems they have built, including two-way conversions.

Paul Smitton, Cathay Director Customer Lifestyle and CEO of Asia Miles, who attended the signing ceremony, said: “We are delighted to partner with Shinsegae Duty Free to provide our members with more ways to earn and use Asia Miles in Korea. We launched our new premium travel lifestyle brand, Cathay, which aims to bring our passion for travel into our daily lives. With this new collaboration we look forward to bringing our members more exciting offers and unmissable rewards in Korea”