Neo Cathay World Elite® Mastercard®

Neo World Elite® Mastercard – Gas & Grocery

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Neo Cathay World Elite® Mastercard® vs Neo World Elite® Mastercard – Gas & Grocery

Which one is better? Both cards worked out on the same spending: rewards, welcome bonus, fees and perks, line by line.

4.2

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Finly rebate

$100

4.6

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Welcome bonus

Each offer as the issuer words it. The numbers below show whether your spending reaches it.

The offer

Get a welcome bonus of up to 35,000 Asia Miles
Initial 15,000 Asia Miles are issued upon activation and first transaction and must be completed within 3 months from application approval date.
To earn the additional 20,000 Asia Miles a minimum spend of $5,000 net of refunds must be completed within 3 months from application start date.

What each card is worth

Rewards, the welcome bonus and any Finly rebate in, the annual fee and FX fees out, all on your spending.

Worked out on a typical $2,000 a month of spending. Enter yours to see your own numbers.

$647

First-year value

$625

$157

Every year after

$376

Cathay World Elite is worth $22 more to you in year one.

From year two, Neo World Elite® Mastercard – Gas & Grocery pulls ahead by $219 a year.

How the first year adds up

Annual rewards

$337.18

24,084 points a year

Welcome bonus

+ $490

first year only

Annual fee

− $180

First-year value

$647.18

1.4¢ a pointAsia Miles, redeemed for Flights

Annual rewards

$525.48

cash back a year

Welcome bonus

+ $0

no welcome offer

Annual fee

$149− $0

$149 from year two

Finly rebate

+ $100

paid by FinlyWealth

First-year value

$625.48

Where each card earns

A year of your spending at each card's own reward rates, most first.

4xCathay Pacific

144 pts

$2.02

1xAll other purchases

23,940 pts

$335.16

5%Groceries

$212.85

4%Recurring Transactions

$96

3%Gas

$64.8

1%All other purchases

$151.83

Fees, rates and eligibility

What each card costs to hold and to use abroad, and who it's for.

$180

Annual fee

$149

$0 the first year

$49 (max 1 additional cardholder)

Additional cards

$49 (max 1 additional cardholder)

Interest rates

Purchase:

19.99% - 26.99%¹

Cash Advance:

22.99% - 28.99%¹

¹ The Purchase Credit Rate on the Cathay World Elite® Mastercard® is (19.99%-26.99%) and the Cash Advance Rate is (22.99%-28.99%). The standard rate on Purchases and Cash Advances is dependent on our assessment of your credit application, credit profile, and your province. See your Cardholder Disclosure at time of application for your specific rate.

Purchase:

19.99% - 26.99%

Cash Advance:

22.99% - 28.99%

Balance Transfer:

22.99% - 31.99%

Recommended credit score

300

Poor

560

Fair

660⁎

Good

725⁎

Very Good

760⁎

Excellent

⁎Estimates based on Equifax scoring

300

Poor

560

Fair

660⁎

Good

725⁎

Very Good

760⁎

Excellent

⁎Estimates based on Equifax scoring

Income required

Min Personal Income:

$80,000

Min Household Income:

$150,000

Min Personal Income:

$80,000

Min Household Income:

$150,000

How each card earns

The earn rates and caps, as each issuer sets them.

Earn 4x Asia Miles per $1 spent on Cathay Pacific flights
Earn 2x Asia Miles per $1 spent on purchases made in foreign currencies
Earn 1x Asia Miles per $1 spent in Canada
Earn an average of 5x the Asia Miles when you spend at thousands of Neo partners nationwide

5% cash back on grocery purchases up to $1,000 spending per month
4% cash back on recurring purchases up to $500 spending per month
3% cash back on gas purchases up to $1,000 spending per month
1% cash back on all other purchases with no spending caps
Up to 15% boosted cashback at thousands of partners across Canada - on top of base cashback rates

Points and how we value them

Points become dollars at each card's best redemption. Here's the value we used, and every other way to spend them.

Loyalty program

Asia Miles

We count each point at 1.4¢ a point, what it's worth redeemed for Flights, its best value. Every dollar figure above uses that value.

Cash back: every dollar it earns counts as a dollar, so there's nothing to convert.

Point redemption options

Most Optimal

Flights

1.4¢ / point

Transfer to Hotel Partners

1¢ / point

Car Rentals

0.95¢ / point

Merchandise

0.6¢ / point

Charity

0.58¢ / point

Nothing to redeem: it pays cash back.

Insurance and perks

What both cards include comes first in each list.

Insurance

Lost or Stolen Baggage

$1,000

Baggage Delay

$1,000 after 4 hours

Car Rental Damage & Theft

48 days

Car Rental Accident

$100K for Cardholder, $10K spouse and child

Extended Warranty

1 year

Purchase Protection

90 days

Hotel Burglary Insurance

$1,000

Travel Medical Insurance (64 & under)

14 days

Car Rental Personal Effects

$1,000/person, $2,000 combined

Trip Cancellation

$5,000

Trip Interruption

$5,000

Flight Delay

$250/day, $500 Maximum

Lost or Stolen Baggage

$1,000

Baggage Delay

$1,000

Car Rental Damage & Theft

Yes

Car Rental Accident

$100,000 for cardholder, up to $10,000 per Spouse or Dependent Child

Extended Warranty

1 year

Purchase Protection

90 days

Hotel Burglary Insurance

$1,000

Travel Medical Insurance (64 & under)

Up to $1,000,000

Car Rental Personal Effects

$1,000

Trip Cancellation

$1,000

Trip Interruption

$1,000

Flight Delay

$500

Mastercard Zero Liability Protection

Yes

Perks

Airport Lounge - Dragon Pass

DragonPass only. No Complimentary visits!

Boingo Wi-Fi hotspot

Discount

Save up to 15% off on flights to Asia and beyond when you pay with your Cathay World Elite Mastercard and enter the discount code CXNEO15OFF (valid until Dec 31, 2025)

Priority Travel

Online priority check-in and extra baggage redemption for Cathay Pacific, and Cathay Pacific Business class lounge redemption access

Priority Travel

Airport Security Fast Track with and professional and punctual airport with Mastercard benefits

Airport Lounge - Dragon Pass

Pass only - pay $32 USD per visit

World Mastercard Benefits

Including discounting with participating partners and DragonPass airport lounge access.

Our take

Why we like it

The Cathay World Elite Mastercard is a top choice for frequent travelers to Asia, offering up to 35,000 bonus Asia Miles, high earn rates at Neo retail partners, and exclusive Cathay Pacific benefits like priority check-in and lounge access. With 12 types of insurance coverage, airport lounge access through DragonPass, and the ability to earn up to 15 miles per dollar spent at select partners, this card provides substantial value for those who regularly fly with Cathay Pacific and its partners. However, the card does require a higher income and comes with a $180 annual fee.

This card offers some of the highest cash back rates in Canada for gas, groceries, and recurring purchases, which is pretty hard to beat. While the cash back rates are very high, you need to mind the spend caps set for each category to see if your earning potential is really that high compared to most other credit cards. However, if you're the average person whose spending is generally below $12k per year in groceries, $6k per year in recurring bills and $12k per year in gas, then you'll be doing pretty well, especially with the great insurance and benefit offers.