Business Plus
Business Plus FAQ
About Business Plus
- How does Business Plus work?
Business Plus is a programme to reward businesses for flying on Cathay Pacific for their business travel. It has a 12-month contract period during which business travel to earn points and unlock rewards and status privileges. The programme is renewed every 12 months at which Business Plus points are reset to zero.
- What happens after the 12-month contract period?
Your clients’ Business Plus contract will be renewed automatically after 12 months and their company’s Business Plus points will be reset to 0 on the day of renewal, to start accrual and to unlock rewards and status privileges in the new contract year. - How will it affect existing Marco Polo Club accounts?
There will be no changes to existing Marco Polo Club memberships. Members will still be able to accrue club points for their Marco Polo Club accounts.
- How are Business Plus points different from Marco Polo Club points?
Business Plus points are awarded to the company registered under Business Plus, while Marco Polo Club points are awarded to the individual traveller who is a Marco Polo Club member. For a MPO Club member travelling under Business Plus programme, he or she will still get own MPO Club points and the company will get the Business Plus points.
- Will it be easier for companies to earn rewards with Business Plus?
Travel rewards are earned by accruing Business Plus points, which are based on a mixture of cabin class, fare class and distance travelled. If your clients often purchase tickets of higher fare classes, it will generally be easier to earn rewards.
- What is required to sign up for a new Business Plus account?
- A valid business registration in Hong Kong or Macau
- A designated authorised company representative to act on behalf of the company in matters related to Business Plus programme
- No other existing corporate travel agreements (i.e. any customised corporate travel deals) with Cathay Pacific
- Not a travel agent, a consolidator or a ticket brokerage firm
- Are travel agents, consolidators and ticket brokerage firms eligible to enroll in the Business Plus programme?
As per the Business Plus programme Terms & Conditions, travel agents, consolidators and ticket brokerage firms are not eligible for enrollment. Such practices are considered as abuse. To maintain integrity of the programme, a tracking mechanism has been put in place to prevent abuse by travel agents.
Should any cases of abuse be identified, Cathay Pacific reserves the right to:- Deduct the applicable amount of Business Plus points from the relevant Business Plus account and/or
- Withdraw or suspend Business Plus rewards (such as lounge passes, flight upgrades, etc.) that have already been awarded to Business Plus accounts without prior notice and/or
- Terminate the relevant Business Plus account without prior notice and/or
- Debit used discount vouchers through Agency Debit Memo and/or
- Any other applicable corrective measures
- Are there any restrictions on travel agents who can issue tickets for Business Plus clients?
The requirements for travel agents who can issue tickets through GDS for Business Plus clients remain unchanged. The tickets must be issued by a travel agent who is:Based in Hong Kong or Macau and
A BSP (Billing and Settlement Plan) travel agent
A maximum of 3 agents who fulfill the above requirements can be appointed to each account.
To maintain integrity of the programme, there will be tracking mechanisms put in place to identify bookings made by agents that do not comply with the above requirements. Such cases will be treated as programme abuse.
Should any cases of abuse be identified, Cathay Pacific reserves the right to:
Deduct the applicable amount of Business Plus points from the relevant Business Plus account and/or
Withdraw or suspend Business Plus rewards (such as lounge passes, flight upgrades, etc.) that have already been awarded to Business Plus accounts without prior notice and/or
Terminate the relevant Business Plus account without prior notice and/or
Debit used discount vouchers through Agency Debit Memo and/or
Any other applicable corrective measures
For Travel Agents
- Will I still be able to make flight bookings and issue tickets through my GDS for my clients?
Yes, the Business Plus programme is travel agent friendly and if you meet the eligibility requirements, you will still be able to make bookings and issue tickets for your Business Plus clients through GDS. Please refer to below for handling procedures. - Can I manage my client's rewards via the portal?
Yes. If your Business Plus clients have assigned you as a Travel Agent for their account, you will be able to log in and manage their flight upgrade and Business Class Lounge invitation rewards on their behalf. - What is the benefit for travel agents?
We offer a range of benefits and rewards to both the companies and the business travellers, who will be more incentivized to travel with Cathay Pacific. This will lead to increased business opportunities for travel agents as well. - Will the agency referral programme still be available for Business Plus?
The agency referral programme is currently under review and more information will be provided once available.New Handling Procedures
- How do I find out my clients' new B-Code?
If your Business Plus clients have assigned you as the ticketing agent, Business Plus system will send you a ticketing guideline where you can find the clients’ B-Code.
You can also view your clients’ B-Code in the Business Plus Portal, under the ‘Profile’ section shown at the top of the homepage.
Business Plus points will only be accrued for your client if the B-Code is entered in BOTH the booking SSR/OSI AND the ticket Form of Payment/Endorsement (depending on your GDS).
Please refer to below for instructions on how to input the B-Code through your GDS.
- What happens if the B-Code is missing from or incorrectly entered in my clients' booking?
Your clients will not be able to earn Business Plus points and manage the rewards for the travels.
The B-Code is to be entered in the SSR/OSI of your clients’ booking. You can manually correct or add back the B-Code. If it is missing or incorrectly entered into the ticket, please contact Cathay Pacific agency support team. There will be a $250 handling fee to change the ticket.
- How will discount vouchers be handled under Business Plus?
As one of the rewards offered by Business Plus, discount vouchers can only be used on travel agent bookings. The ticket issuance process is the same as before. Your clients will be able to assign discount vouchers to you through the Business Plus portal. Once you receive the email containing applicable discount voucher numbers, you can make bookings and input the numbers as part of the payment.