Three routes caught my eye this week, and one of them is a genuine unicorn. London to Hong Kong First Class at off-peak rates, GarudaMiles going on a rare 50% discount sale, and a wall of Cathay Pacific availability opening up across the Pacific and into Europe - all at the same time. That doesn't happen often.

There are also 6 transfer bonuses active right now, with several expiring in the next few days. If you've been sitting on Citi ThankYou Points, you have until April 18 to move them at a 30% bonus to Virgin Atlantic or 25% to Avianca. Don't sleep on this.

This week's deals are heavily focused on one of the world's great aviation hubs. Here's your question:

Cathay Pacific is the flag carrier of Hong Kong. Which frequent flyer program do you use to book Cathay Pacific award flights at off-peak rates?

The answer is at the bottom of today's newsletter... keep scrolling!

LHR to HKG on Cathay Pacific - First Class

Just 150,000 Asia Miles one-way at off-peak pricing (standard peak rate: 210,000 points)

Available: May 17 (Sunday)

Availability: Low - move fast on this one

Why it's special: Cathay Pacific First Class is one of the most coveted hard products in the sky - a private suite, full lie-flat bed, and some of the best catering at 35,000 feet. Award space in First is genuinely rare, and this off-peak rate saves you 60,000 points versus peak pricing. That's a huge deal.

Transfer bonus angle: Capital One Miles transfer to JAL Mileage Bank at a 30% bonus until April 30 - JAL miles can be used to book Oneworld partners including Cathay. Worth exploring if you have a stack of Capital One miles sitting around.

How to book: Search on the Cathay Pacific website using Asia Miles, or check JAL's award booking portal for Oneworld partner availability. Availability is low so search early in the day when seats tend to refresh.

Cathay Pacific has opened up a serious wall of off-peak award space out of Hong Kong this month. Here are the standout economy options - all at off-peak rates.

HKG to FRA (Frankfurt) - 45,000 points - Availability: HIGH - May 15, 16, 17, 18, 19

HKG to LHR (London) - 45,000 points - Availability: Medium - May 17, 18, 19, 25, 26

HKG to CDG (Paris) - 45,000 points - Availability: Low - May 19, 26, 27

HKG to JFK (New York) - 40,000 points - Availability: HIGH - May 15, 16, 17, 18, 19

HKG to LAX (Los Angeles) - 40,000 points - Availability: HIGH - May 15, 16, 17, 18, 19

HKG to SFO (San Francisco) - 40,000 points - Availability: HIGH - May 15, 16, 17, 18, 19

HKG to YVR (Vancouver) - 40,000 points - Availability: HIGH - May 15, 20, 21, 22, 24

Good news if you're flying the other direction - availability is solid on the westbound routes too.

LAX to HKG (Hong Kong) - 40,000 points - Availability: Low - May 15, 16, 17

YVR to HKG (Hong Kong) - 40,000 points - Availability: HIGH - May 15, 17, 18, 19, 20

Vancouver to Hong Kong in particular is a sweet spot right now - five days of availability with high seats. If a trip to Asia is on your radar, this is worth jumping on.

European travellers heading to Hong Kong have solid choices across multiple departure cities.

LHR to HKG (Hong Kong) - 45,000 points - Availability: HIGH - May 15, 16, 17, 18, 19

FRA to HKG (Hong Kong) - 45,000 points - Availability: HIGH - May 15, 16, 17, 18, 19

UK-based readers should also check out Smart With Points for Avios-specific angles on these routes - they had a solid breakdown of Cathay redemptions via British Airways Executive Club recently.

Two standout hotel redemptions to tease before we get into the full list behind the paywall. These two are genuinely exceptional value.

Hyatt Place Kyoto (Kyoto, Japan) - World of Hyatt - ~9,500 points/night - Value: 5.4 cents per point. This is one of the best hotel redemptions in the entire Hyatt portfolio. Kyoto is extraordinary in May, and under 10k points per night is just absurd value.

Andaz 5th Avenue (New York, NY) - World of Hyatt - ~35,000 points/night - Value: 4.8 cents per point. A Midtown Manhattan luxury hotel for 35k points is consistently one of the sharpest redemptions in the US.

The full hotel list - including Marriott, Hilton, IHG, and all Hyatt properties - is in the premium section below.

Top hotel award values this week:

Unlock 10+ more hotel redemptions across all major programs with Premium.