Most people in the United States wouldn’t think to join a frequent flyer program like Etihad Guest. Not only is it an international carrier, but it’s also not a member of any major airline alliance. That said, Etihad Guest has a plethora of partner airlines. And with a bit of know-how, some awards have better value if you book with Etihad Guest rather than with other airline programs.
See our best credit card bonuses here.
What secrets lie within Etihad Guest? Learn everything you need to know about this frequent flyer program below!
| Etihad Hubs | Abu Dhabi |
| Alliance | None |
| U.S. Destinations | Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, Washington D.C. |
| Credit Cards | No co-branded US cards |
| Redemption Options | Etihad & partner flights, upgrades, vacation packages, shopping, Reward Card, donations |
| Average Mile Value | $0.014 |
Etihad Guest Tiers & Status
Etihad generously rewards you from the moment you join Etihad Guest. Not just in miles, but in benefits too.
To move up tiers, you need to earn a certain amount of Tier Miles or Tier Segments within any rolling 12-month period.
Earn one Tier Mile for every mile you fly on Etihad Airways, Air Serbia, Air Seychelles, Alitalia and Jet Airways flight.
Tier Segments are earned according to class type:
- 1 Tier Segment per economy class flight
- 2 Tier Segments per business class flight
- 3 Tier Segments per first class flight
| Tier | Requirement |
| Silver | 25,000 Tier Miles or 20 Tier Segments |
| Gold | 50,000 Tier Miles or 40 Tier Segments |
| Platinum | 125,000 Tier Miles or 60 Tier Segments |
To maintain a status you already have, you’ll need to earn the following within 12 months from your tier upgrade month:
| Tier | Requirement |
| Silver | 20,000 Tier Miles or 15 Tier Segments |
| Gold | 40,000 Tier Miles or 30 Tier Segments |
| Platinum | 100,000 Tier Miles or 48 Tier Segments |
As you move up in status tiers, you’ll unlock more travel benefits. Notable perks include:
Silver
- 25% bonus miles on Etihad flights
- 2.5-year mile expiration
- Priority check-in
- Excess baggage allowance
- 25% discount on mileage upgrades at the airport
- Al Reem lounge access at Abu Dhabi, Belgrade & Seychelles
Gold
- All Silver benefits
- 50% bonus miles on Etihad flights
- 3-year mile expiration
- Priority boarding
- 50% discount on mileage upgrades at the airport
- Business/Premium lounge access for you + 1
- Fast track immigration & baggage
Platinum
- All Gold benefits
- 75% bonus miles on Etihad flights
- First class lounge access for you + 1
*Source: For updated information, click here for our source.
Collecting Etihad Guest Miles
With travel and retail partners, you can earn Etihad Guest miles by flying as well as everyday activities.
Etihad Flights. Of course, you’ll earn Etihad Guest miles when you fly on Etihad Airways. The amount of miles you earned for a particular flight depends on the booking class of your ticket. To see how many miles you’ll get, use the Miles Calculator.
Partner Flights. Each partner carrier has its own mileage earning rates. For more details, click here. Airline partners include:
- Aegean Airlines
- Aer Lingus
- Aerolineas Argentinas
- Air Astana
- Air Baltic
- Air Canada
- Air Europa
- Air France
- Air Malta
- Air New Zealand
- Air Serbia
- Air Europa
- Air Seychelles
- Alitalia
- American Airlines
- ANA
- Asiana Airlines
- Avianca
- Azerbaijan Airlines
- Bangkok Airways
- Belavia
- Brussels Airlines
- China Eastern
- Czech Airlines
- EgyptAir
- Flybe
- Garuda Indonesia
- GOL
- Gulf Air
- Hainan Airlines
- Hongkong Airlines
- Jet Airways
- JetBlue
- Kenya Airways
- KLM
- Korean Air
- Kulula
- Lufthansa
Etihad Guest miles can be transferred from American Express Membership Rewards®, Capital One® Rewards, Citi ThankYou® Rewards and Marriott Bonvoy.
| Rewards Program | Transfer Ratio |
| Amex Membership Rewards | 1 : 1 |
| Capital One Rewards | 2 : 1.5 |
| Citi ThankYou Rewards | 1 : 1 |
| Marriott Bonvoy | 3 : 1* |
*For every 60,000 Marriott points you transfer, you’ll get a 5,000-mile bonus.
See below for recommended ways to earn points/miles from partner’s reward programs for transferring to Etihad Guest miles.
Cars & Hotels. Collect Etihad Guest miles when you book with the frequent flyer program’s many travel partners, including Avis, Booking.com, Marriott Bonvoy, Rocketmiles and much more. For a full list along with earning rates, click here.
Shopping. Spend with any of Etihad Guest’s shopping partners and earn miles. Participating retailers include The Bicester Village Shopping Collection, Malabar Gold & Diamonds, MontBlanc, Pirelli and more. Click here for more details.
Leisure & Lifestyle. Earn miles when you spend with Etihad Guest’s entertainment and lifestyle partners, including Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, MyList, Rivoli and Warner Bros World. For more information, click here.
If you’re short of an award, you might want to consider purchasing Etihad Guest miles. They cost $0.02 each, but you can get them for cheaper if you buy them during a promotion, which tends to run twice a year.
We value each Etihad Guest mile at $0.014 each.
How did we get that number? Click here to find out.
Keep in mind, you can only purchase up to 100,000 Etihad Guest miles per calendar year and up to 60,000 miles per transaction.
Earn Etihad Guest Miles With AmEx Membership Rewards
For the American Express Membership Rewards® program, the transfer ratio is 1:1. We recommend earning membership reward points with these cobranded credit cards.
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THE PLATINUM CARD® FROM AMERICAN EXPRESS
Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.
The Platinum Card® from American Express has a special offer for 100,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $6,000 in purchases within your first 6 months.
Membership Rewards® points are some of the most valuable in the market. Redeeming these points by booking travel through American Express or by redeeming for gift cards will give you a standard 1 cent per point value. The 100k bonus points are worth $1,000 going this route.
You can potentially get more value by transferring your points to Membership Rewards travel partners. Using this strategy can get you up to an average value of 2 cents per point. Get around $2,000 in value with 100,000 points this way. Read more on this here.
With this card, earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year.
The biggest drawback to this card is the $695 annual fee (see Rates & Fees, Terms Apply), which puts it in the premium class of credit cards. The card has a market because it offers premium travel benefits, such as 5X points for flights (up to $500,000 on these purchases) and eligible hotels, access to 40+ Centurion Loung and Studio locations worldwide, up to $200 airline fee credit annually, and an annual Walmart+ membership. These benefits are given as statement credits.
For frequent travelers, the added benefits make sense in terms of value and added luxury.
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AMERICAN EXPRESS® GOLD CARD
Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.
The American Express® Gold Card has a welcome bonus for 60,000 Membership Rewards Points when you spend $4,000 within 6 months.
Membership Rewards Points have great flexibility. We value each point to be worth up to an average 2 cents per point. At this value, 60k Membership Rewards Points can be worth up to $1,200.
The Amex Gold Card has plentiful perks. You’ll get:
- Choice between Gold or Rose Gold.
- 4X points at restaurants, including takeouts and deliveries in the U.S.
- 4X points at U.S. supermarkets on up to $25,000 per year in purchases (1X thereafter)
- 3X points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com
- Up to $120 in annual dining credits (get up to $10 monthly statement credits)
- No foreign transaction fees
The annual fee is $250. See Rates & Fees, Terms Apply.
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Earn Etihad Guest Miles with Capital One Rewards
For the Capital One® Rewards program, the transfer ratio is 2:1.5. We recommend earning miles with these cobranded credit cards.
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CAPITAL ONE® VENTURE® REWARDS CREDIT CARD
The Capital One® Venture® Rewards Credit Card currently earns 100,000 bonus miles when you spend $20,000 on purchases in the first 12 months from account opening. Or if are unable to meet the $20k spending requirement, you can still earn 50,000 bonus miles for spending $3,000 in the first 3 months. These bonus miles are equal to $1000 or $500, respectively, in travel and are easy to redeem as a statement credit towards the cost of your travel purchases. Take advantage of Capital One’s travel partners and these up to 100k miles can be worth around $1400 in value.
This card will earn an ongoing 2 miles for every dollar you spend on all purchases. 100 miles is equal to $1 in travel rewards. If you don’t redeem towards travel purchases, your miles will have less value.
The annual fee is $95.
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CAPITAL ONE® VENTUREONE® REWARDS CREDIT CARD
The Capital One® VentureOne® Rewards Credit Card has an offer for 20,000 bonus miles after you spend $500 on purchases within 3 months. We value these 20k bonus miles at around $280.
This card has no annual fee. The annual fee version of this card is the Capital One® Venture® Rewards Credit Card, with better features.
The VentureOne Rewards card offers unlimited 1.25X miles on all purchases. You can redeem for statement credits for travel and gift cards. Another option is to transfer miles to airline partners. Read more on this here.
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Earn Etihad Guest Miles with Citi ThankYou Rewards
For the Citi ThankYou® Rewards program, the transfer ratio is 1:1. We recommend earning ThankYou points with these cobranded credit cards.
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CITI PREMIER® CARD
The Citi Premier® Card offers a 80,000 ThankYou Points after you make at least $4,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening. These points are worth $800 in gift cards through Citi.
This card offers 3 points for every $1 spent on travel including gas stations, 2 points for every $1 spent at restaurants and on entertainment, and 1 mile for every $1 spent on all other purchases.
The card has an annual fee of $95 that is waived for the first 12 months.
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CITI PRESTIGE® CREDIT CARD
The Citi Prestige® Card has a 50,000 bonus points offer. Spend $4,000 within 3 months of account opening to qualify. These 50k bonus points are worth $500 in travel.
For the most value out of your points, redeem for flights through Citi, where your bonus will be worth 1.33 cents per point. This is another card that competes in the premium travel category, and the annual fee will signify that at $495.
In effect, this card is only a good option for frequent travelers who can take advantage of the premium benefits : 5X points on air travel & restaurants, 3X points on hotels & cruise lines, $250 Air Travel Credit annually, and free access to 1,300+ airport lounges with Priority Pass Select. For those in this niche market, this card will provide high perceived value.
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Earn Etihad Guest Miles with Marriott Bonvoy
For the Marriott Bonvoy rewards program, the transfer ratio is 3:1. We recommend earning bonvoy points with these cobranded credit cards.
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MARRIOTT BONVOY BOUNDLESS® CREDIT CARD
The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card from Chase has an offer for 3 Free Nights after spending $3,000 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening.
New to the card, you will earn 3x Bonvoy points on the first $6,000 spent in combined purchases each year on grocery stores, gas stations, and dining. The card is also offering an Elite Night Credit towards Elite Status for every $5,000 spent.
The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card earns 17 points for every $1 spent at over 7,000+ participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels. You’ll receive 2 points per $1 spent on all other purchases.
You’ll get a Free Night Award (valued up to 35,000 points) every account anniversary year and automatic Silver Elite Status. Additionally, you’ll receive 15 Elite Night Credits each calendar year.
This card has no foreign transaction fees and the annual fee is $95.
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MARRIOTT BONVOY BOLD® CREDIT CARD
The Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card has an offer for 30,000 bonus points when you spend $1,000 within the first 3 months. We value these 30k points at around $270.
This card earns 14 points per $1 at participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels. Other travel purchases (from airfare to taxis and trains) will earn 2 points per $1. All other purchases will earn 1 point per $1.
You’ll receive 15 Elite Night Credits each calendar year, qualifying you for Silver Elite status.
There are no foreign transaction fees and no annual fee.
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Spending Etihad Guest Miles
Etihad Guest miles do expire, even if you regularly collect or spend them. So don’t rack them up unless you have a plan on how to use them.
The lifetime of your miles depends on your status:
| Tier | Miles Term |
| No status | 2 years |
| Silver | 2.5 years |
| Gold and Platinum | 3 years |
Etihad Guest does not publish an award chart. To determine how many miles you’ll need for a specific award flight, input your trip details into the Miles Calculator.
There are two types of award seats to choose from: GuestSeat or OpenSeat. GuestSeats are booked using Etihad Guest miles in specific booking classes. There are a limited amount of these seats for each flight. When GuestSeats are no longer available, you can book on any available class using your miles. These are called OpenSeats and are usually much more expensive than GuestSeats.
If you’re short of an award seat, you can purchase up to 25% of the miles you need. When searching for an award, choose Miles Plus Cash and use the slider to see your options in miles and cash.
Etihad Guest offers better Miles Plus Cash value than most major airlines. While other carriers sell miles at around $0.017 to $0.025 per mile, you can buy Etihad Guest miles for as little as $0.009 each.
You can also use your Etihad Guest miles for partner awards. Each partner carrier has its own award chart. Partner awards must be booked at least 14 days in advance by calling the Guest Services Center. For more details, click here.
Upgrades. Upgrade one cabin of service on paid Etihad flights. In general, we don’t recommend this option as it holds poor value. The prices are not much less than award tickets.
Etihad Holidays. Choose your destination – from relaxing retreats to exciting adventures, and turn your miles into a dream vacation.
Shopping. Treat yourself with the Etihad Guest Reward Shop, featuring over 3,500 of the latest products by leading brands in fashion, electronics and gifts.
Donate your miles. Make your rewards go further for someone else. Donate as little as 100 miles to charity and make a difference.
*For every 60,000 Marriott points you transfer, you’ll get a 5,000-mile bonus.
Etihad Guest Sweet Spots
| Flight Details | Class | Miles Required |
| Short-haul flights to/from Belgrade (BEG) – One Way | Economy | 5,000 |
| Short-haul flights to/from Belgrade (BEG) – One Way | Business | 7,125 |
| New York (JFK) to Belgrade (BEG) – One Way | Business | 64,082 |
| Flight Details | Class | Miles Required |
| Seattle (SEA) to Tokyo (NRT/HND) – One Way | Business | 54,000 |
| California (LAX/SFO/SJC) to Tokyo (NRT/HND) – One Way | Business | 63,000 |
Book American Airlines flights with your Etihad Guest miles because you’ll get the better AAdvantage rates before they devalued their award chart in 2016. Below is a comparison between Etihad and American mileage pricing for a few business class options from the United States:
| Region | Etihad Miles | American Miles |
| Asia 1 | 50,000 | 60,000 |
| Asia 2 | 55,000 | 70,000 |
| Europe | 50,000 | 57,500 |
| South Pacific | 62,500 | 80,000 |
| Hawaii | 37,500 | 55,000 |
| Flight Details | Class | Miles Required |
| West Coast (LAX/SFO) to Seoul (ICN) – One Way | Business | 59,000 |
| Flight Details | Class | Miles Required |
| Within Thailand – One Way | Economy | 5,000 |
| Within Thailand – One Way | Business | 7,500 |
Because the flights are so short, flying economy is the way to go. Especially since you’ll get complimentary lounge access as an economy passenger.
| Flight Details | Class | Miles Required |
| New York (JFK)/Toronto (YYZ)/Washington Dulles (IAD) to Brussels (BRU) – One Way | Economy | 27,000 |
| New York (JFK)/Toronto (YYZ)/Washington Dulles (IAD) to Brussels (BRU) – One Way | Business | 44,000 |
| Flight Details | Class | Miles Required |
| Prague (PRG) to Seoul (ICN) – One Way | Economy | 25,610 |
| Flight Details | Class | Miles Required |
| Less than 500 flight miles | Economy | 3,000 |
| 501 – 1,000 flight miles | Economy | 6,000 |
| 1,001 – 1,500 flight miles | Economy | 9,000 |
| Flight Details | Class | Miles Required |
| Muscat (MCT) to Bangkok (BKK) – One Way | Business | 34,000 |
| Muscat (MCT) to Milan (MXP)/Munich (MUC)/London (LHR) – One Way | Business | 44,000 |
| Muscat (MCT) to Manila (MNL) – One Way | Business | 51,000 |
| Flight Details | Class | Miles Required |
| JFK/IAD/MIA to Casablanca (CMN) to Doha (DOH) – One Way | Economy | 22,000 |
| JFK/IAD/MIA to Casablanca (CMN) to Doha (DOH) – One Way | Business | 44,000 |
| Flight Details | Class | Miles Required |
| Colombo (CMB) to Maldives – One Way | Economy | 5,000 |
| Colombo (CMB) to Middle East – One Way | Economy | 16,000 |
| Colombo (CMB) to Tokyo (NRT) | Economy | 30,000 |
| Colombo (CMB) to Beijing (PEK) – One Way | Business | 46,000 |
| Flight Details | Class | Miles Required |
| Short-haul flights – One Way | Economy | 6,900 |
| Short-haul flights – One Way | Business | 13,800 |
| Adelaide (ADL)/Brisbane (BNE)/Melbourne (MEL) or Sydney (SYD) to Bali (DPS) – One Way | Business | 33,800 |
*We independently collected information from public sources to form our sweet spots. This information is subject to change without notice.
Etihad Guest Tips & Tricks
Want to travel with an infant? Etihad Guest makes it pretty cheap to include the little one on your award. It’s just 10% of the award rate to book your infant.
Pool your Etihad Guest miles with family members, so you can enjoy more rewards, faster, together. Each member can spend the miles they accrue, or the “head” of the family can redeem them as they choose. A maximum of nine members can participate in one Family Membership.
BusinessConnect is a free loyalty program for small- and medium-sized companies. You’ll get to earn miles for a business account while your employees get to earn Etihad Guest miles in their personal account. Enroll now and get a 5,000-mile bonus.
Bottom Line
Although Etihad Guest is not part of Oneworld, SkyTeam or Star Alliance, the frequent flyer program has a bunch of airline partners with plenty of sweet spots to take advantage of.
With transfers from Amex Membership Rewards, Capital One Rewards, Citi ThankYou Rewards and Marriott Bonvoy available, you’ll be well on your way towards a free ticket to pretty much anywhere in the world.
READ MORE: SEE THE BEST BANK BONUSES HERE AND THE BEST INVESTING BONUSES HERE.
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