The Different Ways To Earn Etihad Guest Miles

Etihad Guest is the loyalty program of Etihad Airways. Like most loyalty programs, this allows travelers to collect miles and use them for free flights (or for upgrades and in other ways). It also offers frequent travelers the chance to earn elite status, bringing benefits when traveling.

With Etihad Guest, miles can be earned in several ways. Flights are the main earning route, of course. Miles can be earned from Etihad Airways and a long list of partner airlines (even though Etihad is not a member of the main airline alliances).

Miles can also be earned from co-branded credit cards in the Middle East region, from global hotel and car hire, and from some retailers.

Earn miles when flying with Etihad Airways

Miles, known as Etihad Guest Miles, can be earned on all flights with Etihad Airways. They are awarded based on the flight distance and the fare class or type. Etihad Guest has not moved to a revenue-based earning system as many other airlines have (in these cases, points or miles are awarded based just on the fare paid, generally resulting in a less rewarding system).

Etihad Guest Miles are awarded as follows:

These fare types will be shown when booking flights, along with the total miles that will be earned from a booking. The example below is for a simple Abu Dhabi to London economy flight.

Photo: Etihad Airways

Related

Explained: Etihad Airways’ Different Economy Class Fare Types

Exploring different Economy Class fare types on this Middle Eastern giant.

There are also bonuses on top of these earnings for Etihad Guest silver and higher elite members, as follows:

• Silver members earn a 25% bonus
• Gold members earn a 50% bonus
• Platinum members earn a 75% bonus

Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying

Earn miles when flying with partner airlines

Although the airline is not a member of any of the main airline alliances, there are partnerships with 23 airlines. Etihad Guest Miles can be earned with all these airlines.

• Air Canada
• Air Serbia
• Air Europa
• Air France
• Air New Zealand
• All Nippon Airways
• American Airlines
• Asiana Airlines
• Brussels Airlines
• El Al
• Garuda Indonesia
• Gulf Air
• Hainan Airlines
• JetBlue
• KLM
• Korean Air
• Malaysia Airlines
• Oman Air
• Royal Air Maroc
• Saudia
• Scandinavian Airlines
• SriLankan Airlines
• Virgin Australia

Photo: Kittikun Yoksap | Shutterstock

Miles are awarded based on the flight distance and booking code—in the same way that they are for Etihad Airways flights. Etihad Guest publishes tables for each partner airline showing the earnings rate.

These can range from 20% (or zero in some cases) for discount economy up to 250% in full-fare first class.

The tables below show examples of earnings rates for several partner airlines.

Earn miles from credit card spending

Earning points or miles through credit card spending is increasingly popular with many loyalty programs. Etihad Guest is no exception and has co-branded credit cards on offer with several providers in several markets.

However, there is no US-based or European-based credit card provider.

Card options from the UAE or other regional banks include:

• Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank
• First Abu Dhabi Bank
• First Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank
• SBI
• Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank
• ADCB Islamic Banking
• Al Hilal Bank
• Emirates Islamic Bank
• Emirates NBD Bank

Photo: Etihad Airways

Most of these providers offer a range of cards with different fees and earnings rates. The standard card usually earns around one Etihad Guest Mile for every AED4 spent, with the premium card increasing this to around three Etihad Guest Miles for every AED4 spent.

In other markets, you can earn points from different credit cards and transfer them to Etihad Guest. This opens up many more credit card earning options. Etihad Guest is a transfer partner of American Express, Citi, Capital One, and Marriott Bonvoy—these programs all transfer in at a 1:1 ratio, except for Marriott Bonvoy at 3:1.

Earn miles through hotels and car hire

Miles can be earned from hotel stays and car hire providers in several ways, allowing to earn miles when you travel. These are not generally large sources of earnings but help when combined with other earnings.

Etihad Guest offers a hotel booking platform through its Etihad Holidays program. This allows you to earn miles when booking with a range of hotels globally (you can also book full packages this way).

Options include both chain hotels and independent hotels. However, when you book in this way, you won’t earn additional points in any hotel loyalty program.

For a much wider choice of hotels, miles can also be earned through bookings with major online travel agents. This includes:

• Booking.com – between 3 and 6 Etihad Guest Miles for every USD 1 spent.
• Agoda – earning variable and based on rate
• Rocketmiles – 500–10,000 Etihad Guest miles every night, based on rate

Alternatively, there are partnerships with many hotel chains, allowing you to earn points on stays. This is usually instead of earning points in the hotel’s own loyalty program, but you will usually be entitled to any status benefits you have when earning this way.

Earnings are either fixed per night or stay or based on the total spend. Hotel earning options include:

• IHG One Rewards: 500 miles per stay.
• Hyatt Hotels 500 miles per stay.
• Accor Live Limitless: From one mile for every four Euros spent up to 1.25 miles for every Euro spent, depending on the brand.
• Marriott Bonvoy: One or two miles per USD spent, depending on brand.

Photo: Etihad Airways

For car hire, there are partnerships with Avis and Budget, and earnings are as follows. There is also a 5,000-mile bonus on your first rental.

• Bronze members: three miles per USD spent (3.75 when using a co-branded credit card).
• Silver members: three miles per USD spent (3.75 when using a co-branded credit card).
• Gold members: four miles per USD spent (five when using a co-branded credit card).
• Platinum members: five miles per USD spent (7.5 when using a co-branded credit card).

Photo: Etihad Airways

Earn miles from retail spending

Miles can also be earned from a limited range of retailers. Unlike many loyalty programs, Etihad Guest does not offer a shopping portal. Instead, it has partnerships with some retailers in the UAE and with the Bicester Collection in Europe. You simply present Etihad Guest membership details when making a purchase to earn miles based on the total spent.

Photo: Etihad Airways