18 Best Ways To Earn Lots of Etihad Airways Guest Programme Miles [2018]

BY 

Jennifer Koebele

- March 12, 2017May 26, 2018

1. Earn Points  / 
2. Earn Airline Points

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Since its first flight took off in November 2003, Etihad Airways has developed a reputation as a leading airline, recently winning Air Transport World’s 2016 Airline of the Year.

Known for its modern new-generation fleets, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates serves 68 countries around the world. In the U.S., Etihad Airways serves airports in Chicago, Dallas, New York, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C.

Members can earn miles in the Etihad Guest Programme by utilizing credit cards and a variety of other strategies. Keep reading to learn about maximizing miles to redeem Etihad Guest Programme rewards as quickly as possible!

Etihad Guest Programme

1. Enroll and Earn Etihad Guest Miles

Sign up online for the free Etihad Guest Programme, which is open to residents of any country at least 2 years of age. You can also enroll at check-in or fill out a form in one of the Etihad Airways lounges.

Once the first activity posts to your account, you will receive 500 bonus miles.

2. Fly Etihad Airways

As an Etihad Guest Programme member, the easiest way to earn miles is by booking flights on Etihad Airways. The table below shows the earning ratio for each fare class:

Want to know exactly how many miles you can earn on any flight? Use the Etihad Airways mileage calculator!

3. Elite Status Tiers

Like many airline loyalty programs, Etihad Guest Miles can be redeemed for awards. Tier Miles and Tier Segments, on the other hand, determine your elite status based on the following earning rate:

Members begin at the Etihad Guest tier and move through the premium tiers (Silver, Gold, and Platinum) during a 12-month rolling qualification period. Each premium tier provides bonus miles which can be redeemed for Etihad Rewards.

See a complete list of benefits associated with each premium tier here.

To contact the Etihad Guest Services Centre, use one of the following email addresses depending on your tier: guest@etihadguest.com, guestsilver@etihadguest.com, guestgold@etihadguest.com, and guestplatinum@etihadguest.com.

Earning Etihad Guest Miles With Credit Cards

4. American Express Membership Rewards

Convert American Express Membership Rewards points to Etihad Guest Miles at a 1:1 ratio. That means you can earn Membership Rewards points with an American Express credit card and move them to your Etihad Guest Programme account.

To make the transfer, log into your Membership Rewards account and select Etihad Guest under the drop-down menu of participating airline partners. It takes a minimum of 3 business days for the transfer to be completed.

Recommended Amex Cards (Personal)

CREDIT CARD	BENEFITS & INFO
The Amex EveryDay® Credit Card	Earn 10,000 Membership Rewards® points after you use your new Card to make $1,000 in purchases in your first 3 months. 2x points at US supermarkets, on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1x). Earn 20% extra points when you make 20 or more purchases with your Card in a billing period. 0% introductory APR for the first 15 months on purchases, then a variable APR of 14.74%-25.74%. 0% introductory APR for the first 15 months on balance transfers requested within 60 days of account opening, then a variable APR of 14.74%-25.74%. Terms Apply. Annual Fee: $0
Premier Rewards Gold Card from American Express	Earn 25,000 points after you use your new Card to make $2,000 in purchases within the first 3 months. $100 Airline fee credit. Terms apply. 3x points for flights booked directly with airlines. 2X points at US restaurants, US gas stations, and at US supermarkets. Terms Apply. Annual Fee: $0 for the first year, then $195
The Platinum Card® from American Express	Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards® points after you use your new Card to make $5,000 in purchases in your first 3 months. 5X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel. Access more than 1,100 airport lounges across 120 countries and counting, including the amazing Centurion® lounges. Up to $200 Uber Savings Annually. $200 Airline Fee Credit. Terms Apply. Annual Fee: $550

Recommended Amex Cards (Business)

CREDIT CARD	BENEFITS & INFO
The Business Gold Rewards Card from American Express OPEN	Earn 50,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $5,000 in purchases on the Card within your first 3 months of Card Membership Get 3x points - Choose 1 out of 5 categories. Earn 2x points on the remaining 4 categories $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $175. Terms Apply.
The Blue Business℠ Plus Credit Card from American Express	Earn 2X points on everyday business purchases such as office supplies or client dinners. 0.0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 15 months, then a variable rate, currently 12.99%, 16.99% or 20.99%. Terms Apply. Annual Fee: $0
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express OPEN	LIMITED TIME OFFER: Earn up to 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points. Earn 50,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $10,000 & an extra 50,000 points after you spend an additional $15,000 all on qualifying purchases within your first 3 months of Card Membership. Offer ends 8/8/18. Get 5X Membership Rewards® points on flights and prepaid hotels on amextravel.com. Access more than 1,100 airport lounges across 120 countries and counting, including the amazing Centurion® lounges. Up to $200 a calendar year in baggage fees and more at one airline. $200 Airline Fee Credit. Terms Apply. Annual Fee: $450

5.  Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG)

The Etihad Guest Programme also partners with the Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG)  loyalty program. This means you can earn miles with an SPG credit card and convert them to Etihad Guest Miles.

Transfer Starpoints at a 1:1 ratio and get a bonus of 5,000 miles for transferring 20,000 Starpoints to miles in a single transaction.

SPG Preferred members must transfer a minimum of 2,500 Starpoints, and Gold members must transfer at least 1,500 Starpoints per transaction. There is no minimum transfer requirement for SPG Platinum members.

It can take up to a week for transfers to complete, so make your transfer as far in advance as possible.

CREDIT CARD	CARD INFO
Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express	Earn up to $100 statement credit after you make $1,000 in purchases in your first 3 months. Earn an additional $100 statement credit after making a purchase at a participating hotel during your first 6 months. Terms Apply. $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $95.
Starwood Preferred Guest® Business Credit Card from American Express	Earn up to $200 statement credit after you make $1,000 in purchases on the Card within your first 3 months of Card Membership. Up to 5x Starpoints® on eligible purchases. Free Boingo Wi-Fi & Free Wi-Fi at SPG participating hotels. Terms Apply. $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $95.

6. Citi ThankYou Rewards

Citi ThankYou Rewards is one of the credit cards partners in the Etihad Guest Programme. Simply earn points with your Citi ThankYou Premier Card or Citi Prestige Card and transfer them to your Etihad Guest account at a 1:1 ratio.

It takes a minimum of 3 business days for the transfer to occur.

7. Other Hotel Loyalty Program Conversions

You have the option to transfer miles from several other hotel loyalty programs as well. Here is a list of all  transfer ratios:

Remember, you can also earn hotel points with hotel credit cards, just like we showed you in the Starwood Preferred Guest tip above. For instance, the following cards are available to earn points with Marriott and Hilton hotels.

CREDIT CARD	CARD INFO
Hilton Honors American Express Ascend Card	Earn 100,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $2,000 in purchases within your first 3 months of Card Membership. Plus, earn a free weekend night after you spend $15,000 on purchases on your card in a calendar year. 12X on qualifying purchases with hotels from the Hilton portfolio. Earn 6X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for each dollar of eligible purchases on your Card at U.S. restaurants, U.S. supermarkets, and U.S. gas stations. Terms Apply. Annual Fee: $95
💳 Hilton Honors American Express Card	Earn 50,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after spending $1,000 within your first 3 months after approval. 7X points on qualifying purchases with hotels from the Hilton portfolio. Terms Apply. Annual Fee: $0
Marriott Rewards® Premier Plus Credit Card	Earn 75,000 Bonus Points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. Free Night Award (valued up to 35,000 points) every year after account anniversary. Earn 6 points per $1 spent at participating Marriott Rewards & SPG hotels. Annual Fee: $95
Chase IHG® Rewards Club Select Credit Card	Earn 5x points at IHG hotels and 2x points on purchases at gas stations, grocery stores and restaurants. Annual Fee: $0 first year, then $49
Chase Hyatt Credit Card	3x points at Hyatt properties and 2x points at restaurants, airfare purchased directly from the airline and car rental agencies Annual Fee: $75

Earn Miles Through Partner Travel

8. Fly Partner Airlines

Etihad partner airlines offer the opportunity to travel to even more destinations. These codeshare partners use Etihad Airways flight numbers but allow you to fly on a partner airline for a segment of your trip.

You earn miles for flying on the Etihad Airways code of these flights (not codeshare services operated by SNCF) as long as you include your Etihad Guest Number when booking your trip.

Just a quick note about booking awards on these partner airlines: while Etihad award flights may be booked online, you must redeem miles for partner awards over the phone by calling the Guest Services Centre at 877-690-0767 at least 14 days in advance.

The table below shows the Etihad Guest Miles earning percentage for each partner airline. Use the links for more information about the airline.

*Alitalia, Air Serbia, Air Seychelles, Etihad Regional, and Jet Airways are considered “Etihad Airways Partners” and provide the same frequent flyer privileges as Etihad Airways, including priority check-in, priority boarding, lounge access, bonus miles, and baggage allowances.

Together they provide a network of more than 400 destinations across 6 continents.

9.  The American Airlines Partnership

Are you an American Airlines AAdvantage member? Not only can you earn Etihad Guest Miles for travel on American Airlines, American Eagle, and AmericanConnection flights, but you can also earn AAdvantage Miles on flights marketed and operated by Etihad Airways!

You can even earn AAdvantage Miles on Etihad Airways codeshare flights operated by American Airlines!

10. Hotel Partner Stays

The following hotels offer Etihad Guest Miles per night or $1 spent. Use the links to find specific offer details for each of the hotel loyalty programs.

*In the Hilton Honors loyalty program, members may choose points & fixed miles (up to 500 miles/stay and 10 Honors points per U.S. dollar spent), OR points & variable miles (1 mile and 10 Honors points per U.S. dollar spent per stay).

11. Rental Car Bookings

Etihad Airways partners with 6 transportation partners to give you plenty of opportunities for earning Etihad Guest Miles. The table below includes current offers and links to more information:

12. Book Etihad Holidays

Choose from all-inclusive trips, family vacations, beach holidays, and more with Etihad Holidays and earn Guest Miles at the same time. Whether you want to take a tour, safari, cruise, or another trip, there is something for everyone.

Search available destinations and offers at Etihad Holidays and call 800-839-9852 to book a trip.

13. Book With Cruise Partners

Choose from 30 cruise brands when booking a trip through Cruise Master, and then earn 1 Etihad Guest Mile per every $1 spent on your booking. You must book online to get the miles.

Also, earn 1 mile per $1 spent when booking through Luxury Cruise Portfolio, which includes brands such as Windstar Cruises and Holland America Line.

14. Miles Plus Cash

Etihad Airlines allows you to purchase up to 25% of the miles needed for a reward when making a redemption. It can be a great way to maximize your earnings!

When searching for a reward, choose the Miles Plus Cash option. Use the slider on the page to check both the total miles needed as well as the minimum number of miles that must be redeemed. It will display how much it costs to purchase the miles you’re allowed to buy.

By taking advantage of this option, you can pick up miles at a huge saving. For instance, we found Miles Plus Cash offers that allow you to buy miles for as low as $0.09 each!

You must book the reward online through the website and not by phone.

Earn Guest Miles While Shopping

15. Etihad Guest Earn Mall

Shop at the Etihad Guest Rewards Mall and earn points for purchases. Just make sure to set the site to the United States and U.S. Dollar at the top of the page for accuracy. Then you can filter by category, check out the featured departments, and look for the best deals.

16. Read The Economist

Earn 3,000 miles when you order the print plus online edition of The Economist with a weekly subscription package. You’ll receive 77% off the cover price.

Special Programs for Earning Etihad Guest Miles

 17. Complete Surveys With E-Rewards

Participate in market research surveys with E-Rewards and watch your Etihad Miles balance grow. You’ll receive E-Rewards currency for taking surveys, which can then be converted to Etihad Guest Miles (up to 8,000 per year). In the U.S. and Canada, the following earning rates apply:

To be considered, make sure your communications preferences are set to “Partner Offers” in your Etihad Guest Programme account.

18. Educational Courses

Gostudylink offers over 800 language and education courses in 9 countries. Earn 1 mile per $1 spent to learn about subjects like speaking Italian, studying abroad, and more.

Or earn up to 4,500 miles by taking online language lessons with Language Direct; more than 41 languages are available!

In Conclusion

Earning Etihad Guest Miles can be a breeze if you know all the opportunities that are out there. Hopefully, the strategies we discussed in this article have shown you all that is possible!

Now it’s time to start earning miles, so you can redeem them for Etihad flights and other rewards!

Photo Credits

Etihad Airways A380 Feature Photo:  Dmitry Birin/Shutterstock.com

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