Advertiser Disclosure

Many of the credit card offers that appear on this site are from credit card companies from which we receive financial compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear). However, the credit card information that we publish has been written and evaluated by experts who know these products inside out. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse. This site does not include all credit card companies or all available credit card offers that are on the market. See our advertising policy here where we list advertisers that we work with, and how we make money. You can also review our credit card rating methodology.

[Expired] Get a 20% Bonus When You Transfer Amex Points to Etihad Guest

Nick Ellis's image
Nick Ellis
Nick Ellis's image

Nick Ellis

Senior Editor & Content Contributor

176 Published Articles 817 Edited Articles

Countries Visited: 35U.S. States Visited: 25

Nick’s passion for points began as a hobby and became a career. He worked for over 5 years at The Points Guy and has contributed to Business Insider and CNN. He has 14 credit cards and continues to le...
Edited by: Stella Shon
Stella Shon's image

Stella Shon

Senior Features Editor

132 Published Articles 818 Edited Articles

Countries Visited: 25U.S. States Visited: 22

With a degree in media and journalism, Stella has been in the points and miles game for more than 6 years. She most recently worked as a Corporate Communications Analyst for JetBlue. Find her work in ...
& Juan Ruiz
Juan Ruiz's image

Juan Ruiz

Senior Editor & Content Contributor

184 Published Articles 819 Edited Articles

Countries Visited: 41U.S. States Visited: 28

Juan has extensive experience in writing and editing content related to credit cards, loyalty programs, and travel. He has been honing his expertise in this field for over a decade. His work has been ...

We may be compensated when you click on product links, such as credit cards, from one or more of our advertising partners. Terms apply to the offers below. See our Advertising Policy for more about our partners, how we make money, and our rating methodology. Opinions and recommendations are ours alone.

Update:The offer mentioned below has expired and is no longer available.

Right now, you can take advantage of a rare opportunity to earn a bonus when transferring American Express Membership Rewards points to Etihad’s Guest program.

Let’s take a look at all the details of this latest transfer bonus, which is valid through April 4, 2024.

Transfer Amex Points to Etihad With a 20% Bonus

Through April 4, 2024, you can transfer points from American Express Membership Rewards to Etihad Guest with a 20% bonus.

Typically, the transfer ratio is 1:1, meaning you’ll net 1,000 Etihad Guest miles after transferring 1,000 Amex points. The limited-time 20% transfer bonus means you can transfer 1,000 Amex points and yield 1,200 Etihad Guest miles.

Ultimately, this makes it less costly to book an award flight through the Etihad Guest program.

Is It Worth It?

Etihad Airways Airbus A380 Business Class Seat 13G
Etihad Airways Airbus A380 business class. Image Credit: Greg Stone

While it’s always great to see a transfer bonus, the changes Etihad has made to its program over recent years have made it more difficult to redeem miles for excellent value.

Etihad has several airline partners, and in the past, there were some truly fantastic sweet spots for booking award flights on those partner airlines with Etihad Guest miles. Now, that’s mostly gone away — here’s a look at the distance-based award chart for Etihad partner flights:

SCROLL FOR MORE

Distance (in Miles)

Economy

Premium Economy

Business

First

0 to 500

6,000

7,500

10,000

14,000

501 to 1,000

12,000

13,000

20,000

27,000

1,001 to 1,500

15,000

19,000

30,000

40,000

1,501 to 2,000

23,000

25,000

40,000

54,000

2,001 to 2,500

28,000

31,000

50,000

67,000

2,501 to 3,000

34,000

37,000

60,000

80,000

3,001 to 4,000

45,000

49,000

80,000

107,000

4,001 to 5,000

60,000

62,000

100,000

134,000

5,001 to 6,000

67,000

74,000

120,000

160,000

6,001+

75,000

90,000

140,000

200,000

If you were to book a business class flight on Etihad partner Air Serbia on its route between New York (JFK) and Belgrade (BEG), you’d pay a sizable 100,000 for a one-way ticket, as the distance between the 2 cities is approximately 4,511 miles.

As you can see, you’ll pay quite a lot for flights on Etihad partners now, especially if you want to fly in a premium cabin. Now, the likely best use of your Etihad Guest miles is to book a premium cabin flight on an Etihad flight, especially if you really want to fly the airline.

Here’s a look at the distance-based award chart for redemptions on Etihad’s own flights:

SCROLL FOR MORE

Distance (in Miles)

Economy

Business

First

0 to 500

7,000

20,000

40,000

501 to 1,000

11,000

25,000

50,000

1,001 to 1,500

13,000

30,000

60,000

1,501 to 2,000

17,000

45,000

90,000

2,001 to 2,500

22,000

50,000

100,000

2,501 to 3,000

27,000

60,000

120,000

3,001 to 4,000

32,000

70,000

140,000

4,001 to 5,000

37,000

75,000

150,000

5,001 to 6,000

45,000

100,000

200,000

6,001+

60,000

110,000

220,000

While you can book award seats on Etihad flights through other programs such as Air Canada Aeroplan, Etihad doesn’t open up space in premium cabins for partner programs until 30 days before departure at most, according to reporting from One Mile at a Time.

This makes it much harder to book Etihad flights at more attractive rates that you can theoretically take advantage of through other programs, leaving premium Etihad flights booked via the Etihad Guest program the most advantageous use of those miles.

A one-way flight between Chicago (ORD) and Abu Dhabi (AUH) measures 7,276 miles, which means it’ll cost 110,000 miles each way in Etihad business class. This represents a significant number of miles, but the flight duration allows ample time to experience all that Etihad has to offer.

Additionally, given how difficult it is to book Etihad flights with partner programs, this makes good use of Etihad Guest miles, especially with the transfer bonus that’s currently available.

Hot Tip:

Take a look at all the other best ways to redeem Etihad Guest miles for maximum value.

Final Thoughts

Right now, you can take advantage of a 20% transfer bonus from Amex Membership Rewards to Etihad Guest. While the program has undergone some pretty painful changes recently, you can still snag fairly hard-to-book premium seats on Etihad flights for a decent rate, which is made even better with this transfer bonus.

If you’re looking to book an Etihad flight any time soon, it may be a great idea to utilize this transfer bonus — but be sure to do so before it expires on April 4, 2024.

Nick Ellis's image

About Nick Ellis

Nick’s passion for points began as a hobby and became a career. He worked for over 5 years at The Points Guy and has contributed to Business Insider and CNN. He has 14 credit cards and continues to leverage the perks of each.

INSIDERS ONLY: UP PULSE

Deluxe Travel Provided by UP Pulse

Get the latest travel tips, crucial news, flight & hotel deal alerts...

Plus — expert strategies to maximize your points & miles by joining our (free) newsletter.

We respect your privacy. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA. Google's privacy policy  and terms of service  apply.

Deluxe Travel Provided by UP Pulse
DMCA.com Protection Status