Etihad Adds 12.5 Bonus Miles to Prizes in Lucrative ‘Extraordinary Challenge’ Promotion

Updated: July 4, 2025, 3:01pm CDT

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Etihad Adds More Bonus Miles to ‘The Extraordinary Challenge’
Final Thoughts

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The Extraordinary Challenge — a fitting name for a complex promotion to earn millions upon millions of Etihad Guest miles — is proving popular. So popular, in fact, that Etihad has added an additional 12.5 million miles to the prize pot.

Not only is this good news overall, it’s good news for those who don’t think they can complete the entire promotion to earn the million-mile bonuses available for first, second, and third place.

Now, those who visit 5 or 10 destinations — rather than the 15 required to complete the whole promotion — can earn 25,000 or 100,000 bonus miles, respectively.

Here’s a look at the updated terms of this Etihad promotion.

Etihad Adds More Bonus Miles to ‘The Extraordinary Challenge’

Originally, Etihad was offering 3 prizes in this promotion, providing the following amounts of Etihad Guest bonus miles:

5 million for first place
3 million for second place
1 million for third place

First place will be awarded to the first person to visit Etihad’s 15 newest destinations, which are spread across 4 continents. Only Etihad-operated flights count, and the deadline is May 25, 2026.

Now, Etihad has added “The Extraordinary Milestones” to the mix, available for those who reach 5- and 10-destination milestones during the promotion. The first 100 people to visit 5 of the eligible destinations will receive 25,000 bonus miles, while the first 100 people to visit 10 of these destinations will receive 100,000 bonus miles.

Etihad Boeing 789 Dreamliner — Image Credit: Daniel Ross

There’s no prohibition against earning more than 1 bonus. If the overall first-place winner is among those who qualify for the milestone bonuses, that lucky traveler could come home with 5,125,000 bonus miles.

“We’ve seen an amazing response across the globe since we launched The Extraordinary Challenge, and expect to see over 50K member sign-ups as more destinations come online. Having seen the desire and determination of so many, we wanted to reward Etihad Guest members even more by giving flight to their ambition with more prize miles and potential for 200 additional winners.”
Mark Potter, managing director for Etihad Guest at Etihad Airways

Remember that registration is required for this promotion.

Hot Tip:

We value Etihad Guest miles at 1.4 cents apiece. That makes 5 million miles worth an incredible $70,000, while 1 million miles are worth $14,000, and 25,000 miles are worth $350.

Final Thoughts

Etihad has seen a lot of buzz around The Extraordinary Challenge. It’s definitely extraordinary, and it’s definitely a challenge. In fact, it may prove to be too much of a challenge, and Etihad is encouraging people to participate who don’t think they can complete the 15-destination requirement.

Now, there are 25K and 100K mileage bonuses available for those who complete 5- and 10-destination treks by May of next year. For those whose travel plans align, this is excellent news. For those who would need to book Etihad flights solely for the sake of this promotion, it’s worth considering the rules and the costs involved to see if participation is worth it. It involves over 45,000 miles of flying, after all.