Etihad Guest Loyalty Program: A Detailed Guide

【March 23, 2026 update】 Hong Kong Airlines has recently become an Etihad Airways partner, so you can earn and redeem miles across the two programs.

The partner-airline award chart in the main text still applies to awards. Short-haul redemptions can be acceptable; long-haul awards are not.

For example, redeeming EY miles for Hong Kong–Taipei is not cheap, but availability is good and the price is fixed.

The airline

Etihad Airways is an airline from the United Arab Emirates, headquartered in Abu Dhabi. Its IATA code is EY and its hub is Abu Dhabi Airport (AUH). As one of the Middle Eastern Gulf carriers, it has long been rated four or five stars by Skytrax.

Its North American destinations include Toronto, Chicago, Boston, New York (JFK), and Washington.

Its East Asian destinations include Shanghai (PVG), Beijing (PKX), Tokyo (NRT), Osaka, and Seoul.

Partner airlines

Etihad Airways is not a member of one of the three global airline alliances, but it has many airline partners.

You can earn and redeem miles with the following partner airlines:

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

Further reading: The three global airline alliances: Star Alliance, oneworld, and SkyTeam

Elite status

Etihad Airways has four elite tiers: Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum.

Elite-tier benefits: qualification, flying, lounges, baggage, and more

Etihad Guest Benefits	Etihad Guest Bronze	Etihad Guest Silver	Etihad Guest Gold	Etihad Guest Platinum
Attaining a Tier	Join	25,000 Tier Miles OR 20 Tier Segments	50,000 Tier Miles OR 40 Tier Segments	125,000 Tier Miles OR 60 Tier Segments
Maintaining a Tier	No Expiry	20,000 Tier Miles OR 15 Tier Segments	40,000 Tier Miles OR 30 Tier Segments	100,000 Tier Miles OR 48 Tier Segments
Tier Level Expiry	No Expiry	1 year	1 year	1 year
Gold Discretionary Nomination	–	–	–	✅
Etihad Guest Miles Expiry	18 months (extendable)	18 months (extendable)	18 months (extendable)	No expiry
Earn Etihad Guest Miles	✅	✅	✅	✅
Transfer miles between family membership accounts	✅	✅	✅	✅
Bespoke offers eligible for Etihad Guest members	✅	✅	✅	✅
Buy Etihad Guest Miles	✅	✅	✅	✅
Pay with miles on etihad.com	✅	✅	✅	✅
Dedicated contact centre			✅	✅
Flying benefits
Bonus Etihad Guest Miles	–
Bonus Etihad Guest Miles on selected partner airlines	–
Guaranteed Economy seat	–	Booked in advance 48 hrs	Booked in advance 24 hrs	Booked in advance 12 hrs
Guaranteed Business seat	–	–	–	Booked in advance 48 hrs
Chauffeur service – Business and First redemption seats	–	–	✅	✅
Instant Upgrades with miles at the airport	✅	✅	✅	✅
Bid to upgrades with miles	✅	✅	✅	✅
Priority check-in	–
Fast track immigration and baggage	–	–	✅	✅
Priority boarding	–	–
Reserve an Economy seat in the Forward, Middle, or Rear zones (select seats only)	–	One free seat	Two free seats	Up to 9 free seats
Reserve an Extra Legroom seat	–	30% off	50% off for up to two guests	Free + 50% off for up to nine guests
Onboard Wi-Fi discount	Free Chat	Free Chat	Free Chat & 25% discount on Surf	Free Chat & Free Surf
Earn and redeem miles with partner airlines (+20)	✅	✅	✅	✅
Premium check-in with partner airlines	–	–	✅	✅
Lounge access information
Lounge access within Zayed International Airport	–	Self only Business Class Lounge	Self + Guest Business Class Lounge	Self + Guest First Class Lounge
Worldwide lounge access	–	–	Self + Guest Premium Lounge	Self + Guest Premium Lounge
Lounge access with miles in Abu Dhabi	✅	✅	✅	✅
Complimentary Excess Baggage Allowance – Weight Concept Routes
All cabins	–	10 kg	15 kg	20 kg
Complimentary Excess Baggage Allowance – Piece Concept Routes (Flights to/from Canada and the US)
Economy baggage	–	1 piece @ 23 kg	1 piece @ 23 kg	1 piece @ 23 kg
Business and First baggage	–	1 piece @ 32 kg	1 piece @ 32 kg	1 piece @ 32 kg
Additional benefits
Avis Budget Tier Match	–	–	Yes	Yes
Premium Twitter	–	–	Exclusive offers	Exclusive offers
Al Wathba National Insurance	–	20% discount	30% discount	30% discount
Designated Yas Mall parking	✅	✅	✅	✅

The mileage program

Etihad Airways’ frequent-flyer program is called Etihad Guest. After several rounds of changes, it now looks relatively simple and practical. Platinum members’ miles do not expire; miles for non-Platinum members expire after 18 months.

There is a family program for up to eight people.

1. Earning miles

1.1 Flying Etihad and partner airlines

For the miles earned by each fare class on Etihad and partner flights, see the official details.

1.2 Credit-card spending

This is less relevant to us; see the full list.

1.3 Transferring other points into miles

• 🇨🇦 Canada

Canadian Amex MR can no longer transfer to Etihad Airways.

• 🇺🇸 United States

• 🏨 Hotels

⚠️ Marriott still gives 20,000 miles plus a 5,000-mile bonus for each 60,000-point transfer.

The official page lists all other programs that can transfer into Etihad miles.

Further reading:🇨🇦 Canadian credit-card points to airline miles

Further reading:🇺🇸 U.S. credit-card points to airline miles and hotel points

1.4 Other ways to earn

This includes renting cars, booking accommodation, and booking holidays through Etihad.

2. Using miles

2.1 Award flights

The award-flight booking page is the official entry point. ⚠️ It currently supports Etihad flights and some partner airlines; airlines that are not listed still require agent-assisted booking.

Some rules:

For Etihad-operated flights, you can combine miles and cash. Partner awards can only be paid entirely with miles. Pricing is distance-based and each segment is priced separately.

The official miles calculator can show the miles needed for a route.

Etihad-operated award flights

Award seats are divided into GuestSeat and OpenSeat, roughly comparable to saver and standard awards.

The table below shows the one-way miles required for Etihad-operated GuestSeat awards:

Zone	TPM	Key Routes	Economy (miles)	Business (miles)	First (miles)
1	0 – 500	Riyadh	5,000	15,000	30,000
2	501 – 1,000	Jeddah	10,000	20,000	40,000
3	1,001 – 1,500	Cairo, Mumbai	13,000	30,000	55,000
4	1,501 – 2,000	Istanbul	15,000	35,000	80,000
5	2,001 – 2,500	Athens	20,000	45,000	90,000
6	2,501 – 3,000	Milan	25,000	60,000	110,000
7	3,001 – 4,000	London, Bangkok	30,000	70,000	120,000
8	4,001 – 5,000	Seoul	37,000	75,000	135,000
9	5,001 – 6,000	Tokyo	45,000	95,000	140,000
10	6,001+	Sydney, New York	60,000	120,000	160,000

⚠️ Etihad adjusted this chart in February 2024, making Etihad-operated awards more expensive.

Partner-airline award flights

Distance range	Economy	Premium Economy	Business	First
0–500	6,000	7,500	20,000	35,000
501–1,000	12,000	13,000	25,000	40,000
1,001–1,500	15,000	19,000	30,000	45,000
1,501–2,000	23,000	25,000	40,000	54,000
2,001–2,500	28,000	31,000	50,000	67,000
2,501–3,000	34,000	37,000	60,000	80,000
3,001–4,000	45,000	49,000	80,000	107,000
4,001–5,000	60,000	62,000	100,000	134,000
5,001–6,000	67,000	74,000	120,000	160,000
6,001+	75,000	90,000	140,000	200,000

2.2 Upgrades

Miles can only upgrade Etihad-operated flights.

GuestSeat reward tickets (fare classes N, I, and O) and Multiflyer tickets cannot be upgraded using miles.

An additional 12% tax applies to upgraded tickets originating in India.

You can also upgrade directly at the airport.

2.3 Other uses

Miles can also be used for merchandise, car rentals, accommodation, and more.

2.4 Redemption examples

Looking at the award chart, short-haul routes may be more practical.

• Calgary – Vancouver

• San Francisco – Los Angeles

Toronto–Abu Dhabi in Etihad’s lavish First Class used to be an elusive opportunity.

【February 27, 2025 update】 From June 24, 2025, Etihad will use the A380 on the Toronto route. The aircraft has First Class, and awards are now bookable: 200,000 Etihad miles can book the flagship First Class.

Further reading

Etihad Airways to launch Abu Dhabi–Calgary nonstop service: YYC–AUH, EY

Flying Blue and Etihad Airways: a two-way partnership

Chase Sapphire Lounge by The Club with Etihad Airways at JFK T4: a review