Etihad Airways is the UAE Government-owned airline that was founded in 2003. As of mid-2025, the airline operates a fleet of about 110 to 112 aircraft flying to around 81 destinations worldwide. In 2025, it carried a record 20.3 million passengers over 12 months for the first time in its history.
In addition to offering a luxury flight experience, Etihad Airways is also renowned for the Etihad Guest loyalty programme. This program was introduced in August 2006. It’s not just about collecting air miles; it’s about transforming your journey into a rewards collection. In 2024, Etihad Airways celebrated its 10 millionth member, with the member count increasing by around 25% compared to the previous year.
In this guide, we’ll cover what the Etihad Guest loyalty program is, its different tiers and benefits, and how to earn miles, unlock tier status, and redeem your rewards. This guide will help you understand the benefits of your Etihad Airways journey.
What is the Etihad Guest Program?
Etihad Guest is a free-to-join loyalty program for Etihad Airways and its partners. Once you join the membership, you can collect ‘miles’ on traveling on Etihad flights and on partner services, and then redeem them for rewards. This means you can earn miles on Etihad flights, hotel bookings, online shopping, and car rentals.
The Etihad Guest loyalty program has a global reach and has presence through over 20 airline partners and various hotel, banking, and retail partners. Members can earn miles on traveling to over 3000 destinations worldwide. The airline has partnered with carriers, including Air France-KLM, ANA, Saudia, American Airlines, and Oman Air.
By joining the Etihad Guest via its website or app, you can instantly earn the Bronze status and start accumulating miles. These earned miles will never expire as long as you indulge in some qualifying activity within 18 months. Apart from the Bronze tier, you can also upgrade to the Silver, Gold, or Platinum tiers for additional benefits.
Etihad Guest Membership Tiers and Qualifications
Etihad Guest membership has five tier levels – Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Emerald. Every tier has its own set of advantages, and you must earn a certain number of Tier Miles or meet a spending requirement to qualify for a tier. The table below showcases the benefits of each tier:
| Advantages | Bronze | Silver | Gold | Platinum |
| Qualifying Requirement | Free to join | 25,000 Tier Miles | 50,000 Tier Miles | 125,000 Tier Miles |
| Tier level expiry | No | 1 year | 1 year | 1 year |
| Miles expiry | 18 months (extendable) | 18 months (extendable) | 18 months (extendable) | No expiry |
| Bonus miles | – | 25% | 50% | 100% |
| Priority check-in | – | AUH Dedicated Check-in | Business | First |
| Fast-track immigration | – | – | Available | Available |
| Priority baggage | – | – | Available | Available |
| Seat Choice | – | – | Self+1 (Standard) |
Self+3 (Standard) |
| Onboard Wi-Fi | Free chat | Free chat | Free chat + 25% off on internet exploring | Free chat + internet exploring |
| Lounge Access | – | – | – | Self+1 (Business) |
| Etihad Chauffeur – GuestSeat – First and Business | – | – | – | Available |
| Economy Guaranteed Seat | – | 48 hours prior | 48 hours prior | 24 hours prior |
| Business Guaranteed Seat | – | – | – | 48 hours prior |
| Dedicated contact center | – | – | Available | Available |
| Gold tier nomination | – | – | – | Once |
| Membership extension | – | – | – | Once |
| Pick your Etihad Guest number | – | – | – | Once |
| Tier buy-back | – | 75,000 miles | 150,000 miles | – |
You can spend a total $150,000 on Etihad flights to join the Emerald tier and enjoy various benefits, such as –
- 100% bonus miles
- Complimentary access to First Class lounges
- Priority access to the Etihad Chauffeur for Business and First Class Guest Seat bookings
- First Class priority check-in, fast-track immigration, and top priority for boarding and baggage handling
How to Earn Etihad Guest Miles
There are various ways to earn Etihad miles beyond flying on Etihad flights, some of them are:
- Flying – You can earn miles on all paid Etihad flights and 24 partner airlines, such as Air Canada, Air France, American Airlines, JetBlue, and Oman Air. You can also earn the greater of the actual miles flown, depending on route and fare class.
- Hotels and Car Rentals – You can also earn miles by booking hotels via Etihad’s hotel rewards portal. Etihad offers a minimum of 1,000 miles for each night’s stay at over 300,000 hotels worldwide. Similarly, you can also earn at least 250 miles per rental day by renting cars via Etihad’s car portal.
- Credit Cards and Points Transfer – Etihad also allows you to earn miles via bank points programs. The company has many points-transfer partners. In India, you can convert points earned from co-branded cards issued by partner local banks. For instance, your Axis Bank’s EDGE Miles can be transferred to Etihad Guest. Similarly, SBI Card offers the Etihad Guest Premier Credit Card, allowing you to enjoy 5,000 bonus miles and Gold status.
- Shopping and Retail – Etihad Guest’s online Earn Mall features numerous retail partners. When you shop through the Etihad portal at popular brands, including Amazon, Flipkart, or luxury outlets, you can generally earn 1 to 5 miles per USD spent. In India, Etihad partners with various local retailers and jewelers, allowing you to earn miles in-store.
- Promotions and Purchasing Miles – Etihad often runs promotions to help you earn bonus miles for flights and partner offers. You can also purchase up to 100,000 Etihad miles per year directly on Etihad.com. In addition to these options, you can also search for Etihad promo codes and deals to earn bonus miles and discounts on your flight tickets.
How to Redeem Etihad Guest Miles
You can redeem Etihad Guest miles on flights, upgrades, and products. Some of the major redemption options are:
- Award flights – You can redeem miles for Etihad or partner flights. Its GuestSeat awards offer saver fares, while AnySeat awards use dynamic pricing. You can also use the Etihad Miles Calculator to check the exact redemption rates for flights across various airlines.
- Upgrades – You can also upgrade Etihad tickets from Economy to Business or Business to First/The Residence using your earned miles. Instant upgrades at check-in can easily convert cash offers into miles; however, premium cabin upgrades typically require a higher number of miles.
- Hotels, holidays, and cars – Another way to redeem your Etihad Guest miles is by booking hotels, holiday packages, or car rentals. You can use earned miles to cover the full or partial costs of your hotel stays, tours, or bookings at Etihad’s partners’ portals.
- Miles on the go/Reward Shop – You can spend earned Etihad miles like cash on shopping, gift cards, electronics, or travel accessories. You can also use the Reward Shop or prepaid Guest Reward Visa card to redeem everyday items worldwide.
Global Etihad Partners
Here are the top global partners of Etihad across departments:
- Airline Partners – You can earn and redeem Etihad miles with over 20 global airline partners, including American Airlines, Saudia, Virgin Australia, Air France-KLM, and ANA. These partners allow you to travel to more than 3,000 worldwide destinations.
- Hotel Partners – You can use Etihad miles for hotel bookings through Booking.com, IHG, Shangri-La, Marriott, or Accor. The brand’s hotel portal connects you to 300,000+ properties globally.
- Car Rentals – You can book rentals through Europcar, Hertz, and Avis directly via Etihad’s website. You can generally earn 250+ miles per rental day.
- Finance Partners – Etihad partners with various banks in India, including Axis Bank and SBI. You can earn transferable points by using cards for everyday transactions.
Wrapping Up
The Etihad Guest loyalty program blends the airline’s global reach with rewarding benefits. Loyalty members can earn miles through Etihad flights, partner airlines, hotels, shopping, and co-branded cards. They can redeem their earned miles for flights, upgrades, hotels, or retail rewards. The program has a five-tier system, including Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Emerald. Each tier provides a variety of benefits, including access to lounges, chauffeur services, and luxury upgrades. Whether you are a frequent or occasional flyer, we recommend joining the Etihad Guest loyalty program to uplift your flying experience.
