Etihad Airways is the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, known for its premium service and extensive network connecting passengers to destinations across the Middle East, Asia, Europe, Africa, and beyond.
The airline’s loyalty program, Etihad Guest, offers a range of redemption options for flights on Etihad or partner airlines, upgrades, and other non-flying options.
This guide will cover everything you need to know about redeeming your Etihad Guest miles.
The Basics of Redeeming Etihad Guest Miles
Etihad has two award charts – one award chart for flights on Etihad, and one award chart for flights on partner airlines.
Both award charts are distance-based, so the farther you fly, the more miles are required. To help you figure out the pricing and routes, I recommend using the free tools of Great Circle Mapper to calculate the flight distance and Flight Connections to find the routes airlines fly.
Etihad's Award Chart
Below is the award chart for travel exclusively on Etihad Airways. Etihad calculates each segment individually when using miles for Etihad flights.
If you are flying beyond Abu Dhabi, you will need to calculate the flight distance for each segment. For example, Los Angeles to Abu Dhabi is a distance of 8,390 miles, which requires 120,000 Etihad miles for business class, and if you were flying to Johannesburg, you would have to pay another 70,000 Etihad miles because Abu Dhabi to Johannesburg is 3,899 miles.
Additionally, the prices below are the starting prices and could be higher if the flight has higher demand.
Award Chart for Etihad Flights
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| Distance | Economy | Business | First |
| 0 - 500 | 5,000 | 15,000 | 30,000 |
| 501 to 1,000 | 10,000 | 20,000 | 40,000 |
| 1,001 to 1,500 | 13,000 | 30,000 | 55,000 |
| 1,501 to 2,000 | 15,000 | 35,000 | 80,000 |
| 2,001 to 2,500 | 20,000 | 45,000 | 90,000 |
| 2,501 to 3,000 | 25,000 | 60,000 | 110,000 |
| 3,001 to 4,000 | 30,000 | 70,000 | 120,000 |
| 4,001 to 5,000 | 37,000 | 75,000 | 135,000 |
| 5,001 to 6,000 | 45,000 | 95,000 | 140,000 |
| 6,001+ | 60,000 | 120,000 | 160,000 |
Surcharges on Award Flights
One thing you need to be aware of when redeeming Etihad miles is that Etihad passes on the carrier-imposed surcharges on both Etihad and partner airlines.
For example, I did an award search from from New York (JFK) to Abu Dhabi (AUH) on Etihad and found it the fees were $1,129.20 for business class (in addition to 240,000 miles) or $397.20 in fees for economy class (in addition to 120,000 miles).
Upgrades on Etihad Airways
Another option to redeem miles is for upgrades on Etihad Airways. You can see how many miles you need with this miles calculator and select “Upgrade.” For example, here are some of the prices to upgrade from economy to business for “Value” economy fares:
- New York (JFK) to Abu Dhabi (AUH): 95,000 miles.
- Chicago (ORD) to Abu Dhabi (AUH): 88,222 miles.
- London (LHR) to Abu Dhabi (AUH): 71,816 miles.
- Maldives (MLE) to Abu Dhabi (AUH): 42,778 miles.
- Chicago to Johannesburg (JNB) via AUH: 148,333 miles.
Etihad's Partners
Etihad is not part of the three major airline alliances — SkyTeam, Oneworld and Star Alliance — but they have individual partnerships to redeem miles with 20 of their airline partners, which are listed below.
You can book six partners through Etihad’s site using miles, including American Airlines, SriLankan Airlines, Air Canada, Air France, KLM, Royal Air Maroc, and Virgin Australia. However, Etihad’s system isn’t perfect and you may need to call to book these partners. I found that Etihad’s system usually works fine for direct flights, but will not always show all the connecting flight options.
To book Etihad’s other partners, you will need to book via Etihad Guest’s Service Center.
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Etihad's Partner Airlines
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Air New Zealand
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Air Serbia
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Air Canada
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Air Europa
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American Airlines
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Asiana
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Brussels Airlines
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El Al
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Garuda Indonesia
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Gulf Air
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Hainan Airlines
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KLM
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Korean Air
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Malaysia Airlines
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Oman Air
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Royal Air Maroc
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Saudia
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SAS
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SriLankan Airlines
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Virgin Australia
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Etihad's Partner Award Chart
Etihad also utilizes a distance-based award chart for their partners, but the big advantage of using miles for partners over Etihad is the required number of miles is measured by the total flight distance, not individual segments.
Here is the pricing for one-way travel on Etihad’s partner airlines:
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Etihad's Partner Award Chart
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| Distance | Economy | Premium | Business | First |
| 0 - 500 | 6,000 | 7,500 | 20,000 | 35,000 |
| 501 to 1,000 | 12,000 | 13,000 | 25,000 | 40,000 |
| 1,001 to 1,500 | 15,000 | 19,000 | 30,000 | 45,000 |
| 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 |
How to Book a Flight With Etihad Miles
You can easily your miles to book an Etihad flight and select partners via Etihad’s website by entering your dates, clicking “Pay with Miles”, and then clicking “Search Flights.”
How to Earn Etihad Guest Miles
The easiest way to earn Etihad Guest miles quickly is to transfer points from American Express Membership Rewards (1 to 1), Capital One (1 to 1), Citi ThankYou (1 to 1), or Marriott Bonvoy (3 to 1).
A few of my favorite card options that can transfer to Etihad Guest are:
Award Cancellation Fees
When redeeming Etihad miles it’s crucial to consider the program’s stringent award redeposit fees, which are among the most severe in the industry.
If you need to cancel your ticket, you can receive a refund of your miles and taxes, provided that you cancel at least 24 hours before your flight’s departure. However, award tickets cannot be canceled within the final 24 hours.
The cancellation fees are calculated as a percentage of the miles used for the booking:
- 75% mileage deduction for cancellations made within seven days of departure.
- 50% mileage deduction for those made between eight and 21 days before departure.
- 25% mileage deduction for cancellations made 21 or more days prior to the flight.
Sweet Spots for Etihad Guest Miles
There are several sweet spots for using Etihad Guest miles:
Ultra Long-Haul Flights Partner Flights
Etihad’s partner award chart stops increasing after 6,000 miles, so if you can find a routing on a partner airline that is 8,000+ miles, it could be worth the 140,000 miles for business class.
For example, you could fly on American Airlines from New York (JFK) to Sydney (SYD) via Los Angeles (LAX), which is 9,963 miles in distance.
Premium Economy Partner Flights
Etihad prices premium economy quite competitively compared to economy class for partners (except for 6,000+ miles).
For example, you could fly on ANA from Seattle (SEA) to Tokyo (HND) for only 62,000 Etihad miles versus 60,000 miles for economy class.
Etihad Flights to Europe and Southeast Asia
Awards between 3,001 and 4,000 miles are reasonably priced at 70,000 miles in business class or 120,000 miles in first class. This would cover most of Abu Dhabi to Europe and Southwest Asia.
Etihad Flights in Advance
Etihad restricts its award space to partners such as American Airlines and Air Canada until about 30 days before departure. If you really want to fly on Etihad and need to plan far in advance, your only option may be to redeem miles via Etihad Guest.
Other Options to Spend Etihad Guest Miles
If you don’t want to use your miles for flights, there are other options, but they are generally not a great value.
Hotels and Rental Cars: You can redeem miles for hotels and rental cars, but I have found you only get about 0.7 to 0.8 cents per mile of value.
Shopping: Etihad offers several options to redeem miles for tickets and at online merchants via PointsPay.
Online Shopping: Another option to redeem miles is via Etihad’s online shop to buy things such as electronics, home goods, sporting equipment, fashion, and more. My research shows that you can expect about 0.6 to 0.7 cents per mile in value.
Donations: Etihad allows you to donate your miles to several charities.
When Do Etihad Guest Miles Expire?
Etihad Guest miles expire after 18 months of inactivity. Starting in June 2024, you can only reset the expiration of your miles by flying on Etihad or a partner airline.
Until June 2024, you can reset your points expiration by earning at least one Etihad Guest mile such as transferring points to Etihad or redeeming Etihad Guest points.
The exception to the rule is Etihad Guest Platinum members’ miles never expire, as long as they maintain their Platinum status.
The Verdict
There are many options when it comes to redeeming Etihad Guest miles. Using points for Etihad flights comes with high fees, but using Etihad miles may be your only option to book Etihad flights.
I recommend looking at redeeming miles for partner airlines, which can be a really good deal for premium economy and ultra-long haul business class.
