Best Credit Cards in India to Earn Etihad Guest Miles

List of Credit Cards to Earn Etihad Guest Miles

Etihad Airways partners with multiple top card issuers, and you can transfer your card reward points to Etihad Guest Miles. Different credit cards have different transfer ratios and minimum redemption amounts. The following are the best credit cards in India to earn Etihad Guest Miles.

Etihad Guest Program – Tiers and Status

The Etihad Guest program has four status tiers – Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum. The higher your tier status, the more privileges and benefits you will receive on Etihad flights. As you fly more and more, apart from Guest Miles, you earn Tier Miles that are used to attain higher tier status.

The following criteria must be fulfilled to attain a particular tier –

• Etihad Guest Bronze – Automatically Upon Membership
• Etihad Guest Silver – 25,000 Tier Miles To Reach Tier (With At Least 10,000 Miles From Flying)
• Etihad Guest Gold – 50,000 Tier Miles To Reach Tier (With At Least 20,000 Miles From Flying)
• Etihad Guest Platinum – 125,000 Tier Miles (With At Least 40,000 Miles Earned from Flying)
• Emerald Tier – USD 150,000 Spent on Etihad Flights (Excluding Taxes) to Reach and Maintain Tier

Benefits and Privileges

Based on your Etihad Guest tier status, you get the following benefits and privileges –

• Bronze – When you register for the program, you automatically attain the Bronze status tier. You earn Guest Miles that can be redeemed at the Reward Shop or used to book flights or upgrade cabins. You start getting benefits such as priority check-in, complimentary lounge access, baggage allowance, etc.
• Silver – When you attain the Etihad Guest Silver tier, you get an extra 25% Tier Bonus Miles, priority check-in, lounge access in Abu Dhabi, and more.
• Gold – When you attain the Etihad Guest Gold tier, you get complimentary lounge access, priority check-in, 50% extra Tier Bonus miles, priority boarding, fast-track immigration, and more with the card. You can access the Premium Twitter account to stay updated regarding discounts and offers.
• Platinum – When you attain the Etihad Guest Platinum tier, you get lounge access, priority boarding, priority check-in, fast-track immigration, 75% Bonus Tier miles, and many other benefits. You also get access to the Premium Twitter account.

How to Book Etihad Flights Using Guest Miles?

You must have valid Etihad Guest Miles in your account to book flights through them. If you have a co-branded BOBCARD Etihad Credit Card, you will get complimentary Etihad Guest tier status and bonus Guest Miles. If you do not have it, then you will first need to transfer your credit card reward points to Etihad Guest Miles.

Once you have done that, follow these steps to book Etihad Flights using Miles –

• Visit the Etihad Guest website and log in to your account.

• Hover your mouse over ‘Redeem Miles’ in the top menu and then click on ‘Flying.’
• Enter your destination and arrival location, date of travel, fare class, and other details. Click on Find Flights after.
• You will see all available flights, along with the miles required to book them and the amount to be paid in cash.
• Next, choose the flight package you want, then finalize the booking by redeeming Guest Miles and paying the remaining balance.

Booking Etihad Flights via Partner Airlines Miles

Other than booking Etihad flights on the Etihad website via Guest Miles, you can even book Etihad flights via partner airline miles like Aeroplan. Currently, you can only book Economy Class flights via Aeroplan, and here is how you can do so –

• First, head over to the official Etihad Airways website.
• Enter flight details such as departure, arrival, guests, fare class, etc., and search for flights.
• On the next page, you will see the flight search results, along with the miles required to book the flight and other charges.
• Click on flight details and look for the GuestSeat option. Only flights with this option can be booked via Aeroplan.
• If you directly search for flights on the Aeroplan website, you will not see any available partner flights. Therefore, you first have to check flight availability on Etihad’s website.
• You can only book flights to North America from India online, and you will have to call Aeroplan customer support to help you with the flight booking. You can book the concerned Etihad Airways flight using your Aeroplan Miles.

Miles Expiry and How to Extend Them

Etihad Guest Miles earned will expire after 18 months for Bronze, Silver, and Gold tier members in the case of no qualifying activity by them. With effect from 1st August 2020, Etihad Guest Miles are valid for 18 months and an extra 18 months when you make any eligible miles transaction. For those who are Etihad Guest Platinum members, the Miles never expire.

To extend the validity of your Etihad Guest Miles, you can either earn, spend, or buy miles. However, you can extend Miles only once every month, and it does not matter how many qualifying actions you perform.

Cancellation Charges of Award Tickets

The cancellation date change, and the fee needed for the refund of miles, depend on the rate at which you booked the award flight. It is different based on the class type chosen by you – Guest, Value, Choice, or Choice Plus.

Miles Redemption for Others

You can use your Etihad Guest Miles to redeem award flights for your family members and loved ones. There is no need to add any nominees to your account or anything else. You just have to visit the Etihad Airways website and book award flight tickets for anyone you want.

Miles Redemption for Infant/Child

If you plan to travel with your infant kids, it is possible to get award tickets for them. To book an infant award, you will have to pay 10% of the adult mileage required for the award ticket, along with other international fees and taxes.

Bottom Line

For those who travel frequently, especially Indians who regularly visit Dubai and the UAE, Etihad Airways is a great airline. The Etihad Guest membership is nice and offers members exclusive privileges and benefits on their flights.

You can get the Etihad and BOBCARD Co-Branded Credit Cards that offer complimentary Etihad Guest tier status and bonus Etihad Miles. Additionally, you can use your credit card reward points to convert them to Etihad Guest Miles. The Miles you earn can be redeemed to book flights, class upgrades, and shop.

Let us know your experience with Etihad Airlines in the comments.