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Etihad Guest is the loyalty program for Etihad Airways based out Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. The airline is known for its excellent customer experience and premium cabin offerings, which include a one-of-a-kind apartment in the sky called The Residence.
Members of Etihad Guest are able to earn miles on flights, hotels, car rentals, and more, and they’re also able to work their way to elite status in the loyalty program, giving them additional perks and benefits when they travel. The accumulated Etihad Guest miles can be redeemed for valuable perks like award flights and upgrades, hotel stays, and more.
Etihad Airways is not part of any of the 3 major airline alliances; however, it does partner with over 20 airlines, giving you the ability to redeem your miles in nearly every corner of the globe. Unfortunately, since there’s no Etihad Guest credit cards in Canada, and the program has limited transfer partners, most Canadians will find it fairly difficult to earn the miles needed for their desired redemption.
To help you determine if the Etihad Guest program is worth adding to your loyalty rewards strategy, we’ve put together the guide below. In the guide, we go over earning and earning Etihad Guest miles, acquiring elite status, sweet spots within the program, and more.
There are a number of ways to earn Etihad Guest miles, including the following:
For Canadians, earning Etihad Guest miles can be a bit tricky since there are no co-branded credit cards and limited transfer partners. In fact, the most valuable transfer partnership (between Etihad Guest and American Express Membership Rewards) actually ended on June 20, 2026, further limiting Canadian earning avenues.
That said, Etihad Guest is still partnered with Marriott Bonvoy, allowing you to transfer points at a rate of 3:1. This means that 3,000 Marriott Bonvoy points is equivalent to 1,000 Etihad Guest miles. Additionally, if you transfer 60,000 Bonvoy points, you get a bonus of 5,000 Miles, giving you a total of 25,000 Miles.
Marriott Bonvoy points are easy to earn in Canada thanks to the many Marriott properties and the program’s two co-branded credits cards: Marriott Bonvoy® American Express®* Card and Marriott Bonvoy® Business American Express®* Card.
You can also transfer points from your American Express Membership Rewards (MR) account to Marriott Bonvoy and then onwards to Etihad Guest. However, both the Marriott Bonvoy transfer option and the multi-step MR Rewards option don’t provide a particularly good value. Given this, we don’t recommend using the transfer earning route unless you’re just trying to top up your Etihad Guest account for a specific redemption.
Bonvoy points are better used for hotel stays, and MR points can be transferred for higher value to airline loyalty programs like Aeroplan and The British Airways Club.
Another earning option for Canadians is to transfer points from other hotel loyalty programs. Unfortunately, the available value with the transfer ratios for these programs are either equal to or worse than the Marriott Bonvoy transfer ratio. Additionally, since Marriott Bonvoy is the only hotel loyalty program in Canada that offers a co-branded credit, it can be pretty difficult to earn a significant number of points with the other hotel loyalty programs.
With that in mind, if you do happen to have some hotel loyalty points that you don’t plan to redeem for a hotel stay, you might find some value through transferring them to your Etihad Guest account.
Hotel transfer partners of the Etihad Guest program include:
Hotel loyalty points will almost always provide their best value when used for free nights. To give you a bit more of a clear idea of the value exchange that goes on when you transfer from one of the above hotel loyalty programs to Etihad Guest, let’s take a look at an example.
Imagine that you have 50,000 MR points that you earned with your American Express Cobalt® Card. We value MR points at 1.7 cents each, making this stash worth around $850.
If you were to transfer all 50,000 MR points to Marriott Bonvoy at the standard rate of 1:1.2, you’d end up with 60,000 Bonvoy points. We value Bonvoy points at 0.9 cents each, so this takes your value down to $540 (though this transfer can still be worthwhile to enjoy free nights in hotels around the world).
Finally, if we then transfer your 60,000 Bonvoy points to Etihad Guest, you’ll end up with 25,000 miles when you factor in the 5,000-mile bonus. Etihad Guest miles are valued around 1.7 cents each, making this account balance worth approximately $425.
As you can see, the value of your rewards stash becomes smaller as you transfer it to Etihad Guest. Now, these values are all just averages, and you may get higher or lower value when you actually go to redeem. Additionally, since we each like to use our points in different ways and our measure of value is individual, you should only take these numbers as information, and always decide for yourself what your best redemption/transfer options are.
With no Etihad Guest co-branded credit cards to help Canadians earn quickly, the best way to earn miles is by flying with Etihad and its partner airlines.
When flying with Etihad, the number of miles you earn is based on your cabin class, fare type, and the distance flown. You can see the complete breakdown of this earning structure in the chart below:
If you’d like to calculate the number of miles you’ll earn without going through the booking process, you can explore Etihad miles calculator. For example, if you were to fly from Toronto (YYZ) to Etihad’s home airport in Abu Dhabi (AUH), you would earn the miles according to the following chart:
As you can see from this chart, a one-way economy flight between Toronto and Abu Dhabi can earn you between 350 and 8,750 miles, depending on which fare type you choose.
With the Etihad mileage calculator, you can also enter your Etihad Guest elite status level to get a more exact earning amount. Etihad Guest elite status members earn additional miles at the following rates based on their status tier:
To reach these status levels, you’ll need to meet specific Tier Miles requirements which we’ll discuss further below in the elite status section. These Tier Miles can be earned when you fly with Etihad and partner airlines (in addition to the regular redeemable miles), and with UAE-based credit cards and shopping.
Although Etihad isn’t a member of one of the three major airline alliance (SkyTeam, Oneworld, and Star Alliance), it is still partnered with over 20 airlines around the world. When flying with these airline partners, Etihad Guest members can choose to earn Etihad Guest miles in place of the airline’s own loyalty rewards.
To earn Etihad Guest miles with an airline partner, make sure to add your Etihad Guest number when you book. Each airline allows you to earn miles based on their own individual chart and/or earning structure. For example, you can earn on your next Air Canada flight based on the following chart:
Etihad is a partner with the following airlines:
Full details on each airline’s earning structure/chart can be found on the Etihad Guest program partner website.
Canadians looking to build up their Etihad Guest account balance can also choose to buy Etihad Guest miles directly. The cost to purchase is $32 USD per 1,000 miles, which means that each mile comes in at 3.2 cents. Put another way, this means that you need to get at least 3.2 cents worth of value from each point to not lose money on this transaction.
Given this, we generally don’t recommend buying miles at this price, unless you have a specific redemption in mind, and you’re just looking to top up your account.
Additionally, Etihad Guest does occasionally run limited-time offers that give you bonus points when you purchase during the promotion. Depending on the bonus or discount rate, these offers can potentially be helpful if you’ve been exploring high-value award flights where you can get a redemption value that justifies the purchase cost.
If you’re considering this option, just keep in mind that most of the high-value flights (like Etihad’s massive apartment-sized suite) are quite difficult to book, so you’ll want to make sure that you’re able to find availability before you spend thousands of dollars buying miles.
Etihad Guest members can purchase a maximum of 200,000 miles every year, with that maximum increasing to 300,000 for Platinum status members.
Another way for Canadians to earn Etihad Guest miles is on eligible car rentals and hotel stays, and through travel merchants.
You can earn Etihad Guest miles when you book an eligible stay through the following hotel booking portals:
Additionally, you can earn Etihad Guest miles by booking an eligible car rental with the following companies:
If you’re planning to book a rental car during your next trip, we recommend paying for the expense with a credit card like the TD First Class Travel® Visa Infinite* Card or the National Bank World Elite Mastercard. This is because these cards both offer car rental collision/damage coverage as part of their benefits packages.
With car rental companies often charging around $25/day for their insurance coverage, choosing a credit card that can cover this cost can save you a ton.
Once you’ve got a nice number of Etihad Guest miles in your account, it’s time to choose one or more of the following redemption options:
One of the most valuable ways to use your Eithad Guest miles is for award flights with Etihad. In fact, the value of this redemption option can be spectacular if you’re able to book The Residence, since this currently goes for around $16,000 one-way between North America and the UAE.
Etihad doesn’t offer a published award chart, so instead you have to use the Etihad miles calculator to get an idea of how many miles you need for your desired redemption. Just be aware that the calculator provides a “starting at” number and the prices can go much higher.
Alternatively, you can just go through the award booking process and see what your route, dates, cabin class, and fare cost; however, we think it’s valuable to know the usual cost range, so we recommend doing both.
From the above chart, we can see that an economy class redemption between Toronto (YYZ) and Abu Dhabi (AUH) has a “starting at” cost of between 60,000 and 120,500 miles, depending on the fare class you choose (divided into Value, Comfort, and Deluxe).
Etihad further divides its award tickets into Saver Awards and OpenSeats, with the former costing fewer miles but only having limited availability. Comparatively, OpenSeats awards are more plentiful but do typically cost more.
Let’s look at an Etihad award flight redemption example:
Based on the chart we saw earlier, flying from Toronto to Abu Dhabi in economy class starts at 60,000 miles if you can find a Saver Award and you choose the Value fare class, which we can see in the image below.
Comparatively, if the Saver Awards are already sold out, the price can grown considerably. For example, in the image above, we can see that a one-way business class award between Toronto and Abu Dhabi is available for the Saver Award cost of 120,000 miles + 532 in taxes/fees/surcharges.
Compare that to the price in the image below, where the same business class seat on the same route now costs 460,773 miles + $532 taxes/fees/surcharges.
Additionally, as you may have noted from the examples, Etihad charges notable surcharges on their award flights that can make these redemptions less attractive compared to similar redemptions with partner airlines that don’t charge these fees. Given this, it can be worthwhile comparing redemptions across multiple partners if you’re still sorting out which program is best to earn with.
For partner airline award flight redemptions, Etihad provides a distance-based published chart with set prices.
As you can see from the above chart, the prices are fairly reasonable, with one-way economy routes coming in at between 6,000 and 75,000 miles, depending on the distance flown. That said, when you use your Etihad miles for partner airlines redemptions, availability is limited as partner airlines only make their lowest-cost award flights (i.e., the “Saver” awards) bookable.
Another important detail is that only American Airlines can be booked online through Etihad’s standard booking portal. All other partner airline redemptions require that you call Etihad customer service and book over the phone.
Another way to use your Etihad Guest miles to is to upgrade your Etihad flight from either economy class to business class or from business class to first class. The number of miles needed fluctuates based on multiple factors like the route, cabin class, and travel dates.
To find out how many miles you’ll need to redeem for an upgrade, you can use the Etihad miles calculator. Just click on “Spend Miles,” enter your desired route, click “Calculate,” and then toggle to the “Upgrade” panel in the chart.
As an example, the cost to upgrade from economy class to business class on a one-way flight from Toronto (YYZ) to Abu Dhabi (AUH) ranges from 86,400 miles to 108,000 miles.
A few additional things to keep in mind when redeeming for upgrades on Etihad flights:
Etihad lets you redeem your miles for hotel stays and car rentals booked through its proprietary booking portal, Etihad Travel Rewards.
With this option, you can expect to get a value that’s quite a bit below our valuation of 1.7 cents per mile (our example came in our 0.8 cents per mile). Given this, we recommend only using this option if you have no plans to use your miles for a flight before they expire.
If you’re not interested in the above travel redemptions, here are an additional few ways that you can redeem your Etihad Guest miles. Just keep in mind that the value you’ll get from these options tends to be quite low compared to what you could get by redeeming for award flights.
Etihad Guest miles are valid for 18 months if you’re a Bronze, Silver, or Gold status member. In the past, you were able to keep your miles from expiring by transferring points from a partnered program, through eligible shopping, and other methods that didn’t involve flying. Unfortunately, as of June 2024, these are no longer options, so you’ll need to use your Etihad Guest miles before the 18-month mark or take a flight and earn more to keep your account balance from expiring.
For Platinum and Emerald status members, Etihad Guest miles never expire. Every member can confirm their account balance, miles expiration information, and transaction history by either logging in to their Etihad Guest account or subscribing to the program’s monthly e-statements.
As a member of the Etihad Guest program, you can earn Tier Miles and build your way up through five elite tiers: Bronze (the standard member level), Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Emerald. To reach the status levels, you need the following:
Once you reach the earning requirements for one of the tiers, you will immediately gain access to the Core Benefits, and you’ll soon receive an email about choosing your Custom Benefits. Once you reach the Gold tier, you also get to select a couple additional rewards known as Beyond Benefits.
Your elite status is valid for 12 months from the day you earn it. Etihad Guest also lets you retain your current status for another 12 months for a lower earning threshold of 80% the standard requirement (e.g., 20,000 Tier Miles for Silver, at least 10,000 of which come from flying).
As an elite member of Etihad Guest, you gain access to an array of benefits that increase as you move to higher tiers. Each level comes with Core Benefits as their base and then lets you choose from a list of Custom Benefits to best suit your travel style. Then at the Gold level, you also gain access to Beyond Benefits, some of which can be shared with other members.
The complete list of all the benefits and how they’re distributed within the tiers can be found on the Etihad Guest Tiers and Benefits website. Below, we’ve put together an overview of much of what’s available at each tier to help you decide if elite status is worth pursuing.
The Silver tier is the first elite level, and it comes with the following perks as Core Benefits:
Additionally, you can choose 2 of the following 4 Custom Benefits:
The Gold elite status level is when the benefits really start to build. At this tier, you get the following Core Benefits:
For your Custom Benefits, you can choose 4 from the following list:
Finally, as a Gold status member, if you reach 75,000 Tier Miles, you also get to choose 2 from the following:
If you’re able to earn 125,000 Tier Miles, you’ll be welcomed to the Platinum level, where you can enjoy the following:
You also get to choose 5 Custom Benefits from a list of 9 options. Some of the highlights include:
Finally, if you reach 175,000 Tier Miles, you can choose 2 of the following 3 Beyond Benefits:
Since the Emerald level is by invitation only and requires that you spend $150,000 USD (over $200,000 CDN), we won’t explore this tier in depth. In fact, even on the Etihad Guest website, information on this tier is not readily available. However, if you’re interested in learning more about the elite status tiers, you can explore all the benefits on the Etihad website.
Unfortunately, Etihad Guest doesn’t have many over-the-top sweet spots to really entice members. Given that miles are difficult to come by and partner airlines often offer lower award prices when booked directly, the Etihad sweet spots are limited.
That said, we included a few sweet (or semi-sweet) spot examples that let you enjoy Etihad’s premium service and impressive global partner network.
Just remember that all partner airline redemptions other than with American Airlines must be booked on the phone with Etihad customer service.
Members of Etihad Guest have the opportunity to earn and redeem miles with both Etihad and with 20+ partner airlines. These miles can then be used to access Etihad’s award-winning products and services, including premium cabin experiences like the apartment-style first-class Residence.
However, even with these opportunities, the fact that there’s no co-branded credit card and essentially no valuable transfer partners makes the Etihad Guest program a runner-up program in Canada’s loyalty game.
For Canadians looking to access Etihad’s premium cabins and other partner redemptions, we recommend considering a program like Aeroplan since it has lots of co-branded credit cards, multiple transfer partners, and many merchant partners as well.
Canadian travellers can earn points on day-to-day purchases with Aeroplan credit cards or through Amex Membership Rewards credit cards (which transfer to Aeroplan 1:1). You may also want to explore additional ways of earning travel rewards through our guides to the best travel credit cards in Canada and the best overall credit cards in Canada.
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