Nilooka Dissanayake
Vidhu Bajaj
David Boyd
What are Etihad Guest Miles credit cards?
There are no co-branded Etihad cards for Australian consumers, so no card earns Etihad Guest Miles with every purchase. Instead, Etihad partners with a few Australian rewards programs, so you earn card points first and then convert them to Etihad Guest Miles.
Points from American Express Membership Rewards transfer to Etihad Guest, as do points from some Citi Rewards cards. To keep your options open, compare frequent flyer cards that earn across several airline partners.
How to redeem Etihad Guest miles
You can redeem Etihad Guest miles for flights on Etihad Airways and partners like Virgin Australia for travel within Australia. Booking Virgin Australia flights with Etihad miles needs a phone call and at least 14 days' notice.
Aim for GuestSeat awards rather than OpenSeat awards for better value, and remember miles expire after 18 months of account inactivity.
Etihad Guest elite status tiers
Etihad Guest has four tiers. Bronze is the free base membership for earning and redeeming miles. Silver adds 25% bonus miles, priority check-in, extra baggage and some lounge access.
Gold adds 50% bonus miles, Business Class lounge access for the member and a guest, and rental-car tier matching. Platinum adds 75% bonus miles, First Class lounge access, the highest baggage allowance, and the ability to nominate a friend for Gold status.