Earning Etihad Guest miles in Australia (without flying)

Some of the rationale for writing on this site is to act as a bookmark for certain information, tips & tricks that I’d like to save for myself for the future. The benefit of publishing publicly online means that if anyone else gives a crap then they might find it too. This post falls firmly in that category.

I have a bunch of Etihad Guest miles sitting in a family account from a big trip 3 people made to Australia from Europe last year. On their own the miles are enough for a business class one way to Abu Dhabi and onward to the southern Mediterranean or Middle East. Useful, but not that useful.

For just another few hundred miles I’d have a large enough stash to cover off a redemption on their somewhat odd Brisbane – Singapore routing, return, in Business class. Much more useful for a hop to Asia, and beyond.

So, how to accrue a few hundred miles at minimal cost?

1. Car and Hotel Partner purchases. Budget, Europcar & Hertz are all local car rental partners; and all the major chains will allow you to credit to Etihad.
2. Transfers into Etihad Guest from other programs. Priority Club, Hyatt and Hilton all allow transfers into Etihad Guest – with relevant transfer minimums though. You can transfer Australian Membership Rewards points to Priority Club at a rate of 3:2. More calculations on these can be made in the reward program conversion calculator.
3. Etihad Guest ‘Earn Miles’ shopping mall. This is where it gets interesting… and possible to earn just a few hundred points with minimal outlay and effort. Take a dig around – purchases from Apple, iTunes, Dick Smith and more all could qualify.
4. Flying. OK, but this is the easy option. Credit some Virgin Australia flights to Etihad, even from a family member under Etihad Guests family member rules.

There you have it. Have I missed any? Let me know in the comments.