The best uses of Etihad Guest miles in Australia

Etihad Guest is the frequent flyer program of Etihad Airways. It also partners with Virgin Australia for points earn and redemption, making it a useful program to know about.

From June 2024, the relaunched Etihad Guest program means lower rates for some Economy and Business Class flights on Etihad, which is a good reason to have Etihad Guest miles. But aside from this, Etihad limits partner airline programs (such as Velocity Frequent Flyer) from accessing Business and First Class reward seats on Etihad-operated flights until 30 days from departure. So if you’re a forward planner and want to lock in a Business Class redemption on an Etihad flight, using Etihad Guest miles is your best bet.

Additionally, the program has some especially good redemption rates for certain Virgin Australia routes within Australia. You can also use Etihad Guest miles for flights from Australia on ANA and American Airlines.

In this guide, we explore the options for redeeming Etihad Guest miles on Etihad as well as its most relevant partners in Australia.

How to earn Etihad Guest miles in Australia

There are three key ways for Australians to collect Etihad Guest miles without flying.

1. Through credit cards

There are no credit cards in Australia that allow you to directly earn Etihad Guest miles. Instead, Etihad Guest partners with the following bank rewards programs:

• American Express Membership Rewards
• Citi Rewards (Citi Prestige cardholders only)

With the programs above, you’ll earn points towards the program that can be converted to Etihad Guest miles at the following rate:

• 2 Amex Membership Rewards points = 1 Etihad Guest mile
• 3 Citi Rewards points = 1 Etihad Guest mile

Occasionally, American Express offers a transfer bonus to Etihad Guest.

2. By transferring Marriott Bonvoy points

Marriott Bonvoy points are one of the most flexible points currencies in the world. This is because they can be transferred to most major airline programs, including Etihad Guest. The transfer rate is as follows:

• 3 Marriott Bonvoy points = 1 Etihad Guest mile

You’ll also get 5,000 bonus Etihad Guest miles for every 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points you transfer.

3. By buying them

Finally, you can buy Etihad Guest miles. This is very handy if you need to shore up your balance for a redemption.

If you already have 75% of the miles required for a redemption, you can buy Etihad Guest miles for less, even if they’re not on sale.

Redeeming Etihad Guest miles for Etihad flights

First and foremost, Etihad Guest miles can be used for redemptions on Etihad Airways itself. There are two types of fares you can book using Etihad Guest miles: GuestSeats and OpenSeats.

• GuestSeats are the reward seats you want to aim for, as they offer the best value with fixed, reduced fares.
• OpenSeats provide flexibility, but you’ll often use more miles and the number of miles needed can fluctuate.

To book a flight using Etihad Guest miles, ensure you’re logged into your Etihad Guest account. Then, search for your flights (make sure to tick ‘Pay with miles’ if prompted, or if you initiate your search from the homepage.)

How many Etihad Guest miles do I need for a redemption on Etihad flights?

In June 2024, Etihad Guest revamped its loyalty program. Many of Etihad’s short-haul routes (e.g. Abu Dhabi to the Middle East and South Asia) now require fewer Etihad Guest miles to book a reward seat. However, there are some minor increases to long-haul routes, like when flying between Australia and Abu Dhabi in Business Class.

Here’s how many Etihad Guest miles you’ll need to fly from Australia:

For comparison, it costs 58,000 Velocity Points to fly from Melbourne/Sydney to Abu Dhabi with Etihad in Economy, or 104,000 Velocity Points for Business Class. While you’ll get better value using Velocity Points (and can directly earn them in Australia), partner programs can only access Etihad Business and First Class reward seats from 30 days before departure. So if you want to fly in a premium cabin with Etihad

You can use the updated Miles Calculator on the Etihad website to determine how many you’ll need.

Cabin experiences on Etihad flights

Etihad’s flagship Business Studios is found on its Airbus A380 and Boeing 787 aircraft, and its newest A350 Business Class provides an elevated flying experience. When departing Australia, you’ll find the 787 on routes from Sydney or Melbourne to Abu Dhabi.

Undoubtedly one of the most luxurious experiences you can have in the sky, you can also use Etihad Guest miles to book The Residence. This three-room First Class suite is exclusive to Etihad Airways’ A380s and features a dedicated bedroom, separate lounge/dining area, and an ensuite bathroom. Quite literally, a residence in the sky. Currently, you’ll find The Residence on flights from Abu Dhabi to London and New York, and return.

In The Residence, a Savoy-trained butler caters to your every whim.

Etihad’s newest jets come with an all-new Business Class.

Redeeming Etihad Guest miles on partner airlines

Etihad Airways isn’t part of one of the big three airline alliances (oneworld, Star Alliance and SkyTeam). Instead, it has built a network of its own of more than 20 airline partners, including Virgin Australia, ANA, American Airlines, Air Canada, Air France, and others.

Some partner flights can be booked online directly through the Etihad Airways website, while others require you to call the Etihad Guest call centre to redeem your Etihad Guest miles. Clicking on each individual airline on Etihad Airways’ partner airline page will bring up booking instructions.

You can also view the redemption table for Etihad GuestSeats (reward seats) under each airline. Note that all partner airlines use the same distance-based award chart.

Flights with the following partner airlines can be booked online via the Etihad website:

• American Airlines
• Air France
• Air Canada
• JetBlue
• Gulf Air
• Air Serbia
• Korean Air
• KLM
• Malaysia Airlines
• Saudi Arabian Airlines
• SriLankan Airlines
• Virgin Australia 

Next, we’ll cover some of the best ways to use Etihad Guest miles on partner airlines that fly to Australia.

Using Etihad Guest miles for Virgin Australia flights

The key Etihad Guest partner for Australia-based travellers is Virgin Australia. The best-value pricing can be found on medium-haul Economy and Business Class flights, where using Etihad Guest miles can be slightly cheaper than paying with Velocity Points.

Below we’ve included some examples of using Etihad Guest miles versus Velocity Points on Virgin Australia Business Class flights:

In the example above, fewer Etihad Guest miles are required for a reward seat from Melbourne-Cairns, compared to using Velocity Points. However, on either side of this, many shorter and longer routes required more Etihad Guest miles.

When using Etihad Guest miles for Economy flights with Virgin Australia, the totals can look a little different. This is because Virgin Australia uses tiered pricing for its Economy reward seats. The number of Velocity Points required for an Economy reward seat on Virgin Australia fluctuates between three tiers, depending on reward flight availability, the booking period and date of travel. Etihad Airways’ partner airline award chart is static. In some cases it may make sense to use Etihad Guest miles instead of Velocity Points. But in others, the Etihad Guest miles required may be up to double the Velocity Points you’d use.

Let’s take a look at some examples of Economy reward redemptions:

In the examples of the short and medium routes above, there’s little difference between using Etihad Guest miles and Velocity Points. In any case, you’ll use fewer Etihad Guest miles on the Sydney-Melbourne route, irrespective of which Velocity reward seat tier you book.

But on longer routes like Perth-Sydney, there can be a gulf of difference. You’d need double the Etihad Guest miles for an Economy reward seat when compared to Velocity’s Tier 1 pricing. Even at Tier 3, you’ll still use significantly fewer Velocity Points.

In short, it’s not black-and-white when it comes to determining whether you should use Etihad Guest miles or Velocity Points on Virgin Australia flights. It varies depending on your route – and, with Velocity’s Economy reward seat tiered pricing, a host of other factors, too.

You can find out how many Velocity Points you’ll need for a reward seat on the Velocity Frequent Flyer website.

Also read: How to use Velocity Points for Etihad flights

Using Etihad Guest miles for American Airlines flights

Etihad Guest miles can be used to book premium cabins on American Airlines flights.

American Airlines operates a direct Sydney-Los Angeles flight, and will launch Brisbane-Dallas Fort Worth in late 2024. The latter route will feature American Airlines’ new Boeing 787-9 Business Class product, Flagship Suites.

If you can find availability in American Airlines Business Class from Sydney-Los Angeles or Brisbane-Dallas Fort Worth, you’ll pay 140,000 Etihad Guest miles + fees and taxes. Though you’ll find better value redeeming 108,400 Qantas Points + fees and taxes for these flights.

When using Etihad Guest miles for American Airlines flights, you can book directly on the Etihad website.

Using Etihad Guest miles for ANA flights

Japanese carrier All Nippon Airways (ANA) flies to Tokyo from both Sydney and Perth. You can score a one-way Business Class flight to Tokyo from either Australian city for 100,000 Etihad Guest miles, plus fees and taxes. That compares to 104,000 KrisFlyer miles or 78,000 Velocity Points.

When using Etihad Guest miles for ANA flights, you’ll need to call the Etihad Guest call centre to book.

Using Etihad Guest miles for Brussels Airlines flights

This Belgium-based Star Alliance member doesn’t fly to Australia, but Brussels Airlines offers a comfortable – albeit not extravagant – way to get between Europe and North America. You can fly in Brussels Airlines Airbus A330 – with Business Class available – from Brussels to New York (JFK) or Washington DC.

A one-way flight between Brussels and New York or Washington DC in Brussels Airlines Business Class will cost you 80,000 Etihad Guest miles + fees and taxes. That compares to 81,000 KrisFlyer miles + fees and taxes.

When using Etihad Guest miles for Brussels Airlines flights, you’ll need to call the Etihad Guest call centre to book.

Using Etihad Guest miles for upgrades on Etihad flights

It is possible to use your Etihad Guest miles (or cash) to upgrade an Etihad-operated flight. However, you can’t use Etihad Guest miles to upgrade a flight on partner airlines, like Virgin Australia.

If you run the numbers by factoring in the cost of paying for the Economy ticket, it’s usually better to just make an outright Business or First Class redemption using Etihad Guest miles.

However, if your work is paying for your flight, then you may want to explore upgrading. There are two ways to do this:

• Bid to upgrade your flight using Etihad Guest miles
• Upgrade at the airport when you check-in, subject to availability

In both cases, upgrades are subject to availability, and certain fare classes cannot be upgraded.

Learn more about how to upgrade Etihad flights.

Summing up

Etihad Guest miles aren’t the easiest to come by in Australia. However, if you do have access to them, then they can offer better value for flight redemptions than other popular programs like Velocity Frequent Flyer.

Fur most Australians, Etihad Guest miles are accumulated by transferring from bank rewards programs or Marriott Bonvoy. So if you’re transferring to Etihad Guest with the intention of redeeming miles for partner airlines, you may want to compare the points required with other airline programs (for instance, Qantas Points on American Airlines flights) as they may be less.

But if you want to fly in premium cabins with Etihad – especially if you’re aiming for The Residence – then using Etihad Guest miles is the way to go.

Also read: The highest Etihad Guest miles-earning credit cards

Featured image: Fabian Joy, Unsplash. This article was originally written by Matt Moffitt.