For the month of October, the Etihad Guest program is offering a promotion that can earn you bonus miles when you transfer points to the program from a partner.
In this post:
Earn bonus Etihad miles for points transfers
Between October 1 and October 31, 2024, Etihad Guest is offering up to 40% bonus miles when you transfer points to the program from select partners. The percent bonus you receive depends on the miles generated during the promotion:
- Transfer up to 9,999 miles and receive 20% bonus miles on each transaction
- Transfer 10,000-49,999 miles and receive 30% bonus miles on each transaction
- Transfer 50,000 or more miles and receive 40% bonus miles on each transaction
As you’d expect, there are some terms to be aware of:
- Once miles are transferred, the transaction can’t be reversed
- Bonus miles will post to accounts within 15 business days of October 31, 2024
- Validity for this promotion is determined based on the date of the transfer provided by the partner program
- You can’t combine this with any other transfer offer
Which transfer partners are eligible?
This is the major catch. While Etihad Guest has lots of transfer partners, only select partners qualify for this offer.
This offer excludes most credit card currencies in the United States, and it also excludes Marriott Bonvoy, which is the one hotel loyalty program where airline mileage transfers potentially represent a good deal.
Fortunately Citi ThankYou is participating in this promotion, meaning you could convert Citi ThankYou points into Etihad Guest miles at a ratio of up to 1:1.4. So this could be useful if you have a product like the Citi Strata Premier℠ Card (review). Meanwhile Amex Membership Rewards and Capital One aren’t eligible for this offer.
Bottom line
Etihad Guest is offering a promotion when transferring rewards from partners. You can receive 40% bonus miles if you transfer rewards in large enough increments from select partners during the month of October. Unfortunately many partners are excluded, so for most people in the United States, Citi ThankYou would be the one program where there’s potentially value.
This is quite a large transfer bonus. Just keep in mind that the Etihad Guest program has undergone some changes, including a strict new mileage expiration policy plus a very hefty cancelation fee on awards. So I’d only take advantage of this with a specific use in mind. Personally Etihad Guest is a program that has virtually zero appeal to me nowadays, due to those policies.
Anyone plan to take advantage of this Etihad Guest promotion?
Another fare I see in first class... LHR to AUH for 120K (86K before) plus $325USD.
You can book Jetblue BOS or JFK to AMS or CDG in J for 80K, so about 56K before bonus, and cash outlay is only $32.
I personally wouldn't transfer any points to this program. I have points that I've been trying to redeem for awhile. They changed their program for the worst earlier this year and now have some astronomical redemptions especially for J. Also, there is a quirk in their website where you will see one redemption amount when searching that will change when you go to the payment page (usually will be more points than originally listed). Points...
I personally wouldn't transfer any points to this program. I have points that I've been trying to redeem for awhile. They changed their program for the worst earlier this year and now have some astronomical redemptions especially for J. Also, there is a quirk in their website where you will see one redemption amount when searching that will change when you go to the payment page (usually will be more points than originally listed). Points now also expire after 18 months. Buyer beware with Etihad.
Etihad just doesn't seem very exciting anymore imo. Their overall network reach has declined significantly. Product wise, people will probably just take QR as any Etihad itinerary requires the same 1 stop connection in the Middle East.
How common are bonuses like this? 1x a month? 1x a quarter?
To Etihad? Rare. At this level? Never. If it were only at Amex. Ugh
Great. With some of the flights I have seen that 1,000,000 point redemption will only need 600,000 points transferred. Woohoo. Hold on, I'll pass.