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Etihad Guest just launched a new offer that allows members to buy miles with up to a 40% bonus. Now through July 6, 2025, members can grab Etihad Guest miles for as little as 1.43¢ each.
We don’t typically recommend buying miles unless you can get more value from them than what the airline sells them for. But in the right situation, this promotion can be a solid deal. Let’s take a look at when it might make sense to buy Etihad Guest miles while they’re on sale.
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A Note on Buying Miles
First, we need to emphasize: We never recommend buying miles speculatively. Programs generally devalue over time, long-term travel plans can change, and the last thing anybody needs is a substantial pile of miles they can't use.
However, that doesn't mean buying miles is always a losing proposition. If you're right at the cusp of being able to book your next redemption, buying miles can be an easy (and affordable) way to make it happen. Additionally, buying miles can sometimes be a fantastic way to book premium cabin travel at a significant discount compared to paying the cash price.
This used to be especially true with Etihad Guest when partner award charts were full of sweet spots to maximize. However, Etihad Guest overhauled its mileage charts in 2023 and made further changes in 2024 — so it's important to check current award rates before pulling out your wallet.
Etihad Buy Miles Key Terms
- This 40% bonus promotion is valid through July 6, 2025.
- Etihad Guest members with Bronze, Silver, or Gold status can purchase up to 200,000 miles per year before any applicable bonuses, while Platinum members can buy up to 300,000 miles annually.
- Members must purchase at least 1,000 Guest miles to receive any bonus (20%).
- Members must purchase at least 41,000 Guest miles to receive the maximum bonus (40%).
- Purchased miles typically post instantly, although some purchases may take up to 72 hours.
- Purchased miles do not count toward status upgrades.
- Mile purchases are non-refundable.
There are three tiers when buying Etihad Guest miles — with two offering a bonus:
- 1,000–20,000 miles: 20% bonus (1.67¢ per mile)
- 21,000–40,000 miles: 30% bonus (1.54¢ per mile)
- 41,000–200,000 miles: 40% bonus (1.43¢ per mile)
If you buy the maximum number of miles during this promotion, you can purchase 280,000 Etihad Guest miles (200,000 base + 80,000 bonus) for $4,000. That comes out to 1.43¢ per mile.
When Does It Make Sense to Buy Etihad Miles?
Etihad doesn't belong to any of the major airline alliances (Oneworld, SkyTeam, or Star Alliance). Instead, it maintains individual partnerships with 20+ other airlines.
Etihad used to have different rules and award charts for each airline partner. That went away in March 2023 when Etihad Guest streamlined award redemptions by publishing two award charts: one for Etihad flights and one for all its partners. While partner award pricing remained the same after the June 2024 changes, Etihad employed dynamic award pricing for its own flights.
Between the two changes, most sweet spots have disappeared. However, one of the few positive changes is for booking American Airlines flights under 500 miles. Those flights can now be booked for just 6,000 Etihad Guest miles — making it one of the best ways to book American Airlines awards using partner miles.
Also, make sure to familiarize yourself with Etihad's award change and cancelation policies before you buy Etihad miles. Etihad's award cancellation policy is punitive, so ensure your plans are set in stone before you make an Etihad Guest redemption.
Abu Dhabi–Sydney in Etihad business class
Using miles on Etihad can be astronomically expensive — especially in business and first class. But, you may get lucky and find some gems by using Etihad's search function or queuing up Seats.aero.
For example, the flight below from Abu Dhabi to Sydney in business class will run you (on average) upwards of 600,000+ Etihad Guest miles plus taxes. But some dates price at just 120,000 Etihad Guest miles one-way — but mind the taxes and fees.
- Mileage rate: 120,000 miles + $648 taxes one way
- Typical cash price: $9,397 round trip
- Redemption rate: 3.38¢ per mile
- Cost to buy 120,000 Etihad miles (with a 40% bonus): $1,720 one-way
- Cost to buy exactly 240,000 Etihad miles (at optimal 1.43¢ rate): $3,440 round trip
Tokyo–Los Angeles in ANA business class
Although specific sweet spots in Etihad's partner charts are now gone, Etihad's new awards charts are at least consistent. Depending on what types of mileage currencies you have, it could make sense to book through Etihad on partners like All Nippon Airways (ANA).
On some dates, you can grab a flight from Tokyo to Los Angeles in business class for almost 57% of the typical cash rate — assuming you buy miles during this 25% bonus promotion.
- Mileage rate: 120,000 miles one way
- Typical cash price: $8,902 round trip
- Redemption rate: 3.71¢ per mile
- Cost to buy 120,000 Etihad miles (with a 40% bonus): $1,720 one-way
- Cost to buy exactly 240,000 Etihad miles (at optimal 1.43¢ rate): $3,440 round trip
Vancouver–Seoul in Air Canada business class
Although there are no specific sweet spots, you can definitely make good assumptions on which routes will yield the best return. Flights that are long-distance and on nice airlines with expensive business class will be your “sweet spots” in this scenario.
Air Canada's business class is solid. So grabbing an 11.5-hour flight from Vancouver to Seoul is a great use of this Etihad promotion to buy miles at a lower cost than paying for the flight straight up. For this flight, you'll save close to 34% of the cash rate!
- Mileage rate: 120,000 miles one way
- Typical cash price: $5,791 round trip
- Redemption rate: 2.41¢ per mile
- Cost to buy 120,000 Etihad miles (with a 40% bonus): $1,720 one-way
- Cost to buy exactly 240,000 Etihad miles (at optimal 1.43¢ rate): $3,440 round trip
Etihad Buy Miles History
Etihad releases promotions for buying miles a few times a year — five at the most. So it's tough to keep track and know when to expect them. You know what you're getting with Etihad, as the promotions rotate between the same bonus and discount amounts.
This current 25% bonus isn't the best we've seen out of Etihad — but depending on your situation, it could still prove valuable:
| Promotion Ended | Max Bonus/Discount | Min Cents per Mile |
|---|---|---|
| 2025-07-06 | 40% Bonus | 1.43 |
| 2025-03-02 | 25% Bonus | 1.6 |
| 2024-12-03 | 30% Bonus | 1.54 |
| 2024-08-25 | 30% Bonus | 1.54 |
| 2024-07-14 | 30% Bonus | 1.54 |
| 2024-05-06 | 25% Bonus | 1.6 |
| 2024-02-26 | 30% Bonus | 1.54 |
| 2023-12-13 | 50% Bonus | 1.33 |
| 2023-06-24 | 50% Bonus | 1.33 |
| 2023-03-27 | 20% Discount | 1.6 |
| 2022-12-21 | 45% Bonus | 1.38 |
| 2022-09-25 | 30% Bonus | 1.54 |
| 2022-06-30 | 50% Bonus | 1.33 |
| 2022-06-01 | 45% Bonus | 1.38 |
| 2022-03-27 | 20% Discount | 1.6 |
| 2021-12-05 | 50% Bonus | 1.33 |
| 2021-11-22 | 70% Bonus | 1.18 |
| 2021-08-27 | 60% Bonus | 1.25 |
| 2021-06-29 | 60% Bonus | 1.25 |
| 2021-03-31 | 30% Bonus | 1.54 |
| 2020-12-22 | 20% Bonus | 1.67 |
| 2020-10-30 | 20% Bonus | 1.67 |
| 2020-06-18 | 60% Bonus | 1.25 |
Maximizing Your Purchase
Purchases of Etihad Guest miles are processed by Points.com, so it won't code as travel on your credit card. Therefore, it would be better to use one of these cards to buy your Etihad miles:
- Any credit card where you're working on a sign-up bonus. These are the best welcome offers available right now.
- Any credit card with perks you can unlock from spending, such as hotel free-night awards, hotel elite status, or airline elite status.
- Your best credit card for everyday spending, such as the Citi Double Cash® Card or Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card.
Related: Which Credit Card Should You Use to Buy Points and Miles?
Other Ways To Earn Etihad Miles
You don't have to buy Etihad miles if your balance is short of what's needed for an award that you want. Etihad Guest miles are pretty easy to come by. Other than flying on cash fares or buying miles, Etihad is a transfer partner with multiple transferable currencies:
Sharing Etihad Guest Miles
Etihad Guest allows members to share miles. If you're just short of your next redemption or your friend doesn't have enough miles to use, you can initiate a transfer with a small fee. Note these rules:
- To give miles via a transfer, accounts must have at least 1,000 miles.
- Etihad levies a 10% service fee for mile transfers. For example, if you transfer 50,000 miles, Etihad will keep 5,000 miles as a fee.
This is a decent way to pool miles between friends. However, note that you can create a family pool to share miles freely with your family, creating a central pool from which to redeem for future flights.
Bottom Line
Paying 1.43¢ per Etihad Guest mile is a solid deal in the right situation, even if it isn't the best deal we've seen to buy Etihad miles. The best deal we've seen from Etihad offered miles at 1.18¢ apiece. We don't know when (or if) that kind of promotion will ever return. It's been quite a while since Etihad's best buy-miles promotion was offered — not to mention its promotions aren't very regular.
If you have a specific redemption in mind, this 40% bonus promotion could be worth considering before it ends on July 6, 2025. It can still present a reasonable deal against buying a ticket with cash. Just be sure to do the math beforehand.
Are you considering buying Etihad Guest miles at 1.43¢ per mile?
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