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Etihad Airways is a relatively new airline, only coming into existence in 2003. Since then, it has established itself as a significant player in the airline world. Etihad has built a reputation for its top-notch service and premium cabins, including the legendary “The Residence” on its A380 fleet.
Etihad has a complicated and less-than-generous mileage expiration policy, and the recent policy changes haven't brought any improvements. Here's what you need to know about when Etihad miles expire and how to extend their validity.
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Do Etihad Miles Expire?
Etihad has a complex expiration policy. When Etihad miles expire depends on your current tier status. Bronze, Silver, and Gold member miles expire if your account has no qualifying activity for 18 months. Meanwhile, Etihad Guest Platinum and Diamond members' miles never expire. Per the Etihad FAQs page:
“Etihad Guest Bronze, Silver and Gold members: Your miles are valid for 18 months from the last month you made a transaction. For example, if miles are credited in August 2023, they'll be valid until February 2025. These can be extended to an additional 18 months by flying with Etihad Airways or any partner airline.”
“Etihad Guest Platinum, and Diamond Tier members: Your miles will never expire.”
Once your Etihad Guest miles expire, they cannot be reinstated.
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Prior to 2020, Etihad Guest miles expired 24 months after being earned, and that expiration could not be extended. Etihad dropped the expiration window to 18 months but allowed expiration extensions with any account activity. Now, in 2024, Etihad is again changing its expiration policy to only allow members to extend expiration by earning miles by actually flying.
How To Reset Etihad Miles Expiration Date
Unfortunately, the updated expiration policy as of June 2024 now means your Etihad Guest miles expiration will only be extended if you fly and earn miles on a flight operated by Etihad or a partner airline within the 18-month time frame.
Previously, this expiration date could be extended by earning more miles by flying, by transferring points to your Etihad Guest account, or by purchasing points directly from the airline. This makes Etihad Guest one of the more restrictive programs out there and may deter people from transferring or earning miles with them entirely.
Reset Your Etihad Expiration Date by Earning or Redeeming on Travel
Flying on Etihad-operated or partner airline flights is now the only way to extend your Etihad Guest miles expiration, so it's important to keep in mind what other airlines you may be able to earn Etihad Guest miles on.
Although Etihad's own flights can be a great way to spend or earn miles, the airline also has a superb lineup of partner airlines. To keep your miles active, just enter your Etihad Guest member number when flying with one of the partners below. Then, you'll earn more miles according to their terms/charts when flying. Redeeming your miles via Etihad Guest to fly on these partners will also ensure your miles don't expire.
You can redeem Etihad Guest miles on all of these partners. Unfortunately, changes in 2023 and 2024 decreased a lot of the value on these awards.
Use AwardWallet To Track Etihad Guest Expiration
Etihad Guest has one of the shorter expiration deadlines around, which means you need to stay on your toes to avoid your hard-earned miles vanishing into thin air. The best way to stay on top of your Etihad Guest mileage balance is to use AwardWallet to keep track of your miles. This way, you will receive a timely reminder if you have any miles in danger of expiry so you can take action to prevent them from doing so.
To use AwardWallet to track your Etihad Guest miles, simply add your Etihad Guest account to AwardWallet. You'll get warnings if your balance is close to expiration.
Related: How To Track Your Rewards Using AwardWallet
Earning Etihad Guest Miles
Although transferring points will no longer extend the expiration date, you might need to utilize transfer partners to supplement your Etihad Guest miles balance. This may be especially important in order to have enough miles to redeem for an award ticket before your entire balance expires. You can transfer the following types of points to Etihad Guest:
American Express Membership Rewards
American Express Membership Rewards points are among my favorite rewards, partly because there are so many different ways to earn them. Amex transfers are a great way to reset your Etihad Guest miles and ensure they don't expire. Transfers are instant.
- Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That's up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made at restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
- Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Apply with confidence. Know if you're approved for a Card with no impact to your credit score. If you're approved and you choose to accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.
- Terms Apply.
- Rates & Fees
- 4X Membership Rewards® Points at restaurants worldwide, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S. (on up to $50,000 per year in purchases, then 1X)
- 4X Membership Rewards® points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per year in purchases, then 1X)
- 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com
- 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotels and other eligible travel booked on amextravel.com
- 1X on other eligible purchases
Capital One Rewards
Like Amex, Capital One Rewards transfer to Etihad instantly. Moreover, heavy spenders will earn rewards faster than with Amex, since many of the Capital One miles-earning cards earn 2x miles on everyday purchases. If your goal is simply to reset your mileage expiration, Capital One is a great first choice.
- Earn 50,000 bonus miles once you spend $4,500 on purchases within 3 months from account opening; worth $500 in travel if redeemed for a fixed-value, or potentially much more when transferred to airline partners
- 2 Miles per $1 on every purchase, everywhere
- Fee credit for Global Entry or TSA Pre✔® (up to $120)
- No foreign transaction fees
- $0 introductory fee for the first year; $95 after that
- 2X miles per dollar on every purchase, everywhere, no limits or category restrictions
- 5X miles per dollar on purchases through Capital One Entertainment (through 12/31/2025)
- 5X miles on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
Citi ThankYou® Points
If you can put the award on hold or are confident those seats won't disappear, Citi is another option. You can use these transfers to ensure your Etihad Guest miles won't expire. You can find more details on the other Citi transfer partners in our dedicated post.
On the earning side, there are several good options for accumulating points, but not all cards have access to Etihad as a transfer partner. You'll need one of Citi's points-earning cards with an annual fee to transfer to Etihad Guest.
- 3X points per $1 on airfare and hotels and at gas stations, restaurants, and supermarkets
- Annual Hotel Benefit: Save $100 off a single hotel stay of $500 or more (excluding taxes and fees) when you book through CitiTravel.com
- No foreign transaction fees
- $95 annual fee
- 10X points per $1 on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked through CitiTravel.com
- 3X points per $1 spent on airfare, and other hotel purchases
- 3X points per $1 spent at gas and EV charging stations
- 3X points per $1 spent on dining at restaurants, including cafes, bars and lounges
- 3X points per $1 spent at supermarkets
- 1X points per $1 spent on all other purchases
Marriott Bonvoy
Transfers from Marriott Bonvoy won't happen immediately. Marriott has by far the largest list of transfer partners. Plus, for many programs, it is the only option to transfer points. However, in addition to being the slowest option, Marriott's airline transfer partners are at the worst ratio.
With that said, you get a 5,000-mile bonus in most programs when you transfer in increments of 60,000 points. For example, 60,000 Marriott points would become 25,000 Etihad Guest miles after a transfer. Here's our roundup of the credit cards that earn Marriott Bonvoy points if this sounds appealing.
- WELCOME OFFER: Earn 3 Free Night Awards after you use your new Card to make $6,000 in eligible purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership. Each Free Night Award has a redemption level up to 50,000 Marriott Bonvoy® points, for a total potential value of up to 150,000 points, at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy®. Certain hotels have resort fees. Terms apply.
- Receive a 7% discount on eligible bookings as a benefit of being both a Marriott Bonvoy® member & a Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card Member when you book directly with Marriott through an eligible channel for a participating property under the Amex Business Card Rate.
- 6x Marriott Bonvoy points on each dollar of eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy® program.
- 4x points for purchases made at restaurants worldwide, at U.S. gas stations, on wireless telephone services purchased directly from U.S. service providers and on U.S. purchases for shipping.
- 2x points on all other eligible purchases.
- Receive 1 Free Night Award every year after your Card renewal month. Plus, earn an additional Free Night Award after you spend $60K in purchases on your Card in a calendar year. Award can be used for one night (redemption level at or under 35,000 Marriott Bonvoy® points) at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy®. Certain hotels have resort fees.
- Enjoy Complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite Status with your Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card.
- Terms apply.
- Rates & Fees
- 6x Marriott Bonvoy points on each dollar of eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy® program.
- 4x Marriott Bonvoy points on each dollar of eligible purchases made at restaurants worldwide, at U.S. gas stations, on wireless telephone services purchased directly from U.S. service providers and on U.S. purchases for shipping
- 2x Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card points per dollar on all other eligible purchases
Bottom Line
It’s strange to see Etihad making negative changes to its policy like this — especially considering that it changed the policy for the better in 2020.
Overall, the Etihad Guest program can be very valuable for some travelers. However, while other programs have changed their policies to become more flexible, Etihad seems to be doing the opposite. Moving forward, make sure to keep track of any Etihad Guest miles you currently have or might be earning in the future, and double-check that expiration date before transferring over your hard-earned credit card points.
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: American Express® Gold Card (Rates & Fees), and Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card (Rates & Fees)
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