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American Express is set to lose Etihad as a transfer partner really soon — on June 30, 2026, to be exact. That means there's very little time left to transfer Membership Rewards points to Etihad Guest before you lose the opportunity for good.
For a bit of context, the original announcement came just a month after American Express devalued transfers to Cathay Pacific, and less than a year after Bilt added Etihad Guest as a transfer partner. Although Etihad Guest isn't an incredibly popular program, fewer ways to use your points inherently make those points less valuable.
Here's what you need to know.
Amex to Lose Etihad as a Transfer Partner
American Express will officially drop Etihad as a Membership Rewards transfer partner on June 30, 2026. In other words, June 29 is the last day you can transfer Membership Rewards points to Etihad Guest at a 1:1 ratio before the opportunity disappears entirely.
Earlier this year, American Express confirmed the change to AwardWallet, saying:
“American Express® Card Members will no longer be able to transfer Membership Rewards® points to Etihad Guest Miles, effective June 30, 2026. Eligible Card Members can continue to use points to cover all or part of an Etihad Airlines flight using Pay with Points at Amex Travel™.”
Considering that AwardWallet users typically redeem Membership Rewards points for 1.99¢ apiece, it doesn't make much sense to use them to book Etihad flights through American Express Travel® at a flat rate of 1¢ per point.
If you value Etihad as a transfer partner, you aren't out of luck. You can make any last-minute Membership Rewards transfers through June 30, 2026, and transfer your Citi ThankYou® Points, Capital One miles, Bilt Rewards, and Rove Miles at a 1:1 ratio:
Related: Making Sense of Etihad Guest's Confusing Award Refund Policy
Bottom Line
While losing access to a transfer partner isn't ideal, at least Amex isn't losing one of its highest-value partners. However, if you're keeping track, American Express will now have fewer than 20 total transfer partners, while programs like Bilt Rewards have 24. It's interesting to watch one of the pioneers in transferable points gradually get surpassed by newer competitors.
All that said, if you've been waiting to transfer Membership Rewards points to Etihad Guest, now's the time to do it. June 29 is the last day to make a transfer before the partnership ends on June 30, 2026.
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