Etihad Guest announces major changes to award redemptions, elite status and more

22.02.2024 - 22:11 / thepointsguy.com / John F.Kennedy / Airlines

Etihad Airways announced a wide range of changes coming to its Etihad Guest loyalty program starting in June 2024. There are some winners and losers under the new system.

Etihad Guest is an under-the-radar frequent flyer program, and customers can usually find valuable partner sweet spots on its published award charts. For example, some TPG staffers prefer to book American Airlines flights through Etihad as they've found award redemptions for a fraction of the miles American was charging.

However, with changes coming to Etihad Guest in June 2024, will the program undergo a devaluation?

Keep reading to find out about the changes coming to this airline loyalty program.

In positive news, Etihad announced that the cost of economy and business-class award redemptions on "some popular routes" will actually decrease. Economy redemptions will start from 5,000 miles, and business class redemptions from 15,000 miles, per Etihad's website.

Pricing from the U.S. to Abu Dhabi currently remains the same at the time of publication, starting from 60,000 miles in economy or 120,000 miles in business class each way. But, because some airlines operate using dynamic pricing, you can sometimes save money by booking business-class tickets through Etihad; other international tickets can be much higher than this.

Another exciting development coming to Etihad? Customers will be able to redeem miles to upgrade to Etihad's famous A380 Residence between Abu Dhabi and London's Heathrow Airport (LHR) or New York City's John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK). Upgrade prices and rules have not yet been announced.

As for the not-so-good news, Etihad Guest miles will expire after 18 months and will only extend if you take a flight operated by Etihad or a partner airline within that time frame. This is far more restrictive than other programs that allow any earning activity (such as a small shopping portal purchase or purchasing 1,000 miles) to extend the mileage expiration.

New redemption cancellation charges are likely to also be unpopular, with a 25% mileage penalty when canceling an Etihad Guest redemption more than 21 days before departure, up to a steep 75% penalty for cancellations within seven days of departure. Again, this is much more restrictive than competing programs; for instance, Qatar Airways Privilege Club charges just $25 to change or cancel a redemption up to 24 hours before departure.

Related: How to avoid airline change and cancellation fees

Elite status members will continue to receive core benefits like priority check-in and boarding, complimentary Wi-Fi and additional mileage earnings. However, Etihad announced that Guest members will no longer need to earn Tier Segments to earn elite status; instead,