Etihad Visitor isn’t a program we focus on a lot, it doesn’t often supply standout worth past reserving Etihad Airways’ personal premium cabin awards. Nevertheless, I not too long ago got here throughout some intriguing redemption and money alternatives that may make it value a re-assessment–notably for short-haul flights with Air Canada and American Airways.
Etihad Visitor Program in a Nutshell
Let’s go over some fundamentals of Etihad Visitor, the loyalty program of Etihad Airways.
Until you’re flying Etihad, the simplest method to earn Etihad Visitor miles is thru switch companions. In Canada, Amex Membership Rewards (MR) factors switch to Etihad Visitor at a ratio of 1:0.75. Within the US, Amex MR, Citi ThankYou Factors, and Capital One Miles switch at a 1:1 ratio, making it comparatively simple to build up miles.
For redemptions, Etihad Visitor has two separate award charts–one for Etihad Airways flights and one other for companion airways–each are distance-based. Etihad has quite a lot of airline companions from all three airline alliances and others, however sadly redemptions aren’t obtainable on all of them.
When redeeming miles, you will need to notice that Etihad Visitor does go on carrier-imposed surcharges which needs to be factored into the general value of the redemption.
Etihad Visitor can be recognized for having a notoriously horrible cancellation coverage. You can not cancel an award ticket inside 24 hours of departure. As much as 24 hours previous to your flight, you possibly can obtain a partial refund of your miles and taxes based mostly on if you cancel a flight, as follows:
- Inside 7 days of departure: 75% of the miles redeemed might be forfeited.
- Between 8 and 21 days earlier than departure: 50% of the miles redeemed might be forfeited.
- 21 or extra days earlier than departure: 25% of the miles redeemed might be forfeited.
With these in thoughts, let’s get to the candy spot…
The Quick-Haul Candy Spot
Companion redemptions use a distance-based pricing mannequin, and whereas I couldn’t discover a present award chart, searches point out that flights inside the 0–500 mile distance band are priced at 6,000 Etihad Visitor miles for financial system class and 20,000 miles for enterprise class.
As an award redemption, 6,000 miles generally is a nice worth for short-haul flights, particularly when dynamic pricing with different applications isn’t in your favour, resembling might be the case with reserving Air Canada flights with Aeroplan and American Airways flights with AAdvantage.
Generally, it might even make extra sense to avoid wasting your miles and pay money–particularly if you will get the flight for virtually 50% off!
Take for instance, a flight from Toronto (YYZ) to Washington, DC (DCA) that will value $410 (CAD).
If you happen to have been to e book by Aeroplan, the redemption would value 14.5K Aeroplan factors + $121 (CAD) in taxes and costs. Accounting for the taxes and costs, you’d nonetheless be getting 2 cents per level, which isn’t a nasty redemption in any respect.
Reserving with Etihad Visitor, the flight distance clocks in at 359 miles, which falls below the 0–500 mile distance band for Etihad Visitor, and subsequently prices 6,000 Etihad Visitor miles + $149 (CAD) in taxes and costs. You save a little bit of miles by redeeming by Etihad, however the minimal financial savings is probably not sufficient to sway you to e book by Etihad.
However typically the financial savings might be fairly substantial too.
Right here is an instance of a flight with American Airways from Washington, DC (DCA) to Detroit (DFW) the place the money flight prices $436 (CAD).
By means of Etihad Visitor, the flight prices 6,000 miles + $19 (USD).
That’s a fairly vital value financial savings. Transferring Amex MR to Etihad Visitor at 1:0.75 ratio means that you will want 8,000 MR factors. If we worth MR factors at 2.2 cents per level, that’s $176 (CAD) for the flight which is nice deal.
But it surely seems to be like you can too choose to simply pay straight out money for these 6,000 miles and find yourself with an excellent higher deal.
https://princeoftravel.com/points-valuations/Within the first instance of Toronto to Washington, it can save you your miles and pay simply $77 (CAD) to cowl the 6,000 miles + $149 in taxes and costs, for a complete of $226 (CAD) for the flight.
This isn’t a free flight, however you’ll be saving 45% off your flight!
For the second instance, flyign from Washington to Detroit on American Airways, you can too save your miles and pay $54 (USD) to cowl the 6,000 miles + $19 (USD) in taxes and costs for a complete of $73 (USD) for the flight.
In actual fact, for any given short-haul flight costing you 6,000 Etihad Visitor miles, you possibly can pay simply $77 (CAD) or $54 (USD) for the flight plus the taxes and costs.
What’s additionally attention-grabbing is the cancellation coverage seems to vary from their normal coverage. 
Carry-on bag additionally seems to be included, however not checked baggage, which means that this books into Air Canada’s normal fare bucket.
Reserving the Etihad Visitor Quick-Haul Candy Spot
Right here’s how one can go about doing it…
Not all short-haul flights will present up as being bookable by Etihad Visitor, so that you’ll must double verify the flight availability on Etihad Visitor, or use an award search instrument, like Roame or seats.aero to do it for you.
Simply because the flight is accessible for redemption on Etihad Visitor, doesn’t imply it’s the most affordable choice. You’ll additionally need to evaluate it to the price of reserving the flight absolutely on money and to utilizing the airline’s personal loyalty program or different companion airline applications to e book it.
Let’s say you’ve decided that Etihad Visitor candy spot is the most affordable method to go, then first you’ll have to create an Etihad Visitor account. Until you’re planning on making an award redemption by Etihad Visitor, don’t switch any miles into the account.
Carry out a seek for your flight of curiosity. For instance, let’s take a look at Seattle (SEA) to Vancouver (YVR) on September 3, 2025. Reserving by Air Canada the money fee is $252 (CAD).
Reserving by Etihad Visitor, you’ll initially see it for six,000 miles + $38.36 (USD).
Click on on the flight to e book it. It would carry you to the reserving web page however instantly inform you that you just shouldn’t have sufficient miles for the flight.
If you happen to bypass this web page, you possibly can proceed to fill within the passenger info. Etihad will then mechanically convert the 6,000 miles require for the flight to a hard and fast value plus the taxes and will let you proceed and pay for the flight.
For additional particulars on the way to get the cost web page, come be part of our Membership Group.
What’s Taking place Right here?
It seems that Etihad is treating the acquisition basically as a money + miles buy. You’re paying $54 (USD) or $77 (CAD) for six,000 Etihad Visitor miles which works out to 0.9 cents USD per level, or 1.28 cents CAD per level.
Examine this to purchasing Etihad Visitor miles off their web site, the place 6,000 miles value $120 USD, paying $54 (USD) by this technique is a steal.
Conclusion
Generally money charges for seemingly brief flights might be ridiculously excessive, and with the dynamic nature of Aeroplan and AAdvantage redemptions, it’s good to have a less expensive choice by Etihad Visitor to e book them at an inexpensive, mounted redemption. If you happen to choose to avoid wasting your factors, you possibly can even buy the flight by Etihad for a fraction of the price.
This may be notably useful for a last-minute flight the place the price is usually inflated or for positioning flights. Since direct flights from Canada aren’t all the time obtainable, travellers usually have to place to U.S. cities to connect with flights sure for Europe, Asia, and past.
Hopefully you’ll be capable of benefit from this candy spot too!
