Etihad does not offer any co-branded credit cards to US-based members, so you'll need to use credit cards offered by transfer partners if you're looking to earn Etihad Guest Miles on everyday spending. Review our top picks for best credit cards for Etihad Guest Miles and calculate which cards can earn you the most miles and best return.
- Best For Everyday Categories & Travel: Citi Premier® Card
- Best For Restaurants & U.S. Supermarkets: American Express® Gold Card
- Best For Airfare & Lounge Access: The Platinum Card® from American Express
- Best For Small Business & Miscellaneous Spend: The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express
- Best For Flat-Rate Earnings: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
- Best For Heavy Business Spend: Capital One Spark Miles for Business
Best For Everyday Categories & Travel
The Citi Premier Card is one of the best options for quickly earning lots of Etihad Guest Miles via everyday spending and travel.
It earns 3X ThankYou Points on restaurants, supermarket, gas station, air travel, and hotel purchases and 1X points on all other purchases. These points can be transferred directly to Etihad Guest at a rate of 1:1 meaning that every 1,000 Citi points you transfer will give you 1,000 Etihad Guest Miles.
The card also offers an annual $100 hotel credit when you book a $500+ hotel stay though the thankyou.com portal.
Intro Bonus: For a limited time, earn 80,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after you spend $4,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening.
Learn More about the Citi Premier Card.
Best For Restaurants & U.S. Supermarkets
The American Express® Gold Card is one of the best travel credit cards in the market due to it's high earning rates and dining benefits.
It earns 4 Membership Rewards Points per $1 spent at restaurants and on U.S. supermarket purchases (up to $25,000 per year, then 1X), 3 points per $1 spent on airfare purchased directly with an airline or through American Express Travel, and 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases. These points can be transferred to Etihad Guest at a rate of 1:1 meaning that every 1,000 AMEX points you transfer to Etihad will give you 1,000 Etihad Guest miles.
The American Express Gold Card also offers up to $120 in annual Uber Cash as well as up to $120 in annual dining credits, both split into $10 per month (enrollment required).
Intro Bonus: Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $4,000 on eligible purchases with your new Card within the first 6 months.
Learn More about the American Express Gold Card.
Best For Airfare & Lounge Access
If you don't have lounge access with Etihad or you're looking for multiple lounge options, The Platinum Card® from American Express is here to provide for you.
The primary benefit of the card is access to the American Express Global Lounge collection which grants access to American Express Centurion Lounges, Priority Pass Lounges, Delta SkyClub Lounges (when flying Delta), Airspace Lounges, and Escape Lounges.
The Platinum Card also offers up to $1,400 in credits, complimentary elite status with Marriott, Hilton, and several car rental agencies, travel insurance, and much more.
In terms of points, you'll earn 5X Membership Rewards Points on airfare purchases and 5X on airfare and prepaid hotels booked through amextravel.com. These points can be transferred to Etihad Guest at a rate of 1:1.
If you spend heavy on airfare tickets, this is the best route to take when it comes to maximizing your spend for airlines.
Intro Bonus: Earn 100,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $6,000 on purchases on the Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.
Learn More about The Platinum Card from American Express.
Best For Small Business & Miscellaneous Spend
The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express is one of the best small business credit cards and is great for earning points at a flat rate.
The card earns 2X Membership Rewards Points on the first $50,000 in purchases made during the calendar year. After that, you'll earn 1X for the remainder of the calendar year. These points can be transferred to Etihad Guest at a rate of 1:1.
If you're looking to make the most of the Membership Rewards Program regardless of whether you're transferring points to Etihad or any of AMEX's other airline and hotel partners, you'll want to make sure that The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card is part of your credit card line up with American Express.
Intro Bonus: Earn 15,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $3,000 in eligible purchases on the Card within your first 3 months of Card Membership.
Learn More about the Blue Business Plus Credit Card.
Best For Flat-Rate Earnings
The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is the best option if you're looking for a single rewards credit card that you can use to build rewards at a flat-rate across all purchases.
The card earns 5 Venture Miles per $1 spent on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and an unlimited 2 miles per $1 spent on all other purchases. These miles can be transferred directly to Etihad at a 1:1 ratio meaning that every 1,000 Venture Miles you transfer will give you 1,000 Etihad Guest Miles.
The Venture Card also offers up to a $100 statement credit towards a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application which can be useful if you travel frequently.
Intro Bonus: Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel.
Learn More about the Capital One Venture Rewards credit card.
Best For Heavy Business Spend
If you're larger business that easily spends more than $50,000 per year, the Capital One Spark Miles for Business is a solid option for building rewards transferable to Etihad and other partners.
It earns 5 Spark Miles per $1 spent on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and an unlimited 2 miles per $1 spent on all other purchases with no limits or category restrictions. These miles can be transferred directly to Etihad Guest at a rate of 1:1 which is fantastic if you're looking to up the balance of Etihad Guest miles for your business.
The Spark Miles for Business also offers a statement credit of up to $100 towards Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application which can help you fly through security checkpoints or easily re-enter the states through U.S. customs.
Intro Bonus: Earn a one-time bonus of 50,000 miles – equal to $500 in travel – once you spend $4,500 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening.
Learn More about the Capital One Spark Miles for Business card.
Best Credit Cards Summary
| Credit Card | Best For | Annual Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Citi Premier® Card | Everyday Categories & Travel | $95 |
| American Express® Gold Card | Restaurants & U.S. Supermarkets | $250 |
| The Platinum Card® from American Express | Airfare & Lounge Access | $695 |
| The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express | Small Business & Miscellaneous Spending | $0 |
| Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card | Flat-Rate Earnings | $95 |
| Capital One Spark Miles for Business | Heavy Business Spending | $0 the first year, then $95 |
Etihad Guest Miles Calculator
Use the Etihad Guest Miles Calculator to find out which credit cards will earn you the most miles based on your spend.
Results will be sorted by net return which is the average value of the rewards earned, plus annual credits, and minus annual fees. You'll want to take into consideration the benefits a card offers as well on top of the estimated value calculated.
Results will consist of top-rated credit cards that either earn Etihad Guest Miles directly or earn rewards that can be transferred directly to the Etihad Guest program.
Find out which credit cards will earn you the most rewards and best value based on the spend amounts you entered
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These estimates are to help guide you towards making the best decision when it comes to picking up a rewards credit card. They should be used for illustrative purposes only.
You can click on the estimated earnings to see the calculations or click on the card to learn more and apply for the card through our partners.
Do note that all spend amounts entered into the tool above will carry over to every credit card rewards calculator on the site, so there's no need to re-enter spend if you choose to dive deeper into calculating rewards for credit cards on the site.
