Etihad and SBI Card have two co-branded credit cards in India, Etihad Guest SBI Premier Card and Etihad Guest SBI Premier Card. The Etihad Guest SBI Premier card is the top variant of these two co-branded cards. It comes with a joining and annual fee of ₹ 4999+GST. We get 5000 Etihad miles in lieu of the joining and annual fee. The card earns 2 to 6 miles per ₹ 100 spend and offers both complimentary domestic & international airport lounge access.
Fees
| Joining Fee | ₹ 4999+GST ~₹ 5899 |
| Welcome Benefit | 5000 Etihad Guest Miles Etihad Guest Gold status and 2 Wi-Fi vouchers |
| Annual Fee | ₹ 4999+GST ~₹ 5899 |
| Renewal Benefit | 5000 Etihad Guest Miles |
| Annual Fee Waiver | On ₹ 5 Lakh spend in a year |
The Etihad Guest Gold status is only for the first year. From the second year onwards, the tier will be as per Etihad Guest loyalty program criteria.
Etihad Guest SBI Premier Card Rewards
| Spend Category | Etihad Guest Miles Earn Rate |
|---|---|
| Etihad.com spends | 6 Miles/₹ 100 |
| International spends | 4 Miles/₹ 100 |
| Other Spends (except fuel, rent) | 2 Miles/₹ 100 |
The Etihad Guest SBI Premier Card has a 2X earn rate compared to the base Etihad Guest SBI Card. While this sounds good, the miles requirement for Etihad award seats is quite high. So, you would need significantly high spends to book those miles redemptions on Etihad Guest program.
Milestone Benefits
- 1 companion voucher on annual spends of ₹ 8 Lakh
- 1500 Etihad Guest Miles on ₹ 1.5 Lakh spend in a calendar quarter
How to use Etihad Companion Voucher
Etihad companion voucher is one of the unique benefits of the Etihad SBI cards. It is the BookMyShow BOGO equivalent for flight tickets. The companion voucher is valid for 6 months and can be used to waive off the miles requirements for the companion when booking an award ticket. The Etihad Guest SBI cardholder and the companion need to be on the same travel class and flight to utilize the companion voucher.
The companion voucher can be used only for award ticket redemptions, not for revenue or cash bookings.
Etihad Guest Program & Miles Requirements
Etihad Guest program has been heavily devalued over the last few years. The program follows a distance range to determine the miles requirement for routes. But, these are just estimated miles for booking award ticket. In most cases, you will see a requirement based on the supply/demand that will increase or decrease the required miles.
| Distance range | Economy | Business | First |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-500 | 7000 | 20,000 | 40,000 |
| 501-1000 | 11,000 | 25,000 | 50,000 |
| 1001-1500 | 13,000 | 30,000 | 60,000 |
| 1501-2000 | 17,000 | 45,000 | 90,000 |
| 2001-2500 | 22,000 | 50,000 | 100,000 |
| 2501-3000 | 27,000 | 60,000 | 120,000 |
| 3001-4000 | 32,000 | 70,000 | 140,000 |
| 4000-5000 | 37,000 | 75,000 | 150,000 |
| 5001-6000 | 45,000 | 100,000 | 200,000 |
| 6001+ | 60,000 | 110,000 | 220,000 |
For example, the flight distance between Bengaluru and Abu Dhabi is 1701 miles. So, the requirement for an award ticket should be 17,000 miles for economy and 45,000 for business class. When we checked it on Etihad for a future dates, it varied from 14,529 to 27,057 miles for economy class depending on the flight timing. For business class, it started from 75,547 miles and went up to 1,33,673. These are just miles requirements. Etihad also passes on a higher taxes and surcharge for award ticket bookings.
For an onward journey from Abu Dhabi to London, the flight distance is 3446 miles. As per Etihad’s chart, the miles requirement will be 32,000 for economy and 70,000 for business. When we checked it on Etihad for a time 3 months from now, it varied from 38,118 to 72,493 miles for economy class. For business class, it started from 70,000 miles and went up to 3,29,113.
Complimentary Airport Lounge Access
- Domestic Airport Lounge Access: 8 visits/year with Visa
- International Airport Lounge Access: 4 visits/year with Visa
Other Key Benefits & Charges
- Fuel Surcharge Waiver: 1% waiver for transactions from ₹ 500 to ₹ 4000. Maximum waiver is capped at ₹ 250 per statement cycle.
- Foreign Currency Markup: 3.5%+GST ~4.1%
- Interest Rates: 3.5% per month
Final Thoughts
Etihad Guest SBI Premier Card is a decent offering but we would have liked some way to earn accelerated miles on spends. For Etihad’s miles requirements, it needs high spends to accumulate the required miles for award tickets. But, the card does have its sweet spots. The companion voucher is the Etihad Guest SBI Premier card as it allows you to take a companion along without having to spend miles for the ticket. We can also take advantage of the Etihad Guest Gold status welcome benefit and get extra benefits if we have planned travel.
Things have been constantly improving in the Indian credit cards market for airmiles enthusiasts. Etihad SBI credit cards are not the only way to earn Etihad Guest miles in India. We can also earn Etihad Guest miles on credit cards from other issuers like Axis Bank, HDFC Bank and American Express. The miles earn rate on cards like Atlas, Infinia and DCB will also be significantly higher than what the Etihad Guest SBI Premier card offers.
Etihad Guest SBI Premier Card
