Etihad Guest Visa Elevate
Earn up to 200,000 Etihad Guest Miles
at Emirates NBD's secure site
Terms & conditions apply. See rates & fees.
Rewards rate
"For an Etihad regular, this is the complete package: a mile per on flights, hotels and dining, Gold status after one return flight, and half-price award tickets as your spend builds. But 2,625 up front and 1,575 a year is real money — if you board Etihad less than a handful of times a year, the fee eats the value before you do."
Earning and redeeming Etihad Guest Miles
The earn table is unusually generous at the top: 10 miles per 10 on Etihad Airways (including ey.com), hotels and dining, and 6 per 10 on everything else domestic or international outside the EU. The familiar UAE penalty buckets apply — EU/UK retail halves to 3, groceries, fast food, insurance and car dealerships drop to 1.5 per 10, and fuel, utilities, government, education, real estate and telecom to 0.6. Earning caps out at 100,000 of retail spend per billing cycle.
Miles sweep automatically into your Etihad Guest account within 5 days of each statement — redeem them through Etihad Guest for flights, upgrades and partners. Two extras change the maths for heavy spenders: every 150,000 of spend earns a 50%-off miles voucher (max 2 a year), and all spend earns 2.5 Etihad Tier Miles per 10 (capped at 50,000 a year), so your status keeps building between flights. The optional Express Miles boost adds 50% more miles for 250 a month, capped at 4,000 bonus miles per cycle — only worth it above roughly 13,000 of monthly high-rate spend.
Rates and fees
- Joining fee
- 2,625, billed in your first statement (VAT inclusive)
- Annual fee
- 1,575 from the second year onwards
- Welcome offer
- Up to 200,000 Etihad Guest Miles, credited on joining-fee payment and activation (first year only; breakdown confirmed at application)
- Interest rate
- 3.25% per month (39% p.a.) on unpaid balances
- Interest-free period
- 25–55 days when the full balance is paid
- Minimum salary
- 30,000 per month
- Foreign transaction fee
- 1.99% bank fee plus ~1.15% Visa processing fee on non- spend
- Express Miles (optional)
- 250/month for 50% bonus miles, capped at 4,000 per statement cycle
- Cash advance fee
- 3.15% of the amount (minimum 103.95)
- Late payment fee
- 241.50 per month
- Card network
- Visa Infinite
Rates verified against Emirates NBD's Key Facts Statement (08/2026), credit-card price guide (Feb 2026) and the Etihad Guest credit card T&C booklet, all VAT-inclusive. Always confirm on the issuer's site before applying.
Card benefits
Gold Tier fast track
Complete one return Etihad flight within 6 months of issuance and jump to Etihad Guest Gold: 50% bonus miles, 15kg extra baggage, priority check-in.
Tier Miles while you shop
2.5 Etihad Tier Miles per 10 on all spend, capped at 50,000 a year — status progress without a boarding pass.
50% miles-discount vouchers
Every 150,000 of spend earns a voucher halving the miles needed for any award flight — up to 2 vouchers a year.
Worldwide lounge access
Complimentary access to 1,000+ airport lounges via the Visa Airport Companion app.
Movie ticket BOGO
Buy one cinema ticket, get one free under the bank's Royal Cinemas offer.
Concierge, valet & golf
ENBD concierge desk, valet parking at select Abu Dhabi locations, golf privileges and Visa airport dining discounts.
Pros and cons
- Strong earn for an airline card — 1 mile per 1 on Etihad, hotels and dining, 0.6 on general spend
- Fast track to Etihad Guest Gold (50% bonus miles, extra baggage, priority check-in) after a single return flight
- Up to 200,000 Etihad Guest Miles as a welcome offer
- 50% miles-discount voucher every 150,000 of spend cuts award-flight costs in half
- Tier Miles on card spend (up to 50,000 a year) keep your status alive without flying
- 2,625 joining fee, then 1,575 every year — steep and never waived
- 30,000 minimum salary puts it out of most applicants' reach
- Groceries, fuel, utilities and other penalty categories earn 0.06–0.15 miles per 1
- The 200,000-mile welcome offer is 'up to' — the bank doesn't publish the tier breakdown
- 1.99% foreign-transaction fee plus ~1.15% Visa processing on non- spend
Is it right for you?
Get this card if
- You fly Etihad several times a year and want status, miles and cheaper awards from one card.
- You spend heavily on dining and hotels — the 1-mile-per- rate covers both.
- You earn 30,000+ a month and will keep enough spend on the card to justify 1,575 a year.
Consider skipping it if
- You fly whichever airline is cheapest — a free-for-life travel card keeps the perks without the 2,625 entry fee.
- Your spend is mostly groceries, fuel and utilities, which earn 0.06–0.15 miles per here.
- You carry a balance — 3.25% a month wipes out any miles value fast.
Alternatives to consider
Same Etihad ecosystem at 70% of the earn rate, an 12,000 salary floor and a fee less than half as high.
Best Etihad Guest cards →
The Dubai-side equivalent: Skywards Miles, Silver tier perks and premium travel benefits at a similar price point.
Best Emirates Skywards cards →
Free for life with lounge access and flexible travel miles — far less earning power, but nothing to pay back first.
Best no-annual-fee cards →Not sure which way to go? Put them side by side in our card comparison tool or browse the full ranked list.
Frequently asked questions
What are the fees on the Etihad Guest Visa Elevate card?+
AED 2,625 joining fee in year one, then AED 1,575 annual fee from the second year onwards (both VAT-inclusive). The fee is billed in your first statement and is not reversed once the card is activated or used.
What is the welcome offer?+
Up to 200,000 Etihad Guest Miles. Introductory bonus miles are credited once you pay the joining fee and activate the card, in the first year only — the exact number offered is confirmed at application, and the bank does not publish the full tier breakdown on the card page.
How many Etihad Guest Miles do I earn per dirham?+
1 mile per AED 1 on Etihad Airways, hotels and dining; 0.6 miles on other domestic and international (non-EU) spend; 0.3 in the EU and UK. Groceries, supermarkets, fast food, insurance and car dealerships earn 0.15, and petroleum, transit, government, utilities, real estate, education and telecom earn just 0.06. Earning is capped at AED 100,000 of retail spend per billing cycle.
How do I get Etihad Guest Gold status with this card?+
Complete one return Etihad Airways flight (excluding redemption flights) within 6 months of card issuance and you are fast-tracked to Etihad Guest Gold. You also earn 2.5 Etihad Tier Miles per AED 10 on all card spend, capped at 50,000 Tier Miles per calendar year.
What is the Express Miles programme?+
An optional booster: for AED 250 a month you earn 50% more miles on your regular earn each statement cycle, capped at 4,000 bonus miles per cycle. You can opt out at any time.
Does the card include airport lounge access?+
Yes — complimentary access to more than 1,000 airport lounges worldwide through the Visa Airport Companion app. The bank does not publish a visit allowance on the card page.
What is the minimum salary requirement?+
AED 30,000 per month.
Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank or card issuer, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.