How do I earn Etihad Guest Silver Tier status?

This post outlines the steps you need to take to get Etihad Guest Silver Tier status.

Silver is one of the four main tiers in Etihad Guest, the loyalty programme of Etihad Airways. The four tiers of the Etihad Guest programme are Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum. The Bronze Tier is the entry-level tier available to anyone joining the programme.

Silver is the lowest of the three elite tiers, offering some benefits and perks. Gold and Platinum are elite tiers with extra benefits and privileges. There is also Emerald, a special tier for individuals who spend over $150,000 with Etihad every year.

Explaining Guest Miles vs Tier Miles

Members of Etihad Guest collect both Guest Miles and Tier Miles. Guest Miles can be earned flying on Etihad Airway as well on more than 20 partner airlines.

Those Etihad Guest Miles can be redeemed to book reward flights on Etihad Airways and over 20+ partner airlines.

Using Guest Miles for shopping, car rental and hotel booking is also possible. However, this is rarely good value, and I only recommend using them for flights.

Meanwhile, Tier Miles are solely used to determine elite status within Etihad Guest. Elite status provides additional travel benefits such as free seat selection, lounge access and excess baggage allowances.

How many Tier Miles do you need for Silver?

To attain Silver Tier status, you need to:

Earn 25,000 Tier Miles over a rolling 12-month period
At least 10,000 Tier Miles must be earned from flying

You can no longer earn or retain Silver Tier status simply from credit card spend.

Qualifying flights are:

Any Etihad Airways-operated flight
Certain flights on a handful of partner airlines also earn Tier Miles. The four airlines are Air Serbia, Virgin Australia (Until 31 May 2025), Gulf Air and Saudia.

Maintaining status is easier to do

Tier status is valid for one year from the month of the Tier upgrade.

Keeping status is easier once you have earned it the first time, as the threshold to renew is lower. To maintain Silver status, you will need:

20,000 Tier Miles in a rolling 12-month period,
Again, a minimum of 10,000 Tier Miles must be earned from flying.

How are Tier Miles calculated?

Tier Miles are calculated based on a combination of distance, cabin and fare class. This means that the most expensive Economy fare earns more Tier Miles than the cheapest Business Class fare.

For example, on a one-way flight between Abu Dhabi and London Heathrow, you will earn the following Tier Miles for each fare type:

525 Tier Miles in Economy Basic
1,225 Tier Miles in Economy Value
2,625 Tier Miles in Economy Comfort
4,375 Tier Miles in Economy Deluxe
3,500 Tier Miles in Business Value
7,000 Tier Miles in Business Comfort
8,750 Tier Miles in Business Deluxe
10,5000 Tier Miles in First Class

The number of return flights you require to earn Silver status will vary greatly depending on the fare class purchased. It will take 24 return trips in Economy Basic but only 1.5 in Business Deluxe.

Check the Etihad Guest Miles calculator to confirm how many Tier Miles you earn on a particular flight.

Unfortunately, Etihad Guest redemption bookings do not earn any tier miles. However, part pay with miles should earn Guest Miles and Tier Miles.

Fast-track to Etihad Guest Silver Tier status with a credit card

An alternative route to Silver status is with an Etihad Guest co-brand credit card. Eight credit cards issued to UAE residents include complimentary Silver status as a perk. There is usually a minimum spend or flying requirement to trigger the benefits. The list of cards and requirements can be found in this post.

What are the benefits of Etihad Guest Silver?

Once you fulfil the requirements above, you will be upgraded to Silver Tier. Etihad Guest benefits are now divided into Core and Custom categories. Core perks are offered to all members. Custom perks need to be selected once a year

In addition to the benefits of Bronze status, you will receive the following Core perks as a Silver card holder:

Free wifi chat messaging onboard Etihad Airways flights
Earn 25% Bonus Etihad Guest Miles on Etihad Airways flights and a handful of airline partners
Access to a dedicated check-in counter at Abu Dhabi Airport

Silver Tier members can choose two Custom benefits from the following list:

Reserve one standard economy seat for free
Access to the Business Class Lounge at Abu Dhabi Airport (AUH) for self-only
10% discount on excess baggage fees
Reward shop vouchers (x2)

A detailed post exploring Etihad Guest Silver Tier’s perks and benefits can be found here.

Which airlines offer benefits to Etihad Guest elites?

Etihad Airways is not part of a global airline alliance, so you do not automatically get elite benefits on a collection of other airlines. However, there are a handful of airline partners that do recognise Etihad Guest Tier status. The full details of which airlines offer benefits to Etihad Guest elites can be found here.

Going for Gold

Once you have attained Silver, the next step up is Gold Tier, the sweet spot in the Etihad Guest programme. Read about how to get Etihad Guest Gold Status here. Read about the benefits of Etihad Guest Gold status here.