There is good news for the over 15 million e& subscribers in the UAE. Etihad Guest recently added Smiles as a points transfer partner. You can now turn your Smiles points into Etihad Guest Miles and vice versa.

Smiles points are the loyalty currency of e&, previously known as Etisalat. You can earn Smiles on your mobile phone, home internet connection or landline bills.

To set up or manage your Smiles balance, you’ll need to download the iOS app or Android app.

How many miles can you transfer?

Transfers from Smiles to Etihad Guest are in multiples of 3,000 points with a minimum of 3,000 required. The transfer ratios are:

8 Smiles points = 1 Etihad Guest Mile (Min. 3,000 Smiles points)

1 Etihad Guest Mile = 1.5 Smiles points (Min. 2,000 Smiles points)

How do you turn Smiles into Etihad Guest Miles?

To transfer points from Smiles to Etihad Guest, you need to have the app on your device and follow these steps:

1. Download the Smiles app for iOS or Android
2. Log in to your Smiles account using your e& account details
3. Click on Rewards Exchange
4. Link your Smiles and Etihad Guest accounts (first time only)
5. Click the Convert button   
6. Select Smiles in ‘from’
7. Select Etihad Guest account in ‘to’  

The transfer will appear in your Etihad Guest account virtually instantly.

My view

An an e& customer I am delighted to see Smiles added as an Etihad Guest transfer partner. Historically, I have not been very engaged with the programme or excited about the available redemption opportunities. Before this, I only ever made one redemption via Smiles, and that was for a Decathlon voucher.

Smiles points expire after 24 months. I was watching points expire month after month.

However, over the last month, I have been able to transfer 54,000 Smiles points into 6,750 Etihad Guest Miles. The miles appeared in my Etihad Guest account immediately. This was particularly helpful as a considerable chunk of those Smiles points were on the verge of expiring.

Other Etihad Guest transfer partners

It is worth remembering that it is possible to transfer points from close to 60 partner loyalty programmes to Etihad Guest. The partner programmes span financial services, travel, retail and shopping. Read my complete guide on how to transfer partner points into Etihad Guest Miles.