SBICard issues 2 Etihad Credit Cards in India in the name of SBI Etihad Guest Card & SBI Etihad Guest Premier Credit Card. The Premier variant is the better one that comes with Etihad Gold Status.
This card can be tricky to understand for many. But having used it every year for the past three years, I’ve written this article to explain it in simple terms, so you can trust what you’re reading.
Overview
| Type | Airline Credit Card |
| Reward Rate | Varies with redemption |
| Annual Fee | 4,999+GST |
| Best for | Couple Travellers |
| USP | Companion Voucher |
Ideally it’s meant for international travellers, as only those can make use of the companion voucher that comes with the card.
Fees
| Joining Fee | 4,999+GST |
| Welcome Benefit | – 5000 Etihad Miles – Etihad Gold Status (1st Year Only) |
| Renewal Fee | 4,999+GST |
| Renewal Benefit | – |
| Renewal Fee waiver | 5L INR |
- Complimentary Etihad Guest Gold tier status post first card transaction
- Gold Tier only for 1st 6 months without any flights
- 2 Wifi Vouchers on 1st Etihad Booking
The welcome benefit may seem low for the fee, but the Etihad Gold Status adds significant value.
Rewards
| SPEND TYPE | REWARD (Etihad Miles / 100 INR) |
|---|---|
| Regular Spends | 2 |
| International Spends | 4 |
| Spends on Etihad.com | 6 |
- No rewards on Fuel
- 1 Etihad Guest Tier Mile for every 50 INR spent (helps for re-qualification)
- Maximum of 40,000 Etihad Guest Tier Miles can be earned in a year
The reward rate for regular spends isn’t great, so it’s not the main focus. However, these miles can eventually contribute to redeeming a companion voucher.
On earning Etihad miles, there’s a new & noteworthy offer that has just dropped in: Etihad Croma Offer lets one earn 1 Mile per 2 INR spend at Croma.
Milestone Benefit
| SPEND REQUIREMENT | VOUCHER TYPE | VALUE |
|---|---|---|
| 1.5 Lakhs (Quarterly) |
1,500 Etihad Miles | ~ 750 INR |
| 8 Lakhs (Annual) |
Companion Voucher | Depends on how you redeem (Business or First Class) |
The main benefit of the SBI Etihad Guest Premier Credit Card is the 8L milestone companion voucher, which helps you save significantly when traveling with a companion.
Although Etihad recently increased the miles required, the voucher effectively cuts the miles needed in half. However, keep in mind that taxes still apply for both tickets.
Companion Voucher
Redeeming Companion Voucher is an easy process. You just need to head on to the link shared on email and submit after inputting the voucher code.
But to get a real value of the voucher one needs to make extra effort.
To begin with, the redemption makes sense only on 1 leg from/to AUH and beyond and not from India, as taxes are high and unnecessary for a 4hr flight from India to AUH.
So to make use of this voucher one have to break the journey at AUH onward/return from EU/USA for better value.
Points requirement (dynamic though) are as follows:
- EU: 70K-90K Business / 120K-140K First + ~30K INR Tax
- USA: ~120K Business / 160K-200K First + ~60K INR Tax
Note that if you’re flying to USA, you get US Pre-clearance at AUH as well which makes life better.
If you’re not planning to use the companion voucher, then it’s better to ignore the card altogether as the miles earn rate is poor. Instead, one can take Axis Atlas or other cards to earn miles across different airlines.
Not to mention that, you need a Visa to enter UAE which adds additional resistance for most to try this method. Hence, it makes things easy only for those with valid US Visa, as you can get Visa on Arrival at UAE.
Redemption Experience
I’ve personally always used it for onward journey, only on First Class, as the difference between First/Business is not much but the experience is. I’ve flown below route so far:
- AUH-LHR (First Class), once
- AUH-GVA (First Class), twice
I typically do a 1 day trip to AUH / Dubai and since I am gold member I get the free chauffeur service to either places as well.
While departing from AUH, you also get access to the Etihad First Class Lounge which is quite massive in size with amazing food.
Speaking about miles requirement, it’s neither low nor easy to accumulate and so feels expensive to fly even with companion voucher. So I usually transfer points when there is a ~30% transfer bonus offer and use them.
Lounge Access
| ACCESS TYPE | VIA | LIMIT |
|---|---|---|
| Domestic Lounge Access | Visa | 2/Qtr (8/yr) |
| International Lounge Access | Priority Pass | 2/Qtr (4/yr) |
Given that the card targets international travellers, I wish it had more international visits without the quarterly limit.
Other Benefits
- Up to 10% discount on select Business Class and Economy Class flights on direct Etihad Airways booking
- 1% fuel surcharge waiver (Txns of INR 500 – INR 4,000). maximum Fuel Surcharge Waiver of Rs 250 can be availed per statement cycle.
- Card Insurance benefit
How to Apply?
It looks like online application is longer available for Etihad Credit Cards. But I heard that it “maybe” possible to apply offline.
Bottom line
The SBI Etihad Guest Premier Credit Card is certainly useful for those who are flexible with travel dates and willing to put in extra effort to use the companion voucher, along with high spends on cards like Axis/Amex/HSBC to earn the required miles.
So it’s indeed complex for most cardholders due to the various challenges involved. But that’s what it takes to fly Business/First when one can’t afford the revenue rate. 😉