Etihad is offering a 50% bonus for those who purchase a voucher between June 10th, 2020 and June 24th, 2020. The voucher will provide an extra 50% in value when redeemed, effectively offering a significant discount for future flights.

How does the Etihad travel voucher work?

Etihad released a statement to Simple Flying outlining the new offering.

  • Passengers who purchase an Etihad Travel Voucher will be able to receive an extra 50% value on redemption.
  • Vouchers can be purchased for a minimum of $250 and up to a maximum of $65,000.
  • Vouchers are available for purchase from June 10th to June 24th.
  • Only valid for travel from August 1st onwards.
  • The vouchers will expire by June 2023 (two years).
  • You can redeem the voucher for other items, such as upgrades.

To purchase a voucher, passengers need to log in or create an Etihad Guest account (loyalty program) and contact Etihad via phone to make a purchase.

In the statement, Robin Kamark, the Chief Commercial Officer at Etihad, outlined why the airline was launching this new voucher.

"Now, more than ever, we want to give the world something to look forward to. Valid for two years, Etihad Travel Voucher will give our guests plenty of time to plan their future trip, and with 50% extra credit, they will spend less on that well-deserved break." Etihad, Inbound flights, United Arab Emirates

Is this a good deal?

First of all, unlike points, this offer appears only to be applicable for Etihad flights, or codeshares through the airline's ticket office. So, outside of bookings flying with Etihad itself or between two Etihad destinations, this offer is not that useful.

However, if a purchase is made, it could be worth holding on to the credit for a little longer. A brief look online shows that a flight from Sydney to London return is $876 flying with Qatar. When Emirates and Etihad aggressively re-enter the market, price competition could drive this down and make the outstanding credit more valuable.

ETihad Business Class Cbin
With this offer, business class seats on Etihad could be up for a bargain. Photo: Jay Singh/Simple Flying

Since the removal of the transit ban in the UAE, Etihad has been gradually ramping up its services once again. The airline now connects Abu Dhabi to around 20 destinations and is working on expanding that network as other countries' border restrictions allow.

The voucher scheme follows the incredibly generous offer posed by its neighborhood rival Qatar Airways last month, where passengers were able to book and rebook unlimited times for free. More importantly, travelers could rebook for any destination within 5,000 miles of the original location, making this one of the best booking policies in the industry.

The Gulf carriers are clearly keen to get travelers back in the skies and will do anything to secure their share. Etihad's offer is a generous one and will no doubt generate some much-needed capital and guaranteed forward bookings for the airline in the future.

Will you be taking advantage of the offer? Let us know in the comments.