Deals of the Week: Etihad loyalty points can be turned into cash

Etihad Airways, in conjunction with PointsPay, will allow loyalty members to exchange their air miles for a 'mobile wallet'.

Etihad Airways has become the first airline in the world to offer members of its loyalty programme the opportunity to convert air miles into cash.

By teaming up with PointsPay, a subsidiary of the Switzerland-based Loylogic Holdings, the airline says Etihad Guest members will be able to use the "mobile-based wallet" for redeeming loyalty points and air miles at point-of-sale outlets, both in-store and online, at more than 30 million merchants worldwide.

Etihad says members can use the PointsPay application, which is available as an iPhone app or can be found on the PointsPay website, to exchange their air miles for funds that are added to their PointsPay Visa prepaid card. This can then be used either in shops or online.

"This is a breakthrough innovation for the airline and loyalty industry, transforming our Etihad Guest miles into a global currency and we are very pleased to deliver this new solution to the world," says Peter Baumgartner, the chief commercial officer of Etihad Airways.

"This new facility changes the face of how loyalty programmes offer their members the ability to use their miles or points. Our members can now effectively redeem their Etihad Guest miles to make purchases at more than 30 million points-of-sale worldwide, which makes us the most flexible and rewarding programme in the industry."

The PointsPay application is safe to use and employs strong security standards, such as automatic information encryption, password protection and notifications whenever miles are converted to credit.

A select group of Etihad Guest members will be given the opportunity to access the new feature before it is fully rolled out by the end of April. It is not yet known how much each mile is worth under the system.

For more information, go to www.etihad.com or www.pointspay.com.

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Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank (ADIB) and Etisalat have teamed up to launch a co-branded credit card that allows customers to boost their MORE points to redeem rewards such as free talk time.

The new card, available in Classic, Gold and Platinum, comes with a range of Etisalat-related benefits, including vouchers that can be used at partner outlets and conversion of points into Etihad Guest miles.

Cardholders will also enjoy previews of new handset releases before they are available in the Emirates and be offered "smart" subscription packages through Etisalat.

"Developing new partnerships is key to our strategy of innovating exciting ways to reward our customers," says Matthew Willsher, the chief marketing officer at Etisalat. "We are excited about the new ADIB-Etisalat card, designed to add value by combining Etisalat's unique MORE points programme with the benefits of ADIB's covered cards."

Go to www.adib.ae for more information.