Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways has announced that PointsPay, the innovative solution that enables members of Etihad Guest loyalty programme to convert their miles into cash, has been a huge success since its launch in September.

PointsPay is exclusive to Etihad Guest and gives members the ability to spend miles at more than 30 million outlets worldwide, a statement from the company said.

Since the launch to more than 1.8 million members worldwide, more than 163 million Etihad Guest Miles have been loaded onto PointsPay plastic and virtual cards worldwide.

More than 23 million miles have been redeemed and used to purchase goods from over 1,000 merchants, in 450 cities, in 60 different countries, the statement said.

Peter Baumgartner, Etihad Airways’ chief commercial officer, said: “PointsPay is truly a ground-breaking innovation and solution and as expected the response from our members has been fantastic.”

“We were always confident that a solution enabling members to exchange their miles for cash would appeal, but to achieve this level of response in such a short period of time is an industry game-changer.”

“It is the strongest endorsement that our award-winning loyalty programme continues to deliver innovative solutions that provide real value to the people who matter most, our members,” he said.

Etihad Guest members use the PointsPay iPhone app or visit the website to arrange for Guest miles to be transferred into funds, and loaded directly to PointsPay prepaid card before using the card either in-store or online.

For online shopping, members do not need a physical card, as the system produces a Virtual PointsPay card for use directly on the web.

The PointsPay application is safe to use as it incorporates robust security standards including automatic information encryption, password protection and notifications whenever miles are converted to credit, the statement said.

Since its launch, more than 7,000 Etihad Guest members around the world have registered to use PointsPay to convert their Etihad Guest Miles to cash.

With an average value of $60 per transaction, the top ten countries, accounting for over 80 per cent of total transactions, include the United Kingdom, India, Australia, United States, Ireland, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Pakistan and UAE.

Etihad Guest, the airline’s award-winning loyalty program was launched in August 2006 and now boasts more than 1.8 million members.

The programme offers members the opportunity to accumulate Etihad Guest Miles on flights with Etihad Airways as well as many global airline partners such as airberlin, Air Seychelles, Virgin Australia, and American Airlines, and a wide range of non-airline partners including many of the leading hotel chains.

Etihad Guest members can redeem against flights and more than 6,000 non-flight rewards from over 250 partners on the Etihad Guest online reward shop.

The PointsPay application is developed by PointsPay, a Loylogic Company. Loylogic specialises in loyalty programme innovations. – TradeArabia News Service