AirRewards vs Akthr: which loyalty program wins?

We score AirRewards and Akthr on the same five factors — earning rate, redemption value, partner network, ease of use, and point expiry — to help you choose the right program for how you actually spend.

Verdict

AirRewards is best for Frequent economy flyers, while Akthr is best for Anyone wanting flexible redemption across airlines, hotels, and investment.

Skip AirRewards if Anyone wanting to earn through daily spend, and skip Akthr if Anyone seeking high earn rates without a premium card.

Overall rating

	AirRewards	Akthr
Overall rating	3.4 / 5	3.6 / 5
Earning	3.0 / 5	3.0 / 5
Redemption	4.0 / 5	4.0 / 5
Network	3.0 / 5	4.0 / 5
Ease of use	4.0 / 5	4.0 / 5
Expiry	3.0 / 5	3.0 / 5

Earning structure

AirRewards	Members earn up to 10% cashback as AirRewards points on every Air Arabia flight booking (and ancillary services like meals, baggage, and seat selection). The exact earn rate varies by fare type and route. Earning also extends to partner activities: 200 points per 100 AED with Union Insurance, up to 40 points per 100 AED at Kalyan Jewellers, 3 points per 10 AED via Buzzpay mobile recharges (UAE-focused), up to 6 points per USD with Sixt car rentals, up to 10,000 points per Rocketmiles hotel stay, up to 15 points per USD with Kaligo hotel bookings, and 4 points per Euro at Land of Fashion. Family accounts pool points across multiple members.
Akthr	Cardholders earn Akthr points on every purchase, with rates varying significantly by card tier. Standard credit cards and the Traveler prepaid card earn 1 point per SAR. Intermediate tiers (Platinum, Signature) earn at higher rates. Infinite cards earn 6 points per SAR on domestic purchases and 7 per SAR on international - but Infinite cards are income-restricted and held by a small minority of customers. Members can also earn points through banking products and services beyond card spend. Welcome bonuses up to 10,000 points are offered to new members. Promotional doubling campaigns run periodically at supermarkets and partner merchants. Digital wallet top-ups do not earn points.

Redemption structure

AirRewards	Points redeem at the fixed rate of 100 AirRewards points = 1 USD, with no variability based on fare type, date, or route — a uniquely transparent value in airline loyalty. Points can be used for flights (every seat on every flight available, no blackout dates), meals, baggage, and additional services. Cash + Points option allows partial payment when point balance is insufficient. Family account members can pool points to redeem together. AirRewards points can also be transferred to Etihad Guest Miles for redemption within the broader Etihad network. Redemption is processed entirely through www.airarabia.com or the mobile app.
Akthr	Points redeem through multiple channels via the alinma app: cash to AlinmaPay wallet, partner POS discount codes via registered mobile number plus OTP (from as few as 2 points per code), e-vouchers and selected products, transfer to Alfursan miles, transfer to flynas naSmiles miles (24 Akthr points = 1 naSmiles mile), transfer to ALL Accor hotel rewards (22,000 Akthr = 1,000 ALL Reward Points, 5,500+ hotels worldwide), conversion to Alinma Capital investment wallet, charitable donations, hotel and car bookings, and gifting points to other registered Akthr members. Most redemption options have low or no minimum thresholds. The mobile-number-plus-OTP mechanic at partner POS is among the simplest redemption flows in Saudi banking.

Partner network · Tiers & status · Point expiry policy

	AirRewards	Akthr
Number of partners	0	0
Partners	—	—
Number of tiers	0	0
Top tier	—	—
First-tier qualification	—	—
Point expiry	—	12 months

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