While Emirates’ luxurious first-class cabins, complete with onboard bars and showers, have captured the imaginations of countless aviation enthusiasts, the airline’s Skywards frequent flyer program has often been overlooked. Historically, travelers have found more cost-effective ways to book Emirates award flights using miles that are easier to earn. However, with recent changes leading to increased prices on many alternative booking options, Emirates Skywards now presents several appealing opportunities.
Additionally, numerous premier rewards credit cards partner with Emirates, facilitating the direct transfer of points to your Skywards account. This article will delve into everything you need to know about Emirates’ Skywards loyalty program.
How to Earn Miles with Emirates Skywards
There are multiple strategies to accumulate Emirates miles, not just through flying, but also via its extensive array of partners.
Earn Miles via Credit Cards
One of the quickest ways to collect miles is by leveraging the right credit card welcome bonus and transfer options. Emirates stands out as one of the few airlines partnering with major transferable points currencies at a 1:1 ratio, though exceptions exist for Wells Fargo Rewards.
Recent adjustments have altered the game: starting July 27, the transfer rate from Citi ThankYou Rewards will drop by 20%, translating to 800 miles for every 1,000 transferred. In conjunction with this, Chase and American Express will temporarily suspend transfers to Skywards.
Highlighted below are some credit cards currently offering substantial welcome bonuses that can be converted to Skywards miles:
- Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card: Earn 60,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 in the first three months.
- The Business Platinum Card® from American Express: 150,000 bonus points after spending $20,000 on eligible purchases in the first three months.
- The Platinum Card® from American Express: 80,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $8,000 within six months.
- American Express® Gold Card: 60,000 Membership Rewards points with a $6,000 spend in six months.
- Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card: 75,000 bonus miles after spending $4,000 in three months.
- Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card: Same offer as above.
- Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card: 90,000 bonus points after spending $8,000 in three months.
Remember, though, that transfers are irreversible, so ensure you’re making the best decision before converting your rewards to Emirates miles.
Earn Miles by Flying Emirates
For regular international travelers, earning miles can also be achieved by crediting flights with Emirates or its partner airlines to your Skywards account. Emirates awards miles based on distance flown, cabin choice, fare class, and your elite status level in the program.
With four cabin options — economy, premium economy, business, and first class — the fare classes include:
- Economy: Special, Saver, Flex, and Flex Plus
- Premium Economy: Flex Plus
- Business Class: Special, Saver, Flex, and Flex Plus
- First Class: Flex and Flex Plus
With no public earnings chart available, travelers can utilize Emirates’ miles calculator to ascertain miles earned for specific flights. For instance, a round-trip economy class (Special) ticket from John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to Dubai International Airport (DXB) without elite status yields 1,800 miles.
Earn Miles on Partner Flights
Emirates collaborates with various airlines, allowing Skywards miles to be earned by crediting flights on these partners to your Emirates account. The partner airlines include:
- Aegean Airlines
- Air Canada
- Air Mauritius
- Azul
- Bangkok Airways
- Condor
- Copa Airlines
- EasyJet (spend partner only)
- FlyDubai
- Garuda Indonesia
- Gol Airlines
- Japan Airlines
- Jetstar
- Korean Air
- Malaysia Airlines
- Olympic Airlines
- Qantas
- South African Airways
- TAP Air Portugal
- United Airlines
The accrual rates depend on your flight distance and chosen fare class, although the rates can be limited, with many partners offering only 1-2 miles per mile flown, even for premium cabins.
Earn Miles with Rental Car and Hotel Partners
Beyond flights and credit cards, Emirates provides opportunities to earn miles through various rental car partners. Working with major companies globally, Emirates allows earning fixed bonuses per rental or up to 6 miles per dollar spent.
While booking hotels directly typically ensures you earn hotel points, if infrequent travelers prefer, they can choose third-party bookings to earn airline miles. Emirates partners with notable hotel chains like Hyatt, InterContinental, Hilton, and many others.
Earn Miles with Retail and Lifestyle Partners
Boost your Skywards balance by shopping online at the Skywards Miles Mall, which awards up to 120 miles for every $10 spent. You can also earn miles through selected retailers, including GetYourGuide and Arabian Adventures. Rates differ per retailer, so it’s advisable to check here for specifics.
Pool Miles
Instead of transferring miles between accounts, consider Emirates’ My Family program, which allows up to eight family members to pool their miles. This means every time a family member flies with Emirates, they can choose how many miles to credit to the joint My Family account.
Emirates Skywards Elite Status
Emirates offers four elite status tiers within the Skywards loyalty program, starting from Blue (general members) to top-tier Platinum. Qualification can be achieved either by accumulating tier miles or by taking a specified number of flights annually:
- Blue: Entry-level member
- Silver: 25,000 tier miles or 25 flights
- Gold: 50,000 tier miles or 50 flights
- Platinum: 150,000 tier miles and at least one qualifying flight in business or first class
All elite members (Silver and above) benefit from complimentary lounge access in Dubai and priority check-in. Gold and Platinum members receive extra perks such as guaranteed seats on full flights and priority baggage delivery, while Platinum status additionally offers worldwide first-class lounge access. Each tier also comes with a mileage bonus: Silver members earn 30% extra miles, Gold members get 75%, and Platinum members receive 100% bonus miles.
How to Redeem Emirates Miles
Redeem Miles for Emirates Flights
As Emirates isn’t part of any major airline alliance, the most rewarding uses for your Skywards miles will typically be reserved for Emirates-operated flights. With its extensive network from Dubai to hundreds of destinations globally, it’s become a vital connecting hub between Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and North America.
Since Emirates does not publish an award chart, travelers will need to utilize the Miles Calculator to check routes and redemption rates. For instance, a one-way Economy Saver fare from JFK to DXB will typically require around 30,000 miles, while the Economy Flex Plus ticket may cost up to 50,000 miles.
Additionally, Emirates operates two fifth-freedom routes from the U.S, utilizing an Airbus A380 between JFK and Milan Malpensa Airport (MXP) and a Boeing 777-300ER between Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) and Athens International Airport (ATH). One-way awards can be booked at:
- Economy Saver: 17,500 miles
- Business Saver: 87,000 miles
- First Flex Plus: 102,000 miles
Moreover, redeeming miles for Emirates first-class flights is restricted to Platinum, Gold, and Silver status holders. However, anyone can book using Qantas points without needing elite status.
Redeem Emirates Skywards Miles for Partner Awards
Skywards miles can also be redeemed on all partner airlines mentioned earlier, with Emirates providing a straightforward, distance-based award chart for these redemptions. Here are the one-way costs per person:
In summary, the pricing is generally comparable to that of other loyalty programs; for instance, United charges from 27,200 miles in economy or 80,000 miles in business class for routes between the U.S. East Coast and the U.K.
Skywards members can use miles to redeem for Qantas first-class flights, with specific mile pricing accessible via the partner award chart. This allows for various travel opportunities across multiple airlines, catering to diverse travel preferences.
