Whereas Emirates’ blingy first-class cabins and onboard bar and bathe have caught the attention of just about each award traveler, the provider’s Skywards frequent flyer program has traditionally been an afterthought. Merely put, there have been cheaper methods to ebook Emirates awards with miles you can earn extra simply.
Sadly, many of those have modified considerably, and even Emirates Skywards underwent some notable devaluations during the last couple of years. That stated, this system nonetheless presents some interesting choices. TPG values Emirates Skywards miles at 1.2 cents every, and lots of the greatest bank cards accomplice with Emirates to permit transfers on to your Skywards account.
Right here is every thing you might want to find out about Emirates Skywards loyalty program.
Methods to earn miles with Emirates Skywards
There are a variety of the way to earn Emirates miles — not simply by flying but in addition via the provider’s varied companions.
Earn miles through bank cards
As with most airways, the quickest method to earn a significant quantity of miles is by leveraging the proper bank card welcome bonus and switch choices.
Emirates does supply a pair of cobranded bank cards in the US, however even when you do not have certainly one of them, Skywards miles are among the many best to earn, as Emirates is likely one of the solely airways to accomplice with all the key transferable factors currencies. Which means it doesn’t matter what factors program you have constructed your bank card technique round, you need to have a straightforward method to switch miles to Emirates.
The next playing cards all presently supply robust welcome bonuses that you can simply convert to Skywards miles:
- The Enterprise Platinum Card® from American Specific: Earn 120,000 bonus factors after you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases on the cardboard within the first three months of card membership.
- The Platinum Card® from American Specific: Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards factors after you spend $6,000 on purchases throughout the first six months of card membership. Verify to see for those who’re focused for a 125,000-point welcome supply via CardMatch (supply topic to vary at any time). Phrases apply.
- American Specific® Gold Card: Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards factors after you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first six months of account opening. Phrases apply.
- Capital One Enterprise Rewards Credit score Card (see charges and costs): Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases throughout the first three months from account opening.
- Capital One Enterprise X Rewards Credit score Card (see charges and costs): Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases throughout the first three months from account opening.
- Ink Enterprise Most popular Credit score Card: Earn 100,000 bonus factors after you spend $8,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening.
- Chase Sapphire Most popular Card: Earn 60,000 bonus factors after spending $4,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening.
- Citi Premier® Card: (see charges and costs).Earn 60,000 bonus factors after spending $4,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening
Nonetheless, make sure that transferring your rewards to Emirates makes essentially the most sense earlier than doing so, as transfers are irreversible.
Learn extra: Why transferable factors are price greater than different rewards
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Earn miles by flying Emirates
When you’re a frequent worldwide traveler, you can additionally earn miles by crediting flights on Emirates or certainly one of its accomplice airways to your Skywards account. Emirates awards miles based mostly on the space flown and fare class, not the price of your ticket, like U.S. airways do.
There is no earnings chart printed anyplace, so you may need to depend on Emirates’ miles calculator to see how a lot you may earn. Simply for example, for those who ebook the most affordable fare out there in every cabin, here is what number of miles you’d earn on a round-trip flight from New York’s John F. Kennedy Worldwide Airport (JFK) to Dubai Worldwide Airport (DXB):
- Financial system (particular): 1,800 miles
- Premium economic system (flex): 13,200 miles
- Enterprise class (particular): 13,200 miles
- First-class (flex or flex plus): 30,000 miles
Earn miles on accomplice flights
Emirates companions with the next airways, permitting you to earn Skywards miles whenever you credit score flights on these companions to your Emirates account:
- Air Canada
- Air Mauritius
- Bangkok Airways
- Copa Airways
- easyJet (spend accomplice solely)
- FlyDubai
- GOL
- Japan Airways
- Jetstar
- Korean Air
- Malaysia Airways
- Qantas
- South African Airways
- TAP Portugal
- United Airways
With all companions, your earn price relies on a mix of your flight distance and the fare class you ebook. Sadly, Emirates’ accomplice accrual charts aren’t particularly beneficiant, with all companions capped at between 1 and a couple of miles earned per mile flown – even for premium cabins.
Earn miles with rental automobile companions and resort companions
There are a number of methods to earn Emirates miles past flights and bank cards, beginning with the airline’s quite a few rental automobile companions. Emirates companions with many of the main automobile rental corporations all over the world, permitting you to earn both a hard and fast bonus of as much as 10,000 miles per eligible rental (which TPG values at $120) or bonuses of as much as 6 miles per $1 spent. This works out to a 7.2% return based mostly on TPG’s valuations.
Usually, you are greatest off reserving motels on to be sure you earn resort factors and have your elite advantages honored. However for those who journey much less often, you would possibly determine that reserving with a 3rd celebration and incomes airline miles is best. Emirates companions with a number of main reserving platforms and particular person resort chains like Hyatt, Intercontinental, Atlantis The Palm and The Luxurious Assortment.
Associated: 9 issues to think about when selecting to ebook through a portal vs. reserving immediately
Pool factors
As an alternative of transferring factors between accounts, Emirates’ “My Household” program permits you to and as much as seven members of the family (together with youngsters) create a joint “My Household” account to mix miles. Each time you fly with Emirates, you’ll be able to choose what number of miles to credit score to your My Household account, with the rest going into your Skywards account.
This may be a good way for {couples} and households to mix their efforts and save up miles for awards quicker.
Associated: Final information to factors pooling and sharing
Emirates Skywards Elite standing
Emirates presents 4 elite standing tiers in its Skywards loyalty program, ranging from Blue (common members) up via top-tier Platinum. You’ll be able to qualify both by incomes a set variety of tier miles or taking a sure variety 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 take a minimum of one qualifying flight in enterprise or top notch.
All elite members (i.e., Silver and above) obtain complimentary lounge entry and precedence check-in. In the meantime, Gold and Platinum members obtain perks like assured seats on full flights and precedence baggage supply. Platinum standing additionally gives first-class lounge entry. Every tier additionally comes with a mileage bonus, with Silver members incomes 25% bonus miles, Gold incomes 50% and Platinum incomes as much as 75%.
Methods to redeem Emirates miles
Redeem miles for Emirates flights
Provided that Emirates shouldn’t be a member of one of many three main airline alliances, your dream Skywards redemptions could also be for Emirates-operated flights.
Emirates flies from its hub in Dubai (DXB) to lots of of locations worldwide and has loved unimaginable success serving as a connecting hub for passengers flying between Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia and even North America.
Sadly, the Skywards program underwent a slew of devaluations in 2022 — elevating award charges and gas surcharges in February, rising gas surcharges once more in March and June, and at last elevating award costs but once more in December.
Since Emirates would not publish an award chart, you may must test the airline’s mileage calculator to look costs for every route you need to journey. Word that this calculator claims to point the variety of miles you may earn on Emirates flights, nevertheless it additionally shows the redemption charges.
Whereas most applications that enable one-way awards will value these at 50% of the price of a spherical journey, Emirates costs most one-ways above 50%.
Right here is the price of a few of the hottest North American routes (one-way and spherical journey):
| New York to Dubai | Los Angeles Worldwide Airport (LAX) to Dubai | |
|---|---|---|
| Financial system | 62,500/72,500 miles | 71,250/82,500 miles |
| Premium economic system | 78,300/156,600 miles | 89,100/178,200 miles |
| Enterprise | 138,000/174,000 miles | 157,500/198,000 miles |
| First | 163,500/327,000 miles | 186,000/372,000 miles |
Emirates presently operates two fifth-freedom flights from the U.S, flying an A380 day by day between New York-JFK and Milan Malpensa Airport (MXP) and a 777-300ER day by day between Newark Liberty Airport (EWR) and Athens Worldwide Airport (ATH). This generally is a enjoyable method to get to Europe for those who do not want to fly all the best way to Dubai.
Sadly, these flights jumped in value in early 2023, however they’ll nonetheless present some first rate worth. You’ll be able to ebook one-way/round-trip awards on both route on the following charges:
- Financial system: 38,750/45,000 miles
- Premium economic system: Not presently out there
- Enterprise: 87,000 miles/108,000 miles
- First: 102,000/204,000 miles
Sadly, with final 12 months’s modifications, gas surcharges on most Emirates flights booked via Skywards are fairly excessive. A round-trip flight from the U.S. to Dubai will usually embrace roughly $450 in taxes and costs for economic system — although business- and first-class award tickets will tack on over $1,700 along with the required mileage.
Fortunately, the European routes detailed above are nonetheless cheap, solely including a couple of hundred {dollars} in taxes and costs.
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Redeem Emirates Skywards miles for accomplice awards
You’ll be able to redeem Skywards miles on all the airline companions described. Luckily, Emirates does publish a easy distance-based award chart for all companions. Listed below are the prices one-way, per particular person.
These costs are largely in keeping with different loyalty applications. For instance, United typically expenses 26,000 miles in economic system or 64,000 miles in enterprise class to fly from the East Coast to the UK. If you’re round-trip flights to Europe, then you definately’ll be charged much less for the Emirates-operated fifth freedom flights listed above.
Associated: How do you have to fly to Dubai: Emirates or United?
Backside line
Emirates top notch stays one of the aspirational bucket record objects for a lot of award vacationers. That hasn’t modified lately, however after a number of devaluations from companions like Alaska and JAL, Emirates first-class awards are typically best to ebook with the provider’s personal Skywards program — particularly with many U.S. switch companions to choose from.
That stated, these flights do require numerous miles and have hefty gas surcharges, so make sure to test complete prices in your desired dates earlier than going all-in with Emirates Skywards.
Extra reporting by Ethan Steinberg
