Emirates Skywards Loyalty Program: A Comprehensive Guide to Earning and Redeeming Miles, Achieving Elite Status, and More

While Emirates' luxurious first-class suites and onboard amenities like the bar and shower attract many travelers, the Skywards frequent flyer program has often been overlooked. Traditionally, there have been more economical ways to book Emirates award flights using miles that were easier to accumulate.

However, many of these alternative booking methods have changed considerably, and Emirates Skywards has also experienced several notable devaluations in recent years. Nonetheless, it still presents some enticing options.

Additionally, numerous top rewards credit cards collaborate with Emirates, allowing for seamless point transfers directly into your Skywards account.

Here’s everything you need to know about Emirates' loyalty program.

Ways to Earn Miles with Emirates Skywards

You can accumulate Emirates miles through various means—not only by flying but also via the airline's numerous partners.

Accumulate miles through credit cards

Like most airlines, the quickest way to accumulate a significant number of miles is by utilizing the right credit card welcome bonus and transfer options.

Emirates provides two cobranded credit cards in the U.S., but even without one, earning Skywards miles is relatively easy, as Emirates partners with nearly all major transferable points currencies, except for Wells Fargo Rewards.

Here are some cards that currently offer attractive welcome bonuses that can be converted into Skywards miles:

• The Business Platinum Card® from American Express: Earn 150,000 bonus points after spending $20,000 on eligible purchases in the first three months of card membership.
• The Platinum Card® from American Express: Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $8,000 on purchases within the first six months of card membership.
• American Express® Gold Card: Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $6,000 on eligible purchases in the first six months. Plus, get 20% back in statement credits (up to $100) on eligible restaurant purchases worldwide within the first six months.
• Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card: Earn 75,000 bonus miles after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
• Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card: Earn 75,000 bonus miles after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
• Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card: Earn 90,000 bonus points after spending $8,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
• Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card: Earn 60,000 Ultimate Rewards points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months, plus a $300 statement credit on Chase Travel℠ purchases in the first year.

Keep in mind that transfers are irreversible, so ensure that moving your rewards to Emirates is the best decision before proceeding.

Accumulate Miles by Flying with Emirates

As a frequent international traveler, you can earn miles by crediting your flights on Emirates or its partner airlines to your Skywards account. Emirates awards miles based on distance traveled, cabin class, fare type, and whether you hold elite status within Skywards.

Emirates offers four cabin options: economy, premium economy, business class, and first class, each of which is further divided into various fare classes.

• 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

There is no published earnings chart, so you will need to use the Emirates' miles calculator to determine your earnings. For instance, if you book a round-trip economy class (Special) ticket from New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to Dubai International Airport (DXB) without elite status, you would earn 1,800 miles.

Accumulate Miles on Partner Flights

Emirates collaborates with the following airlines, allowing you to earn Skywards miles by crediting flights on these partners to your Emirates account:

• Air Canada
• Air Mauritius
• Azul
• Bangkok Airways
• Condor
• Copa Airlines
• EasyJet (spend partner only)
• FlyDubai
• Gol Airlines
• Japan Airlines
• Jetstar
• Korean Air
• Malaysia Airlines
• Qantas
• South African Airways
• TAP Air Portugal
• United Airlines

For all partners, your earning potential is determined by the distance of your flight and the fare class booked. Unfortunately, Emirates' partner accrual charts are not very favorable, with a cap of 1 to 2 miles earned per mile flown—even for premium cabins.

Accumulate Miles with Rental Car and Hotel Partners

There are multiple avenues to earn Emirates miles beyond just flights and credit cards, beginning with the airline's extensive network of rental car partners. Emirates collaborates with many major car rental companies globally, enabling you to earn either a fixed bonus per eligible rental or bonuses of up to 6 miles for every dollar spent.

Typically, booking hotels directly is the best way to ensure you earn hotel points and receive your elite benefits. However, if you travel infrequently, you might prefer to book through a third-party service to earn airline miles instead. Emirates partners with several prominent booking platforms and hotel chains like Hyatt, InterContinental, Hilton, and Atlantis, The Palm.

Combine Miles

Instead of transferring miles between accounts, Emirates' My Family program allows you and up to seven family members (including children) to create a shared My Family account to pool your miles. Each time you fly with Emirates, you can choose how many miles to allocate to your My Family account, while the remaining miles go into your Skywards account.

This can be an excellent way for couples and families to join forces and accumulate miles for rewards more quickly.

Emirates Skywards Elite Status

Emirates provides four tiers of elite status within its Skywards loyalty program, ranging from Blue (general members) to the prestigious Platinum level. You can qualify by either earning a specific number of tier miles or by completing a designated number of flights annually:

• Blue: Basic 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) enjoy complimentary lounge access and priority check-in. Gold and Platinum members benefit from additional perks such as guaranteed seating on fully booked flights and priority baggage handling. Platinum status also grants access to first-class lounges. Each tier offers a mileage bonus as well, with Silver members receiving a 30% bonus, Gold members 75%, and Platinum members earning a 100% bonus on miles.

How to Redeem Emirates Miles

Redeem Miles for Emirates Flights

Since Emirates is not part of any of the three major airline alliances, your ideal Skywards redemptions will likely be for flights operated by Emirates.

Emirates connects Dubai to numerous global destinations, thriving as a key hub for travelers between Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and North America.

Sadly, the Skywards program faced multiple devaluations in 2022, leading to increased award rates and fuel surcharges.

As Emirates doesn't provide an award chart, you must use the airline's Miles Calculator to find prices for your desired routes. This tool also claims to show the miles you'll earn on flights, along with redemption rates when you select 'Spend' at the top.

For instance, you can fly one-way from JFK to DXB on an Economy Saver fare for 30,000 miles, or choose the Economy Flex Plus fare for 50,000 miles.

Emirates operates two fifth-freedom flights from the U.S., with a daily Airbus A380 service between JFK and Milan Malpensa Airport (MXP) and a Boeing 777-300ER daily from Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) to Athens International Airport (ATH). This is a great option for reaching Europe without going through Dubai.

While flight prices increased in 2023, there’s still potential for good value. You can book one-way awards on either route at these rates:

• Economy Saver: 35,000 miles
• Premium Economy Flex Plus: 47,500 miles
• Business Saver: 87,000 miles
• First Flex Plus: 102,000 miles

Regrettably, changes from last year have led to high fuel surcharges on most Emirates flights booked through Skywards. A round-trip from the U.S. to Dubai usually incurs about $450 in taxes and fees for economy, while business and first-class awards can exceed $1,700 in surcharges.

Fortunately, the aforementioned European routes remain reasonably priced, adding just a few hundred dollars in taxes and fees.

Use your Emirates Skywards miles for partner award flights

You can use your Skywards miles with all the airline partners mentioned. Thankfully, Emirates provides a straightforward distance-based award chart for all partners. Here are the one-way costs per person.

These rates are mostly comparable to other loyalty programs. For instance, United typically charges 28,400 miles for economy or 80,000 miles for business class for flights from the East Coast to the UK. If you're considering round-trip flights to Europe, the Emirates-operated fifth-freedom flights listed above will cost you less.

Keep in mind that Qantas allows first-class redemptions through Skywards. You can check the mileage pricing by accessing the partner award chart here.

Final thoughts

For many award travelers, Emirates first class continues to be a highly coveted experience. This remains unchanged in recent years. However, following the termination of its partnership with Alaska Airlines and the discontinuation of first-class awards through Japan Airlines, booking these premium flights is typically easiest via the Skywards program, especially with numerous U.S. credit card transfer options available.

That being said, these flights demand a significant number of miles and come with substantial fuel surcharges, so make sure to review the total costs for your desired travel dates before committing fully to Emirates Skywards.