#31 Among Airlines
Point Value
0.90 ¢
Hobby Score
4.0
Emirates is a low-tier program, especially for U.S. based travelers.
You can earn Emirates Skywards Miles in a variety of ways. The easiest is by flying on Emirates, flydubai, or any of their partner airlines. Emirates also has two co-branded credit cards that earn Skywards Miles, and they partner with several major credit card rewards systems.
The best way to determine how many miles you’ll earn on a specific Emirates flight is to use their miles calculator. If you hold elite status, you’ll also earn bonus miles on top of your base earnings:
Emirates currently offers two co-branded credit cards. Opening one is a solid way to build up Skywards Miles, but keep in mind that these rewards can only be used for award bookings with Emirates or its partners. Both cards have annual fees and include complimentary elite status as part of their benefits.
Emirates partners with many major credit card reward systems, but 2025 has brought several major changes:
Given these shifts, be sure to double-check transfer ratios and timing before moving points to Emirates.
Emirates is not part of any airline alliance and operates independently, but it maintains partnerships with 20+ global airlines. You can earn Skywards Miles when flying these partners, though the earning rates vary by carrier. Many offer only 1–2 miles per mile flown. To see earning rates for each partner, visit Emirates’ partner page and review the details for each airline.
Redeeming your Emirates Skywards Miles for flights on Emirates or one of its partners will almost always give you the best value. Emirates does not publish an award chart for flights on their own metal. The easiest way to estimate pricing is by using their online miles calculator (you can see starting at prices for flights on Emirates and their partners). They do have published award charts for each partner though. You can see those here. Awards are priced dynamically.
To check earning, spending, and upgrade rates using the mileage calculator:
The results will show how many miles you can earn, redeem, or use for upgrades. Select “Spend” to see the minimum redemption required for your route. Then click “Search flights” to display flights in dollars. If you want to see points redemptions, you’ll have to log in and toggle the “Classic Rewards” button.
Note: Another change Emirates recently made regarding award redemptions is the inability to book award tickets in first class unless you hold Silver status or above.
You can use Emirates Skywards Miles for hotel stays, car rentals, retail purchases, and other partner redemptions. These options are easy to use but offer far lower value compared to airfare. No matter how you earn your miles, whether it's flying on Emirates or spending on a co-branded card, redeeming for airfare will almost always give you the best value.
Discover your points' highest-value redemption options. Use the filters to find the optimal sweet spot for your next trip.
Another way to get into the first class cabin if you don’t hold status is to upgrade from business class to first class. You can only upgrade one fare class, so if you’ve booked an economy ticket, you can only upgrade to business class. But if you book a business class ticket, you have the option (based on availability) to upgrade to first class even if you don’t hold status
Emirates is one of the few airlines where round trip award prices can be lower than two one-ways. Be sure to search both ways to see if round trip is less
When searching, click "my dates are flexible" when choosing a date to see a week's worth of search results at once
You can only use points for a first class ticket if you hold status. By opening one of their two cards, you receive complimentary status for the first year.
Emirates Skywards is best for travelers who regularly fly Emirates and route through the Middle East, Europe, or Africa. The premium cabins are the main attraction. Emirates business class is excellent, but the first class cabin on the Airbus A380 is a true bucket-list experience. While you can book it through partners like Qantas, the best availability is through Emirates itself. Note that Emirates now restricts first class award bookings to members with elite status.
Emirates partners with 20+ airlines but is not part of any formal alliance. They use a fixed award chart for all partner flights, and there are a few notable sweet spots. They also partner with most major credit card reward programs, though some transfer ratios have been devalued. Citi and Amex now transfer at 1000:800, and Chase ended its transfer partnership with Emirates in October 2026.
If you’re a budget traveler or someone who wants to squeeze maximum value out of every point, Skywards is not the right program. Emirates redemptions shine when used directly with the airline, especially for premium cabins. You won’t find many high–cents-per-point redemptions, and surcharges can be steep, but for luxury-focused travelers, few programs deliver a better premium cabin experience.
There are four levels of Elite Status within the Emirates Skywards program. You receive Blue status automatically when you sign up. Blue members get instant upgrades using miles, waitlist priority, free Wi-Fi in first and business, and free unlimited messaging in economy and premium economy.
To reach higher tiers, you must earn a set number of Tier Miles, take a required number of flights, or hold a co-branded credit card. Tier Miles are calculated based on:
You can only earn Tier Miles on flights operated by Emirates, flydubai, or Emirates-marketed codeshares.
Here are the three other levels, requirements you’ll need to get to each level, and the benefits of each
If you have one of the two Emirates co-branded cards, the key thing to remember is that your miles expire three years from the date they were earned. Holding either card prevents your miles from expiring, so be sure to redeem them before canceling or note when they will expire once the card is closed.
