Emirates just made some major changes to its Skywards program, and like most updates in the points and miles world, it’s not good. If you’ve been saving up for a premium redemption, this one hurts.
First Class Is Now Locked Behind Elite Status
One of the biggest blows is that Emirates First Class redemptions are now restricted to elite members of the Skywards program. If you’re not at least Silver status, you can’t book First Class using miles.
This is a huge change considering First Class has always been the main appeal of Emirates redemptions. Their Business Class product, especially on the older 777s, is nothing to write home about.
How You Can Still Access First Class
- Upgrade day of departure
If First Class seats are available, you might be able to upgrade from Business at the airport using miles. - Get status through their credit cards
- The $99 annual Barclays card gives you Silver status for the first year. After that, you need to spend $20,000 per year to keep it.
- The $499 premium version gives you Gold status the first year, but requires $40,000 yearly spend to maintain Gold. If you don’t hit that spend, you drop to Silver.
- Book through Qantas Frequent Flyer
Emirates First Class is still bookable through Qantas, but it costs more miles.
For example, EWR to Athens is 102,000 Skywards miles versus 129,000 miles through Qantas. That’s a big difference.
The Fees Are Still Ridiculous
Emirates is also known for its massive surcharges on award tickets. Unless you’re flying one of their fifth freedom routes that do not go through Dubai, you’re probably looking at $800 or more in taxes and fees one way.
The only exceptions are:
- Newark to Athens
- JFK to Milan
- Miami to Bogotá
Every other premium award that routes through Dubai includes hefty surcharges. So even if the mileage rate looks decent, you’re still paying a small fortune out of pocket.
Amex Transfers Just Got Worse
Emirates recently devalued its transfer ratio with American Express Membership Rewards from 1 to 1 down to 5 to 4. That’s the same thing they already did with Citi ThankYou Points.
In plain terms, you now need 25 percent more Amex points to get the same number of Skywards miles. It’s just another way Emirates is squeezing value out of the program.
Is Emirates Still Worth It?
Unless you have a massive stash of points to burn, Skywards is becoming one of the least appealing ways to book premium flights.
Their First Class product is definitely flashy and worth trying once for the experience. But in terms of value, it’s hard to justify the miles and the fees compared to other programs.
Final Thoughts
Emirates used to be a bucket list redemption. Now it’s more of a trap for anyone trying to get good value from their points. Between the elite status wall, the high surcharges, and the worse transfer ratios, Skywards is no longer a program you want to build around.
There are better options out there. Emirates First might still be fun once, but for most people, that’s probably enough.
