Best Ways To Book Emirates Business Class Using Points [Step by Step]

Key Takeaways

• Emirates offers different business class products on its aircraft. The Airbus A380 offers lie-flat seats with direct aisle access.
• You can book Emirates business class via Emirates Skywards miles or partner programs such as Japan Airlines Mileage Bank.
• Some of the best round-trip routes to book with points are New York City (JFK) to Dubai (DXB), New York City (JFK) to Perth (PER), and New York City (JFK) to Milan (MXP) in business class.

Emirates has cultivated a reputation as one of the best airlines in the world, and it is well-deserved. You’re probably reading this now because of the amazing things you’ve heard!

The Emirates business class cabin is a great way to experience it firsthand.

Let’s examine the experience on Emirates’ Airbus A380. With lie-flat seats, direct aisle access, and an inflight bar, your business class experience will be the trip of a lifetime!

A Look Inside Emirates Business Class

You’ll be excited to fly when you step into the Emirates business class cabin. For solo travelers, the window seats provide excellent privacy, while couples, friends, and families can enjoy each other’s company by selecting 2 seats in the middle section.

Regardless of your seat choice, you are guaranteed direct aisle access on all A380s, so you don’t have to climb over anyone to visit the inflight bar (we’ll get to that later). Additionally, all business class seats on Emirates’ A380 are lie-flat, so you can sleep comfortably.

When booking your flight, verify that you’re flying business class in the A380. Otherwise, you might be surprised by a 2-3-2 configuration with angled flat seats and no direct aisle access!

Here are the flights that operate an A380 from North America:

While relaxing in your seat, you get great meals throughout your flight and your choice of beer, wine, and spirits. Your flight attendant will offer you a glass of Champagne when you are settled in your seat before takeoff.

How To Fly Emirates Business Class

If you’re ready to have fun trying the business class cabin on Emirates, let’s dive into how to book this flight.

It may sound counterintuitive, but we don’t always recommend using Emirates Skywards miles. We’ll explain more below, but trust us when we say you have better options.

Japan Airlines Mileage Bank

Japan Airlines Mileage Bank generally has the lowest miles price tag, but fuel surcharges on Emirates awards are in addition to the miles cost. For trips from the U.S. in Emirates business class, these can be as much as $1,716!

Learn more about these pesky fees in our ultimate guide to airline fuel surcharges (and how to avoid them)!

There are a few cities where you can start your trip and avoid these surcharges:

• Hong Kong (HKG)
• Tokyo (NRT)
• Sydney (SYD)
• Colombo (CMB)
• Sydney (SYD)
• Auckland (AKL)

If you book an Emirates award, consult Japan Airlines’ distance-based chart. The longer the flight, the more Mileage Bank miles your flight will cost.

When booking, remember to calculate the distance of each segment of your itinerary and add them together. Once done, you can check Japan Airlines’ partner award chart to see how many Mileage Bank miles are required.

This chart has some sweet spot award redemptions, so play around with it and see what you can find.

You can now search for Emirates availability directly on the JAL website:

1. Go to JAL’s  website..
2. Search for your desired route.
3. Select your desired flight.
4. Pay the necessary taxes and fees and complete your booking.

A couple of key points to remember when booking with Japan Airlines Mileage Bank miles:

• You are allowed up to 6 segments, 2 stopovers (stays exceeding 24 hours), and 1 open jaw per itinerary.
• One-way bookings are allowed.
• Use Qantas to search for flights not to or from the U.S.

Hot Tip:

Learn how to maximize stopovers and open-jaws in our comprehensive guide so you can get extra flights for free!

Using Japan Airlines Mileage Bank miles is generally your best bet to book Emirates business class for the fewest miles.

Check out some of the other amazing redemptions provided by Japan Airlines.

Emirates Skywards

Emirates is a transfer partner with Chase Ultimate Rewards, American Express Membership Rewards, Citi ThankYou points, Capital One Miles, and Marriott Bonvoy. JAL is only a transfer partner with Marriott.

So while JAL doesn’t offer many ways to rack up miles quickly, Chase Ultimate Rewards and American Express Membership Rewards can help you boost your point balances to book your Emirates business class flight!

Better yet, Emirates has recently massively reduced the carrier-imposed surcharges on flights. So, depending on your award ticket, you’ll also be able to leverage stopovers to see additional cities on the same ticket.

Here are a few examples of routes you can take:

• New York (JFK) to Milan (MXP) round-trip for 108,000 miles plus around $120 in taxes and fees
• New York (JFK) to Dubai (DXB) round-trip for 174,000 miles plus around $325 in taxes and fees
• Auckland (AKL) to Dubai (DXB) round-trip for 224,000 miles plus around $100 in taxes and fees

Here’s how you can book your award:

1. Visit Emirates.
2. Log in to your Skywards account.
3. After you log in, search for flights. Be sure to check off the box that says Classic Rewards.
4. Select your flights.
5. Pay with your miles and any additional taxes and fees.

Great Emirates Business Class Redemptions

Even with the new surcharges, Japan Airlines may provide the best opportunity to book Emirates business class, so let’s look at a few options available for booking:

• New York City (JFK) to Dubai (DXB) round-trip in business class for 110,000 miles
• New York City (JFK) to Perth (PER) one-way in business class for 110,000 miles
• Los Angeles (LAX) to Dubai (DXB) one-way in business class for 85,000 miles
• New York City (JFK) to Milan (MXP) round-trip in business class for 80,000 miles
• New York City (JFK) to Milan (MXP) to Dubai (DXB) to Bangkok (BKK) to Dubai (DXB) to Milan (MXP) to New York City (JFK) for 130,000 miles
  • This routing could include a stopover in Milan or Dubai on your way to Bangkok and a stopover in the other location on your return to New York City

Remember, you’ll want to fly business class on Emirates’ Airbus A380 to ensure maximum comfort and fun! Plus, the Dubai-to-Los Angeles route is one of the longest nonstop flights in the world, giving you tons of time to enjoy your luxury experience.

Emirates flies to several other U.S. airports with its Boeing 777. These routes do not have direct aisle access for all business class seats, nor do they include the lie-flat seats (which means sleeping will be less comfortable).

While Japan Airlines will require fewer miles, a round-trip business class award from the U.S. to Dubai could also include up to about $1,716 in taxes and fees.

Hot Tip:

Check out our dedicated guide for more information on Emirates’ routing options to/from the U.S.

How To Earn Enough Miles for Emirates Business Class

Amex Credit Cards

This is our preferred method of earning Emirates miles, given how generous Amex credit cards are with their welcome offers and category bonuses. You can transfer Amex points at a rate of 1:1 to Emirates.

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The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the ins and outs of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards as well as rates and fees are all taken into account. Compensation from the issuer does not affect our rating. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse.

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Marriott Credit Cards

You can earn Marriott points and transfer those to Emirates at a rate of 3:1. Plus, for every 60,000 Marriott points that you transfer, you receive a bonus of 5,000 Skywards miles. There are several Marriott credit cards available.

When Should You Search for Award Space?

Emirates does not have a regular schedule for releasing business class award space to its partner airlines. However, don’t wait to search for space and book your business class award ticket.

These award tickets are popular, so start your search as soon as you know when you want to travel. As with all award searches, flexibility is your friend — the more flexible your travel dates, the easier it is to find award space.

Also, remember to consider the transfer time of your travel rewards cards points if you are transferring from flexible point programs. It would be a shame to miss an award because you hadn’t yet moved your miles!

What Makes Emirates Business Class Great?

It’s probably already clear why Emirates business class should be on your list of flying experiences to try! But just in case you need some convincing, let’s dig into it a little more.

Emirates Business Class Lounge

You have access to the Emirates Business Class Lounge in Dubai. When you fly on the Emirates Airbus A380, you can board directly from the lounge.

During your stay, you are treated to a relaxing experience complete with Champagne and a great food selection.

Emirates has lounges in many airports worldwide, so you have somewhere to wind down before your business class flight.

World Class Catering

Right off the bat, your business class adventure provides a buffet with plenty of food to satisfy any culinary desire. You also have a variety of wine, beer, spirits, and Champagne to pair with your meal before finishing it with one of the many desserts.

Of course, the fun only continues once you are in the air. You still have access to great food and your choice of beverages, not to mention an amazing inflight bar.

Emirates Business Class Inflight Bar

Enjoy a drink, a snack, and the company of your fellow passengers at Emirates’ inflight bar on the Airbus A380.

Emirates is famous for the bar at the rear of the business class cabin on their Airbus A380. Anytime you feel the urge for a snack or a drink (including cocktails), you can visit the bar and mingle with your premium cabin companions.

Business Class Amenity Kit

No business class experience would be complete without an amenity kit, and Emirates excels with theirs, providing Bulgari products to keep you refreshed throughout your flight.

Final Thoughts

Give Emirates a try — you won’t be disappointed! Using Japan Airlines or Emirates miles, you can book a great experience that typically costs thousands of dollars.

Even though this is an exciting opportunity, don’t forget to make smart decisions when booking. Check for award availability before transferring points, and remember that flexibility is key to making business class on Emirates a reality for you.

This article should give you everything you need to get started, so get ready to book your Emirates business class experience!

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