Emirates Halts Amex and Chase Transfers Between May 29 and June 30

Updated: November 5, 2025, 4:00pm CST

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Emirates Skywards Transfers Will Be Unavailable in June
Other Ways To Earn Emirates Skywards Miles
Final Thoughts

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If you plan to transfer points to Emirates Skywards this summer, be aware that you won’t be able to do so from 2 major rewards programs starting in late May and through June.

Here’s what you need to know.

Update:

Chase ended its transfer partnership with Emirates on 10/16/25, while Amex has reduced the transfer ratio to 5:4.

Emirates Skywards Transfers Will Be Unavailable in June

Transfers from American Express Membership Rewards and Chase Ultimate Rewards to Emirates Skywards will be unavailable between May 29, 2025, and June 30, 2025.

Notices on Amex’s and Chase’s transfer portals confirm the unavailability.

Amex’s website reads, “Beginning May 28th, the ability to transfer Membership Rewards points to Emirates Skywards Miles will be temporarily unavailable. Please visit Emirates.com for more information. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.”

Amex Emirates Unavailability — Image Credit: American Express

Similarly, Chase’s website says that transfers will be “tentatively” unavailable between May 29 and June 30.

The reason for the unavailability of transfers from Chase or Amex to Emirates remains unclear. However, considering that Emirates has devalued the transfer ratio from Citi to 1:0.8 starting in July 2025, it is reasonable to assume that the airline may either implement similar changes to the Chase and Amex transfer ratios or seek to renegotiate the terms with the issuers.

Other Ways To Earn Emirates Skywards Miles

The Emirates Skywards program is immensely popular among points and miles enthusiasts, and it’s not just because of its ultra-luxe first-class product, though that’s certainly a reason.

With 2 major transfer partners being temporarily unavailable in late May and all of June, you’re probably looking for other options besides transferring points to the program. Luckily, you have plenty of options.

Emirates miles are incredibly easy to earn, thanks to its handful of transfer partners, which also include:

Amex Membership Rewards (5:4 ratio)
Bilt Rewards (1:1 ratio)
Brex Rewards (3:2 ratio)
Capital One miles (1:1 ratio)
Citi ThankYou Rewards (1:1 ratio — Effective July 27, 2025, the new transfer ratio will be 1:0.8)
Marriott Bonvoy (1:1 ratio)

As a refresher, both Capital One, Chase, and Citi transfer to Emirates at a 1:1 ratio and sometimes offer limited-time transfer bonuses.

Emirates First A380 seat screen — You can fly Emirates first class between New York and Milan for just over 100,000 miles one-way! Image Credit: Ehsan Haque

You can find reasonably priced award tickets on Emirates metal, even on the top deck of the plane. For instance, Emirates’ nonstop fifth-freedom route between New York (JFK) and Milan (MXP) frequently has one-way tickets for just 102,000 miles in first class.

Hot Tip:

As of May 12, 2025, Emirates first class awards using Skywards miles are only available to members with Skywards Silver, Gold, or Platinum status. You can get around this limitation by booking a business class award and then using additional miles to upgrade to first class.

Final Thoughts

Given that the summer travel season is so busy, not having these transfers available, particularly for last-minute bookings, is a bummer. If you have a redemption you’ve been eyeing, we suggest using another transfer partner or transferring Amex and Chase points to Emirates before May 29!