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20 Best Ways to Redeem Emirates Skywards Miles for Max Value

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Alex Miller

- UPDATED: October 26, 2022 |

Travel /
Airlines

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Emirates offers some of the most highly regarded airline experiences in the world. From economy to first class, Emirates is a distinctive experience and has established itself as the luxury brand in commercial aviation.

In the 35+ years since its first flight, Emirates has stretched across the globe from its Dubai (DXB) hub. With its central location in the world and destination airport for duty-free shopping, Emirates is the airline of choice for many world travelers.

However, Emirates Skywards award flights are not generally great value compared to many other airline programs. Indeed, to redeem for Emirates flights, you may find a better value if you have miles with partners such as Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan, Japan Airlines Mileage Bank, and Korean Air SKYPASS. Nonetheless, Emirates Skywards miles are incredibly useful, partly because of how easy they are to earn.

Most of Emirates’ one-way flights are significantly more expensive than half of a round-trip flight, so it’s always better to book round-trip flights if you have the balance necessary for it.

If you are a regular Emirates flyer with lots of miles, let’s hunt around for some great Emirates Skywards values!

Table of contents

Booking Awards With Emirates Skywards
Hotel Transfer Partners
The Pros and Cons of Emirates Skywards (Quick Overview)
How To Boost Your Emirates Skywards Miles
The 20 Best Ways to Use Your Emirates Skywards Miles
Final Thoughts

Table of Contents

Booking Awards With Emirates Skywards
Hotel Transfer Partners
The Pros and Cons of Emirates Skywards (Quick Overview)
How To Boost Your Emirates Skywards Miles
The 20 Best Ways to Use Your Emirates Skywards Miles
Final Thoughts

Booking Awards With Emirates Skywards

The booking process for award flights can be difficult to understand, which is why we made some how-to booking guides! See one of the following guides for help booking Emirates:

Hotel Transfer Partners

Emirates partners with several other hotel loyalty programs for transfers. While these aren’t always the most favorable rates compared to other options for your hotel points, they can be really helpful for using up “orphan” hotel points if you don’t have enough for a hotel award. You could also top up your Emirates balance if you are just short of an award there.

Keep in mind that not all of Emirates’ hotel transfer partners are listed on its partner page. Some are “hidden” from plain sight.

Here are the Emirates transfer partner options:

Hotel	Transfer Ratio
Accor Hotels	4,000:2,000
Hyatt	2.5:1 (5,000-mile bonus if 50,000 miles transferred at once)
Hilton	10,000:1,000
IHG	10,000:2,000
Jumeirah	2:1
Marriott Bonvoy	3,000:1,000
Radisson Blu	10:1

You can earn hotel points by using hotel credit cards:

The Pros and Cons of Emirates Skywards (Quick Overview)

Emirates Skywards Award Ticket Costs

Emirates does not publish an award chart for its flights. Instead, use the Miles Calculator on the Emirates website to price specific routes.

Routes are priced according to zone, which is not easily viewable anymore.

For travel from the U.S., Emirates divides the country into North America East and North America West. Depending on the total distance of the trip, award prices from North America West may be significantly higher than North America East.

Classic Awards on Emirates flights start at 15,000 miles round-trip.

Classic Awards come in lower-price Saver and higher-priced Flex Plus levels. On one-way tickets, only Flex Plus fares can be booked.

Cash+Miles

Emirates launched Cash+Miles in September 2016. You must use a minimum of 2,000 miles on a Cash+Miles ticket, and every 5,000 miles translates to a $40 discount. In most cases, this is a low-value use of miles, so tread carefully!

Upgrades

You can use Emirates Skywards miles to upgrade paid tickets. Prices start at 9,000 miles and are determined by route and ticket type.

Most tickets can be upgraded in advance, and you may also have the opportunity at check-in or even upon boarding.

Exceptions are:

Business Class Saver Fare tickets: must upgrade at least 6 hours before departure
Economy Class Saver Fare tickets: can only be upgraded at check-in (online or at the airport), or upon boarding

Emirates has some incredibly long flights… once you board and see your seat for the next 15 hours, you may be in the mood to splurge on an upgrade!

Changes and Cancellations

Emirates Skywards has reasonable award fees:

No close-in award booking fee
Date change: $0 for Flex Plus/Flex tickets and $25 elsewhere
Destination change: $0 for Flex Plus/Flex tickets, and up to $25 + any fare changes for Saver tickets
Refund: $0 for unused Flex Plus tickets, $50 for Flex tickets in first class, and $75 for Saver tickets

Emirates Skywards Partner Award Ticket Costs

Each Emirates Skywards partner airline is subject to its own award prices and allowed routes. Look for partners you can book one-way awards with, such as JetBlue.

Emirates Partner Airlines
Air Mauritius	GOL Linhas Aéreas	Malaysian Airlines
Alaska Airlines	Japan Airlines	Qantas
Bangkok Airways	JetBlue	S7 Airlines
Copa Airlines	Jetstar	South African Airways
easyJet	Korean Air	TAP Portugal

Only Qantas and easyJet partner awards are available on the Emirates website. For other partners, you can call Emirates Skywards to make your award booking.

Hot Tip: Save time searching for partner awards by checking websites of Emirates partner airlines. Checking an airline for its own award flights may be misleading, though, because more flights may be available to its own program members than to partner airlines. Instead, use Air Canada Aeroplan to check South African Airways and TAP Portugal; or British Airways to check Japan Airlines, Malaysian Airlines, Qantas, and S7 Airlines.

Mileage Expiration

Emirates Skywards Miles are valid for a minimum of 3 years from the date earned. This is not exactly 3 years — in the third year, the miles expire at the end of your birthday month.

Unlike many airlines, regular earning of miles does not extend mileage validity. As a last-ditch effort, you can pay to extend Skywards miles for another 12 months at a rate of $20 per 1,000 miles.

How To Boost Your Emirates Skywards Miles

Emirates Skywards miles can be transferred from Chase Ultimate Rewards, American Express Membership Rewards, Citi ThankYou Rewards, and Capital One at a 1:1 rate, or from Marriott Bonvoy at a transfer rate of 3:1.

Recommended Amex Cards (Personal)

Hot Tip: Check to see if you’re eligible for a welcome offer of up to 150,000 points with the Amex Platinum card! (The current public offer is 80,000 points.)

Hot Tip: Check to see if you’re eligible for a welcome bonus of up to 90,000 points with the Amex Gold card! (The current public offer is 60,000 points.)

Business owners have a choice of several Amex’s business credit cards that we recommend.

Recommended Capital One Cards That Earn Miles (Personal)

Marriott Bonvoy Transfers

You can earn Marriott Bonvoy points and transfer those to Emirates Skywards at a transfer rate of 3:1. Plus, for every 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points that you transfer, you’ll receive an extra 5,000 Emirates Skywards miles bonus.

Hot Tip: Marriott Bonvoy re-opened the Your World Rewards partnership with Emirates, which is a great opportunity to double-dip on Marriott stays and Emirates flights!

The 20 Best Ways to Use Your Emirates Skywards Miles

We’ve searched far and wide to find some great redemptions on Emirates. The following are some of the best ways to use Emirates miles, but they’re not the only ways!

Use these to come up with some creative ideas of your own for your next trip. Remember that Emirates restricts the type of award tickets you can book one-way. If you’re looking to book one-way flights, expect it to be more expensive.

When you’re booking one-way flights, you’ll only be able to book the Flex Plus awards, which are going to be the highest in cost. The silver lining, though, with Flex Plus bookings is that they are the most flexible types of tickets, so you can cancel and change your tickets without any fees.

On the other hand, round-trip flights are always a better deal cost-wise, though you may have to pay a cancellation or change fee.

1. Book a Last Minute Flight on Emirates’ New First Class Suites

Emirates New 777-300ER First Class Suites. Image Credit: Cherag Dubash

Emirates rolled out its game-changing brand-new first class suites on some 777-300ER aircraft. The routes are primarily to European destinations, but there are a handful of opportunities to redeem points for these suites.

These suites are the first ever to be fully-enclosed, meaning utter privacy and peace. Also, there are a bunch of cool aspects such as the virtual windows, motorized shades, gigantic in-flight monitor, and much more.

These new suites rank at the top of our best international first class airlines, so they’re an absolute must-try. Your best chances are to book shortly before departure. Specifically, you should have a solid shot at booking around ~1 week before departure.

Here are some great example routes that often feature the New First Class Suites (beware — routes may change without advance notice):

Brussels (BRU) – Dubai (DXB) round-trip for 135,000 Emirates miles
Frankfurt (FRA) – Dubai (DXB) round-trip for 135,000 Emirates miles
Geneva (GVA) – Dubai (DXB) round-trip for 135,000 Emirates miles
Hamburg (HAM) – Dubai (DXB) round-trip for 135,000 Emirates miles
New York City (JFK) – Dubai (DXB) round-trip for 217,500 Emirates miles
Paris (CDG) – Dubai (DXB) round-trip for 135,000 Emirates miles
Singapore (SIN) – Dubai (DXB) round-trip for 157,500 Emirates miles
Tokyo (HND) – Dubai (DXB) round-trip for 187,500 Emirates miles
Vienna (VIE) – Dubai (DXB) round-trip for 135,000 Emirates miles

If you just wanted to try the Emirates New First Class Suites on short-haul flights, you’re in luck! Check out these short-haul routes that offer the amazing product:

Kuwait City (KWI) – Dubai (DXB) round-trip for 45,000 Emirates miles
Riyadh (RUH) – Dubai (DXB) round-trip for 45,000 Emirates miles

2. Fly New York to Milan Nonstop on Emirates Round-Trip

Emirates First Class A380 Seat — Enjoy a luxurious Emirates first class suite when flying between New York and Milan. Image Credit: Alex Miller

Emirates flies an incredible-value nonstop route between New York (JFK) and Milan (MXP). It’s easy to conclude that Emirates is the best airline to fly on this route!

For only 45,000/90,000/135,000 miles in economy/business/first round-trip, you can experience Emirates service at miles prices much lower than many airlines charge to Europe. One-way costs are 38,750/62,500/85,000 miles in economy/business/first.

Note that you cannot redeem for any other Emirates U.S. to Europe award that would require a transit in Dubai. The Miles Calculator will show prices, but Emirates will not book them.

Need help booking? Read our booking guide for Emirates first class or business class using points.

3. U.S. Domestic Flights on JetBlue (One-Ways Allowed)

JetBlue economy tickets are often solid value for your miles. Image Credit: EQRoy via Shutterstock

Emirates Skywards is not just for exotic ultra-long-haul travel.

Emirates partners with JetBlue and one-way awards on JetBlue are as little as 7,500 miles. The catch is that connecting flights may price as 2 separate awards, so the best values are for nonstops. You’ll want to search for availability on another website, such as JetBlue’s website.

One important note is that you can only book economy tickets on JetBlue using Emirates miles, so JetBlue Mint is out of the equation.

4. Portugal to Morocco, Madeira, or the Azores on TAP Portugal

TAP Air Portugal economy — TAP Air Portugal has clean economy seats. Image Credit: Matheus Obst via Shutterstock

Emirates partners with Star Alliance member TAP Portugal.

The award chart quickly gets exorbitant for long flights, but mainland Portugal to Northern Africa (Morocco), Madeira, Spain, and the Azores is only 15,000/30,000 round-trip in economy/business.

Europe to Africa awards on many airline program award charts can be expensive, so this shortcut from Portugal to Morocco is a great deal.

If you haven’t heard about the Portuguese islands of Madeira and Azores, look them up and start dreaming of fantastic trips!

5. Fly in Style to Seychelles on Emirates Round-Trip

Seychelles Beach — Magical Seychelles beaches can be found in the Indian Ocean northeast of Madagascar. Image Credit: Matej Kastelic via Shutterstock

Seychelles is an island paradise far in the Indian Ocean. Only a handful of airlines fly to Seychelles (SEZ), and Emirates is one of the best.

From eastern North America, round-trip flights are 85,000/170,000/255,000 in economy/business/first. One-way flights are 73,750/117,500/160,000 miles in economy/business/first.

Western North America is only slightly more at 90,000/180,000/270,000. If you’re looking for one-way bookings between western North America and Seychelles, you’ll pay 78,750/123,750/168,750 miles in economy/business/first.

6. Fly in Utmost Luxury to the Maldives on Emirates Round-Trip

Beach in the Maldives — The Maldives is an incredible white-sand, blue-water beach destination. Image Credit: Asad Photo Maldives via Pexels

On Emirates Skywards, getting to the Maldives (MLE) is the same price from North America as Seychelles. Take the trip of your dreams starting with a luxury flight en route!

Round-trip flights from eastern North America are 85,000/170,000/255,000 in economy/business/first. One-way flights from eastern North America to the Maldives are 73,750/117,500/160,000 miles in economy/business/first.

Again, western North America is only slightly more: 90,000/180,000/270,000. If you booked one-way flights between western North America and the Maldives, expect to pay 78,750/123,750/168,750 miles in economy/business/first.

7. Cape Town Foodie Tour on Emirates

Cape Town Waterfront — Enjoy this Cape Town waterfront when you fly to South Africa with Emirates. Image Credit: Madele via Shutterstock

Cape Town (CPT) in South Africa is one of the hottest foodie destinations in the world. The innovative, great value food and nearby wine country are drawing over connoisseurs from around the world. You can continue up to Namibia for a fantastic safari and towering sand dunes.

From eastern North America, round-trip flights are 95,000/190,000/285,000 miles in economy/business/first. If you are booking one-way flights, expect to redeem 82,500/131,250/178,750 miles in economy/business/first.

Western North America is only slightly more: 100,000/200,000/300,000. One-way flights will run more expensive than half of a round-trip: 87,500/137,500/187,500 miles in economy/business/first.

8. Safari in Kenya or Tanzania on Emirates

South Africa Safari — Enjoy the safari in South Africa using your Emirates miles. Image Credit: PACO COMO via Shutterstock

Kenya and Tanzania are justifiably the most famous safari destinations in the world. Seek out the annual Great Migration in person by flying on Emirates to Nairobi (NBO) or Dar Es Salaam (DAR).

Round-trip flights from eastern North America are 85,000/170,000/255,000 in economy/business/first. If you like booking one-way tickets for more flexibility, just remember you’ll pay a premium price: 73,750/117,500/160,000 miles in economy/business/first.

From western North America, flights are only slightly more: 90,000/180,000/270,000. With one-way tickets, you’ll redeem 78,750/123,750/168,750 miles in economy/business/first.

9. Dubai to Perth on Emirates

Burn Beach Western Australia — Burn Beach, Western Australia is a beautiful destination to visit. Image Credit: Casa nayafana via Shutterstock

Perth (PER) is the gateway to Western Australia’s towering forest and spectacular diving. Flying North America to Australia the traditional way across the Pacific often involves multiple connections to Perth. If you live in the U.S., you can reach Perth on Emirates with only 1 convenient stop in Dubai.

Round-trip flights from eastern North America are 115,000/230,000/345,000 in economy/business/first. If you paid for one-way tickets, expect to shell out 100,000/158,750/216,250 miles in economy/business/first.

Round-trip flights from western North America are slightly more expensive: 120,000/240,000/360,000 in economy/business/first. Meanwhile, one-way tickets are 105,000/155,000/225,000 miles in economy/business/first.

10. Fly a Fifth Freedom Route on Emirates

Emirates First Class Cabin — Emirates A380 planes with first class are flown on some short routes! Image Credit: Cherag Dubash

You can fly on some pretty neat fifth freedom routes with Emirates. So if Singapore is your thing, Emirates operates fifth freedom flights from Melbourne to Singapore (SIN). Round-trip flights cost 50,400/120,000/180,000 in economy/business/first. If flying one-way, you’ll pay 51,750/83,250/113,250 in economy/business/first.

Also, Emirates operates unique, short nonstop flights from Bangkok (BKK) to Phnom Penh (PNH) and from Sydney (SYD) to Christchurch (CHC). You’ll pay 20,000/40,000/60,000 miles for Bangkok to Phnom Penh in economy/business/first round-trip. You’ll pay 17,500/27,500/37,500 miles for one-way in economy/business/first.

For Sydney (SYD) to Christchurch (CHC), you’ll pay 36,000/72,000/108,000 miles for round-trip economy/business/first or 30,500/50,500/68,500 miles for one-way economy/business/first class.

11. Indian Ocean Island Hopping on Air Mauritius

The lemurs of Madagascar are one of the great wildlife encounters in the world, but getting to Madagascar is not easy! One creative option is to stop in Mauritius (MRU), then continue on Emirates partner Air Mauritius.

From Mauritius, you can fly to Rodrigues (RRG), Réunion (RUN), or Antananarivo (TNR), Madagascar for just 25,000 miles round-trip to see the lemurs!

Going further to South Africa or India is not much more expensive.

12. Hong Kong to Bangkok on Emirates

Emirates First Class Window Suite — Emirates A380 first class. Image Credit: Cherag Dubash

Looking to sample Emirates service on a quick flight? Emirates runs the 3-hour flight between Hong Kong and Bangkok. This is a very popular route — after all, who wouldn’t want to visit Hong Kong and Thailand in 1 trip?

This round-trip flight is only 20,000/40,000/60,000 in economy/business/first. One-way tickets are 17,500/27,500/37,500 miles in economy/business/first.

13. Hop Around Brazil With GOL (One-Way Tickets Allowed)

Unlike most other partner airlines, Emirates allows you to redeem on Brazil’s GOL for one-way tickets. Many flights are only 4,500 miles in economy! See the full city chart here.

One of the great GOL options (and one of the most expensive if you pay cash) is the pristine beaches of Atlantic islands Fernando De Noronha (FEN). This is where Brazilians dream of having a beach holiday!

14. Japan to Australia or Hawaii on Japan Airlines

Japan Airlines Boeing 777 300ER First Class Bed — Japan Airlines 777-300ER first class bed. Image Credit: Cherag Dubash

The Emirates award chart for partner Japan Airlines is not the best. However, one sweet spot is Japan Airlines flights to Australia or Hawaii round-trip for 40,000/85,000/125,000 in economy/business/first class.

15. South Korean Domestic Flights Including Jeju Island on Korean Air

The Korean Air award chart is quite expensive with the exception of domestic Korean flights: only 10,000/12,000 for round-trip flights in economy/business.

You can use that bargain award to visit Jeju’s honeymoon retreat, Jeju Island (CJU), to see 4 seasons of spectacular nature.

16. Book Korean Air Business Class from North America to Korea

Korean Air Business Class Bed — With direct aisle access and a lie-flat bed, you can rest peacefully when flying business class on Korean Air. Image Credit: Korean Air

One other solid redemption value you can make use of is Korean Air business class flights between North America and Korea. If you’re willing to book round-trip tickets, you can book business class for 152,000 miles!

This is an excellent deal, considering the cheapest way to book Korean Air business class awards is using Alaska miles at the same rate. The difference is Alaska Airlines doesn’t have many transfer partners, while Emirates has numerous transfer partners.

Plus, Korean Air business class has great availability for the whole family! Here are some great example routes you can take:

Atlanta (ATL) – Seoul (ICN) round-trip in Korean Air business class for 152,000 Emirates miles + ~$312 in taxes and fees
New York (JFK) – Seoul (ICN) round-trip in Korean Air business class for 152,000 Emirates miles + ~$312 in taxes and fees

17. Fly Malaysian Air Business Class Between Kuala Lumpur and London

Interested in flying on one of the more unique airline products? Malaysian Airlines business class offers a sleek business class product on its highest-profile flights.

Aboard the A350-900, Malaysian Air business class features business class seats in a similar configuration to SWISS business class. These seats debuted in 2018, so there’s a lot to look forward to when enjoying this flight!

Here is the exact route you can take:

Kuala Lumpur (KUL) – London (LHR) one-way in Malaysian Airlines business class for 90,000 Emirates miles + ~$65 in taxes and fees
London (LHR) – Kuala Lumpur (KUL) one-way in Malaysian Airlines business class for 90,000 Emirates miles + ~$467 in taxes and fees

As you can see, flying to London saves you a bunch in taxes and fees compared to departing from London!

18. Visit 2 Countries in 1 Trip From North America in Japan Airlines Business Class

Japan Airlines Business Class 777. Image Credit: Stephen Au

Emirates’ Japan Airlines partnership has some unique routing rules that we can use to optimize our itineraries even further.

Specifically, you can take up to 2 stopovers in Japan if your journey originates outside of Japan and Japan is not the final destination!

In all other cases except for journeys originating in Japan, 1 stopover is allowed. This means you can visit Japan en route to South Korea, for example.

Here are some great example itineraries you can take:

Los Angeles (LAX) – Tokyo (HND) – Seoul (GMP), Busan (PUS) – Tokyo (NRT) – Los Angeles (LAX) with stopovers in Tokyo and Seoul and an open-jaw in Busan for 125,000 Emirates miles + ~$388 in taxes and fees
New York (JFK) – Tokyo-(HND) – Shanghai (PVG), Guangzhou (CAN) – Tokyo (HND) – New York (JFK) with stopovers in Tokyo and Shanghai and an open-jaw in Guangzhou for 125,000 Emirates miles + ~$410 in taxes and fees

19. Fly Qantas First or Business Class to/From Australia

Qantas first class is ridiculously spacious. Image Credit: Qantas

Qantas is an Emirates partner, which means you can book flights on the Australian flag carrier using Emirates miles. This is great news because Qantas is probably one of the best ways to fly nonstop to Australia.

Although award availability is challenging to find, it can still be pulled off with some luck and even better planning. And what better way to fly to Australia than in Qantas first class?

Emirates utilizes a distance-based award chart for Qantas flights, so the further your flight distance, the more expensive your award ticket will be. Additionally, you can use 1 free stopover on your itinerary!

Here are some example routes you can take:

London (LHR) – Singapore (SIN) one-way in Qantas first class for 126,000 Emirates miles + ~$520 in taxes and fees
Los Angeles (LAX) – Melbourne (MEL) one-way in Qantas first class for 144,000 Emirates miles + ~$57 in taxes and fees
Sydney (SYD) – Singapore (SIN) one-way in Qantas first class for 90,000 Emirates miles + ~$79 in taxes and fees
Sydney (SYD) – Singapore (SIN) – London (LHR) with a stopover in Singapore in Qantas first class for 192,000 Emirates miles + ~$131 in taxes and fees

20. Fly TAP Air Portugal Business Class Round-Trip Between the U.S. and Portugal

TAP Air Portugal A330-900neo Business Class — TAP Air Portugal A330-900neo business class. Image Credit: TAP Air Portugal

TAP Air Portugal is one of Emirates’ newer airline partners. With a robust network connecting Portugal to popular destinations throughout the world, it’s worth looking at optimizing flight awards so you get the best value for your Emirates miles.

TAP Air Portugal operates a decent long-haul flight network — importantly, it operates lots of nonstop flights to Portugal through its 2 largest airports: Lisbon (LIS) and Porto (OPO).

If you wanted to fly nonstop from the U.S. to Portugal, you’ll pay 70,000 miles in round-trip economy and 140,000 miles in round-trip business class.

This could be of great value, particularly for TAP Air Portugal’s longest flight to the U.S. Here are some great example routes you can book:

Chicago (ORD) – Lisbon (LIS) round-trip in TAP Air Portugal business class for 140,000 miles + ~$395 in taxes and fees
Miami (MIA) – Lisbon (LIS) round-trip in TAP Air Portugal business class for 140,000 miles + ~$395 in taxes and fees
Newark (EWR) – Porto (OPO) round-trip in TAP Air Portugal business class for 140,000 miles + ~$390 in taxes and fees
San Francisco (SFO) – Lisbon (LIS) round-trip in TAP Air Portugal business class for 140,000 miles + ~$395 in taxes and fees

Final Thoughts

Emirates Skywards has some hidden gems if you look deep into the program and its partners. Hopefully, these give you ideas for some great trips to take on one of the world’s finest airlines!

While these are what we think are the best ways to use Emirates miles, there are certainly other options available. Happy redeeming!

Featured Image Credit: Emirates

Frequently asked questions

How do I create an Emirates Skywards account?

Where can I find my Emirates Skywards number?

Can my business have an Emirates account?

With Emirates Business Rewards, your business can earn miles and manage travel. Register here. Your employees continue to earn miles for their own flying, so this arrangement is win-win!

What is an Emirates Skywards Saver fare?

On cash tickets, the fare types are Special, Saver, Flex, and Flex Plus. Each has different benefits, miles-earning, and fees.

On Emirates Skywards award tickets (Classic Awards), Special fares are lower-priced awards that are only available for round-trip tickets. Flex Plus fares are more expensive, more flexible, and allow one-way awards.

What are Emirates Skywards miles worth?

Use the Miles Calculator to find out how much awards on Emirates cost. For partner airlines, you’ll need to check out the award chart and rules for each partner individually.

How many Emirates Skywards miles do you need for an upgrade?

Upgrade prices are determined by your route and ticket type. You’ll need to access your reservation on the Emirates website to check your upgrade offer. You may also be offered an upgrade at check-in, at the airport, or even once on board.

Who are the Emirates Skywards partners?

Emirates Skywards travel partners range from airlines to hotels to rental car agencies. See the complete list of Emirates Skywards partners here.

How long are Emirates Skywards Miles valid?

Emirates Skywards Miles are valid for 3 years at the end of your birth month, and you can only extend the life of miles by another 12 months by paying a rate of $20/1,000 miles.

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About Alex Miller

Alex has been traveling for over 25 years and from a young age was lucky enough to set out on numerous family trips all over the world, which gave him the travel bug. Alex has since earned millions of travel points and miles, mainly through maximizing credit card sign-up bonuses and taking every opportunity to earn the most points possible on each dollar spent.

Disclaimer: Any comments listed below are not from the bank advertiser, nor have they been reviewed or approved by them. No responsibility will be taken by the bank advertiser for these comments.

53 comments

Mirna Cicioni September 21, 2018
I have 14,000 Emirates points expiring on 30 September. Could I use them towards an overnight stopover in Dubai in early May? Many thanks for your assistance.
Reply
Dan December 2, 2018
I have miles expiring in late January. I’m a little confused with for example the partnership with Alaska. How can I use Skywards miles to book an in country USA flight on Alaska?
Reply
- Stephen Au December 7, 2018
  Hey Dan,
  You would have to find availability on Alaska Airlines using their website. Then, call Emirates and tell them which flights, dates, and times you want to book your reward flight for. You cannot perform this process online.
  Reply
Zahra Shaghaghi December 7, 2018
I would like to know why I have to pay $19.00 US for redeeming my Skywards miles? My purchase price is less than my points. Please let me know.
Reply
- Christine Krzyszton December 8, 2018
  Hello Zahra. Only the base fare of the ticket is covered when you redeem your Skyward Miles. According to the Emirates web site, “Skywards Miles can be redeemed for the base ticket fare, excluding carrier-imposed charges, taxes, and fees”. Thanks for your question. If you’d like to read further, you can access the information here. https://www.emirates.com/us/english/skywards/about/spending-miles.aspx
  Reply
Brad January 25, 2019
How can I transfer emirates Skywards points to Marriott? Can I do it online?
Reply
- Alex Miller January 26, 2019
  Hi Brad,
  Unfortunately you can’t transfer your Emirates Skywards points to Marriott. You can transfer Marriott > Emirates, but not the other way around.
  Reply
CPSinghal March 2, 2019
Can I use Skyward miles for online merchandise purchase and/ or vouchers of Amazon India? Or for other establishments in India?
Reply
- Christine Krzyszton March 14, 2019
  Hello and thank you for your question. I do not see Amazon as a retail partner for redeeming your Skywards miles. Here is a list of retail partners where you can redeem your miles: https://www.emirates.com/english/skywards/about/partners/our-partners.aspx?#life and a list of other redemption options: https://www.emirates.com/english/skywards/about/partners/our-partners.aspx?#life
  I hope this helps.
  Reply
Samiya May 28, 2019
Hello, How many points do I need to upgrade economy class to business class?
Travelling from Lahore to Chicago.
Secondly, can I use my family members’ Skyward miles?
Where else can I use these points especially in shopping?
Thank you
Reply
- Christine Krzyszton June 12, 2019
  Hello Samiya. It is possible to upgrade from economy to business class using Skywards miles but some classes are not eligible for upgrades. And yes, your family members’ Skywards miles can be used to upgrade. Here are the details of how to upgrade and some frequently asked questions: https://www.emirates.com/english/help/faq/1119688/can-i-combine-miles-from-two-accounts-to-claim-a-reward There are a few others ways to use your miles including hotels, tickets to events, and experiences but beware and look for good value. Here is the information on spending your miles: https://www.emirates.com/english/skywards/about/spending-miles.aspx
  Reply
  - Sam Bodapaty March 1, 2021
    Hi Christine, I upgraded an Economy Flex paid ticket using points transferred from AmEx Membership Rewards to Business Flex, but I only see Skywards points posted at the Economy Flex rate and not the Business Flex rate. Should I not receive Skywards points based on the Business Flex rate?
    Thank you for your response in advance.
    Reply
    - Christine Krzyszton March 1, 2021
      Hi Sam. If you transferred Membership Rewards points to Skywards and then used Skywards miles to upgrade your flight, you would earn Skywards Miles based on your original purchased ticket.
      Reply
- Ali July 4, 2019
  Are there any credit cards in Canada that can earn skywards points or maybe convertable points to skywards?
  Reply
  - Jarrod West July 5, 2019
    Hi Ali,
    The Canadian American Express cards that earn Membership Rewards points can be transferred to the Emirates Skyward program at a rate of 3 Membership Rewards Points = 2 Skywards Miles.
    Reply
    - Ali July 6, 2019
      Hi Jarrod.
      I don’t see Emirates as a partner on Canadian American Express website. Do you have a link where it shows Emirates as a partner.
      Reply
      - Jarrod West July 7, 2019
        Hi Ali,
        I just reviewed the Canadian Membership Rewards partners page and it seems that Emirates is no longer mentioned. My apologies for the mix-up. In which case, I do not believe there are any Canadian card offers with points that can transfer to Emirates.
Farina July 23, 2019
Hi,
Am I able to book hotels in Paris redeeming my Skywards miles?
Reply
- Stephen Au July 23, 2019
  Hi Farina,
  The best way to do this is by transferring Skywards Miles to one of their hotel partners such as AccorHotels. Unfortunately, the ratio isn’t favorable, but this is an option.
  Reply
Rachel August 14, 2019
Hello,
I have lots of Marriot points, and just a handful of Emirate points which will expire before I am likely to use them. Is there a way to convert the Emirates to Marriot points? I am much more likely to use hotel points.
Thanks!
Reply
- Andrew Kunesh August 14, 2019
  Hey Rachel, currently there is no way to transfer Emirates Skywards miles to Marriott Bonvoy points. However, you can pay to extend the validity of your Skywards miles by 12 months. Please see Emirates’ website for more info.
  Reply
Mrs Howe November 18, 2019
Can I use my Emirates points to pay for extra luggage allowance?
Reply
- Jarrod West November 18, 2019
  Hi Mrs Howe,
  You cannot use Emirates points to pay for extra luggage allowance unless you use your points to upgrade to a premium cabin ticket.
  Reply
Sina Aziz November 22, 2019
I have 2500 miles which will be lost in a few days and I want to buy gifts available online.
There is no information regarding buying these gifts. NOT the Emirates stuff.
Reply
- Christine Krzyszton November 22, 2019
  Hello Sina. Here is the link for redeeming your miles for merchandise and other options. https://www.emirates.com/english/skywards/about/partners/our-partners.aspx?#life
  Reply
Fcflyer November 24, 2019
Emirates awards can be booked one way and are half a round trip, correct?
I just checked JFK-CPT in first and the mileage you quote is different from the online calculator.
What am I missing? Thanks
Reply
- Stephen Au November 26, 2019
  Hi FCflyer,
  Emirates awards aren’t half the price of a round-trip. For example, the round-trip cost for first class from JFK to CPT via Dubai is 285,000 miles under a Flex award fare. The one-way ticket costs 178,750 miles under the Flex Plus level.
  Reply
fcflyer November 25, 2019
Is your award chart old? I’m pricing CPT-JFK in F and it’s different than the post.
Reply
- Stephen Au November 26, 2019
  Hi fcflyer,
  We just addressed your concerns below. The one-way cost is not half price of round-trip awards. Thanks for reading.
  Reply
Akber December 23, 2019
How many Emirates reward miles needed to travel (return – two way):
1) DFW to JED – NO Stopover
2) DFW to JED – with Stopover at BAH
3) DFW to JED – with Stopover while going to JED at BAH and back to DFW at DXB
How many Emirates reward miles & Cash needed to travel (return – two way):
1) DFW to JED – NO Stopover
2) DFW to JED – with Stopover at BAH
3) DFW to JED – with Stopover while going to JED at BAH and back to DFW at DXB
Reply
- Jarrod West December 26, 2019
  Hi Akber,
  You can find the exact miles needed for each of these routes, and all of Emirates’ other routes, at their website. https://www.emirates.com/account/us/english/miles-calculator/miles-calculator.aspx
  Reply
Simon Drummond January 19, 2020
The fact you haven’t included airport taxes and fuel surcharges in any of your mileage costs in this article, limits the usefulness of the information. The added fees are prohibitive (and can be paid for with Skywards miles).
Reply
Fred May 15, 2021
Unlike many airlines, regular earning of miles does not extend mileage validity. As a last-ditch effort, you can pay to extend Skywards miles for another 12 months at a rate of $20 per 1,000 miles.
Wouldn’t it be chaeper to buy new miles?
Reply
- Jarrod West May 17, 2021
  Hi Fred,
  That rate you were quoted is the rate to purchase new miles, which will extend the expiration of your current miles.
  Reply
Chris May 31, 2021
When I read Emirates redemption rate for Korean Air, it says 105,000 one way but here you said round trip. Is this true?
Reply
- Jarrod West June 16, 2021
  Hi Chris,
  The one-way rate for flights between 4,000-5,000 miles should be 76,000, or 152,000 round-trip. So I’ve updated that in the post. You can view the rates on Emirates table here.
  Reply
Donna September 16, 2021
If I read this reply correctly, “That rate you were quoted is the rate to purchase new miles, which will extend the expiration of your current miles.”, I can buy miles and that will extend my miles that are about to expire? How many miles do I need to buy to extend my miles?
I would think that with limited flights and Covid restrictions, Emirates would extend all miles as a courtesy.
Reply
- Jarrod West September 18, 2021
  Hi Donna,
  You can purchase as many miles as you would like in order to extend your current miles. Although I do agree with you that it’d be nice if Emirates extended mileage expirations for all customers.
  Reply
Robbie September 19, 2021
Hi
Living in NZ and interested to know for return travel Auckland to London is better to use Emirates miles for business on Emirates flights or to use them for QF business
Thanks
Robbie
Reply
- Stephen Au September 20, 2021
  Hi Robbie,
  For Qantas business class, it’ll cost 120,000 Emirates miles one-way (240,000 Emirates miles round-trip). For Emirates business class, it’ll start at 256,000 Emirates miles round-trip. However, Qantas business class is harder to find availability for than Emirates.
  Reply
sean donaghy December 30, 2021
So if I purchase $20 in miles, this will extend all my existing miles which are due to expire? It reads to me as though you should purchase the same quantity of points which you are trying to extend; in which case it does not seem like good value. Would appreciate it if you could clarify this.
Reply
- Jarrod West December 30, 2021
  Hi Sean,
  Purchasing any amount of miles will extend your total mileage balance.
  Reply
Mirian Nunes February 20, 2022
How to transfer my Skywards miles to ALL Accor Hotels? I have more than 21,000 Skywards miles that will expire next March.
Reply
- Stephen Au February 21, 2022
  You cannot transfer Skywards miles to Accor. You can only transfer Accor points to Skywards miles.
  Reply
Teresa July 5, 2022
I’m having great trouble trying to redeem MELHKG on QF business class with Skywards, called to ask about availability for May, the agent knew nothing apart from saying their end shows ‘closed’, tried searching from November all the way to May, their end shows ‘closed’ as well according to the agent. Does this mean the quota for redemption is maxed, or does this mean flights are not yet available for redemption? Scratching my head as to how to burn the 300k skywards points before they expire. Would appreciate your advice please
Reply
- Jarrod West July 11, 2022
  Hi Teresa,
  If it is showing as closed, then it is likely that there is no business class award availability on those dates. That said, some times available dates pop up as people cancel tickets, or resechuelde tickets, or as the airline releases more seats. So it is best to keep checking back as often as you can.
  Reply
Hemanta July 19, 2022
Can I redeem the points to India?
Reply
- Jarrod West July 19, 2022
  Hi Hemanta,
  Yes, you can redeem your Emirates points to fly to India.
  Reply
Jean August 6, 2022
Bkk-pnh service has stopped since pandemic and not likely to return any time soon.
However looking at the post, redeeming bkk-pnh cost 60K for round trip in 1st class for a merely 1 hrs flight, however same 60k is posted for bkk-hkg for a 3 hrs flight in first seems better deal?
Reply
Kay August 30, 2022
Why isn’t it letting me redeem my expiring miles on JetBlue for a domestic flight?
Reply
- Jarrod West September 6, 2022
  Hi Kay,
  I could not say why you are having that issue. Have you tried contacting Emirates directly to see what the issue is?
  Reply
Alam, Kazi Md Saiful November 21, 2022
Hi, I see my 2030 skywards points automatically expire in December 2022. I plan to visit Dhaka, Bangladesh with the 5 members of my family in April/May 2023. Under such a situation, I would like to request for extending my Skywards points for a period of 12 months further without incurring any cost from my side.
I look forward to seeing your kind gesture to me as a very old loyal customer of Emirates Airlines.
Kind regards, Kazi
Reply
- Jarrod West November 22, 2022
  Hi Kazi,
  Please be advised that we are not Emirates Airlines. We are Upgraded Points, an educational travel website. You can contact Emirates directly at 1-(800)-777-3999.
  Reply