The Ultimate Guide – Forbes Advisors

Emirates Skywards is the airline’s frequent flyer programme, and the miles you earn are known as Skywards Miles.

Signing up for a free Emirates Skywards account is the first step to start earning miles with this programme. All you need is some basic information like your name, date of birth, country of residence and email address.

flying emirates

Once you have registered, you will be able to start earning Skywards Miles. The easiest way is to use an airline.

Emirates uses four criteria to determine how many Skywards Miles you earn when you fly.

• root: This is your flight and does not include a stopover.
• cabin: Emirates operates four cabins: Economy Class, Premium Economy Class, Business Class and First Class.
• fare: Each cabin has its own fare. These fares determine the number of Skywards Miles you earn on the ticket.
• Elite status: Earn more Skywards Miles when you hold Emirates Elite status. We will discuss this in more detail next.

Emirates operates four cabins, each of which is further subdivided into fare classes. The following list shows each cabin class and their respective fares.

• economic: Special, Saber, Flex, or Flex Plus
• Premium Economy: flex plus
• work: Special, Saber, Flex, or Flex Plus
• beginning: Flex or Flex Plus

Emirates is complicated when it comes to figuring out how many miles you earn. Luckily, Emirates also offers a calculator to help you calculate exactly how many Skywards Miles you’ll earn.

The image shows the result of the flight from DXB (Dubai) to MXP (Milan). For example, a basic Blue Skywards member will earn 900 Skywards Miles when flying Economy Class on a Saver fare.

status miles

Emirates Elite status earns you bonus Skywards Miles every time you fly. Emirates offers an entry-level membership and his three tiers of elite status. The higher your status, the higher your Skywards bonus.

The following list shows each status and the respective bonuses you can earn when flying with Emirates.

• Blue: Entry level membership. There are no Skywards Miles bonuses.
• Silver: 25% bonus Skywards Miles
• Money: 50% bonus Skywards Miles
• platinum: 75% bonus Skywards Miles

Elite status with Emirates also comes with additional benefits. The full list of perks is shown in the image below.

Earnings situation

You must accumulate Tier Miles to earn Emirates status. Earn Tier Miles every time you take a qualifying flight. This includes Emirates, flydubai flights or codeshare flights marketed by Emirates operated by another airline.

Below are the tiers and requirements to complete each level.

• Blue: Entry level membership. No flight required.
• Silver: Earn 25,000 Tier Miles or take 25 flights.
• Money: Earn 50,000 Tier Miles or fly 50 flights.
• platinum: Earn 150,000 Tier Miles.

Tier Miles are calculated and earned in the same manner as Skywards Miles are earned, however Tier Miles cannot be earned on partner airline flights. More on that below. However, codeshare flights marketed by Emirates are different from partner flights and are eligible.

Emirates’ calculator makes it easy to calculate how many Tier Miles you’ll earn.

Tier Miles are valid for approximately one year from the month in which they are earned. The expiration date he is 12-13 months. Once you qualify, the clock resets and you have up to 13 more months to meet the requirements to maintain or achieve higher status.

Partner airline flights

Emirates is one of the only major airlines in the world that is not in an alliance, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have partners. In fact, he has over a dozen partner airlines, many of which earn Skywards Miles.

Each partner airline has its own earning rates and requirements.

• Air Mauritius: 1 Skywards Mile for every mile flown in Economy Class. Earn 1.5 Skywards Miles for every mile you fly in Premium Economy. 2 Skywards Miles for every mile flown in Business Class.
• Bangkok Airways: 1 Skywards Mile for every mile flown in Economy Class. 1.1 Skywards Miles for every mile flown in Premium Economy. 2 Skywards Miles for every mile flown in Business Class.
• Copa Airlines: 1 Skywards Mile for every mile flown in Economy Class. Earn 1.5 Skywards Miles for every mile flown in Business Class.
• flydubai: Emirates Skywards is a loyalty program for flydubai and Emirates itself, so this is a little different than other partners. Skywards Miles earned on flydubai flights vary by destination, fare type, cabin class and status tier.
• Gol: Earn up to 1 Skywards Mile for every mile you use in Economy Class. Up to 1.5 Skywards Miles per mile flown in GOL Premium Class.
• Japan Airlines: International – up to 1 Skywards Mile per mile flown in Economy Class. Up to 1 Skywards Mile for every mile flown in Premium Economy. Earn up to 1.25 Skywards Miles per mile on Business Class travel. Earn up to 1.5 Skywards Miles per mile on First Class flights.
  Domestic – Earn up to 1 Skywards Mile per mile flown in Economy Class. Up to 1.1 Skywards Miles per mile in Class J. Up to 1.5 Skywards Miles per mile in First Class.
• jet blue: Earn up to 1 Skywards Mile for every mile you use in Economy Class. Up to 1.5 Skywards Miles per mile flown in Mint Class.
• Jetstar: Earn up to 1 Skywards Mile for every mile you use in Economy Class. Earn up to 1.25 Skywards Miles per mile on Business Class travel.
• Korean Air: Earn up to 1 Skywards Mile for every mile you use in Economy Class. Up to 1.35 Skywards Miles per mile flown in Prestige Class. Up to 2 Skywards Miles per mile flown in First Class.
• Malaysia Airlines: Up to 1 Skywards Mile per mile flown in Economy Class. Earn up to 1.25 Skywards Miles per mile on Business Class travel. Business Suite class flights will award up to 1.5 Skywards miles per mile.
• Qantas Airways: Earn up to 1 Skywards Mile for every mile you use in Economy Class. 1.1 Skywards Miles per mile flown in Economy Premium Class. 1.25 Skywards Miles per mile flown in Business Class. Earn 1.5 Skywards Miles per mile on First Class flights.
• S7: Earn up to 1 Skywards Mile for every mile you use in Economy Class. Earn up to 1.25 Skywards Miles per mile on Business Class travel.
• South African Airways: Earn up to 1 Skywards Mile for every mile you use in Economy Class. Earn up to 1.5 Skywards Miles for every mile you fly Business Class.
• TAPPortugal: Earn up to 1 Skywards Mile for every mile you use in Economy Class. Earn 1.5 Skywards Miles for every mile flown in Business Class.
• united airlines: Up to 1.5 Skywards Miles per mile flown, depending on fare class.

Some fares do not earn Skywards Miles. For example, Copa Airlines does not award Skywards Miles for bookings in classes N, X, I, G, Z and P. Always double check the website before booking.

Credit card usage

Barclays offers two Emirates co-branded credit cards, a premium option and a basic option.

Emirates Skywards Premium World Elite Mastercard®*:

• Earn 40,000 bonus Skywards Miles when you spend $3,000 in your first 90 days of account opening
• Annual fee: $499
• Earn 3 Skywards Miles per dollar spent on eligible Emirates purchases, 2 Skywards Miles per dollar spent on eligible travel purchases and 1 Skywards Mile per dollar spent on all other purchases

Emirates Skywards Rewards World Elite Mastercard®*:

• Earn 30,000 bonus Skywards Miles when you spend $3,000 in your first 90 days
• Annual fee: $99
• Earn 3 Skywards Miles per dollar spent on emirates.com or Emirates sales offices, 2 Skywards Miles per dollar spent on eligible flights, hotel stays and car rentals and 1 Skywards Mile per dollar spent on all other purchases can.

transfer partner

Emirates not only partners with other airlines, but also with banks, hotels and car rental companies. You can convert points from various programs into Emirates Skywards Miles using the following options:

credit card

There are several banks in the industry that offer transferable point currency, a point currency that can be transferred to various travel partners. Emirates partners with all major convertible currencies, making it incredibly easy to earn Skywards Miles and redeem them for free flights.

hotel transfer partner

Select hotels also allow you to redeem your loyalty program points for Skywards Miles. However, this does not always give the best value. Still, if you feel like you don’t have enough Skywards Miles and have hotel program points you don’t want to use, this option might make sense.

• Accor Live Limitless (All): 4,000 ALL Points are equivalent to 2,000 Skywards Miles.
• Hilton Honors: 1,000 Skywards Miles for 10,000 Hilton Honors Points.
• IHG: 10,000 IHG ​​Rewards Club points equal 2,000 Skywards Miles.

Other ways to earn Skywards Miles

hotel accommodation

Earning Skywards Miles isn’t limited to flying. For example, you can earn Skywards Miles every time you spend at our partner hotels. Earn Skywards Miles for every $1 spent at Participating Properties at the following businesses: This is in addition to any points, miles or cashback benefits you earn by paying with your Travel Rewards credit card.

• Marriott Bonvoy: For use at Aloft, Four Points by Sheraton, Courtyard, AC Hotels by Marriott, Element by Westin, Fairfield by Marriott, Marriott Executive Apartments, Moxy Hotels, Protea Hotels by Marriott, Residence Inn by Marriott, SpringHill Suites Earn 1 Skywards Mile per dollar spent by Marriott, TownePlace Suites by Marriott, or 2 Skywards Miles per dollar spent at any other Marriott Participating Property.
• IHG: Earn 2 Skywards Miles for every $1 spent at most IHG properties. Earn 1 Skywards Mile on every spend at Candlewood Suites, Staybridge Suites and The Venetian.
• World of Hyatt: Earn 500 Skywards Miles on every eligible stay

car rental

Emirates Skywards Miles cannot be redeemed from car rental company loyalty programs, but you can earn Miles when you rent a car.

Earn Skywards Miles when you rent a car from the following agencies: The amount of Skywards Miles you earn depends on your Emirates elite status and which agency you are renting from. You must also rent a car using the link provided to earn Skywards Miles.

• Avis: Earn up to 8 Skywards Miles per dollar spent
• budget: Earn up to 8 Skywards Miles per dollar spent
• Cartroller: Earn up to 1 Skywards Mile per dollar spent
• dollar car rental: Earn up to 1,000 Skywards Miles on every eligible rental
• Europe car: Earn up to 1,200 Skywards Miles on rentals
• Hertz: Earn up to 5 Skywards Miles per dollar spent
• Six: Earn up to 1,000 Skywards Miles on every eligible rental

shopping portal

Shopping portals allow you to stack up offers and get lots of perks. Skywards Miles Mall allows you to earn Skywards Miles for your online purchases at participating retailers.

To earn Miles at Skywards Miles Mall, simply visit the website and log in using your Emirates Skywards Miles information. You can use the search function to find the store you are interested in. The link provided will take you to the store.

It may take 45 to up to 120 days for Skywards Miles to post to your account.

Earn extra miles on in-store purchases. Simply link your credit card to your Skywards shopping account and use it to pay at participating retailers.

The merchants listed above are just a few examples of partners who can earn Skywards Miles when shopping in-store.

Purchasing Miles

Members can purchase Skywards Miles. Skywards Miles are sold in increments of 1,000 Miles. The price is $30 per 1,000 Skywards Miles. All members can purchase up to 100,000 Skywards Miles per year. Elite status holders can purchase up to 200,000 Skywards Miles per year.

Points.com processes transactions to purchase Skywards Miles. This means that you cannot earn credit card airline bonuses.

Buying Skywards Miles, especially at the list price of $30 per 1,000, is poor value and should be a last resort.