Emirates Citi World Mastercard

Last updated: Jul 9, 2020

Enjoy up to 60,000 bonus Skywards Miles as a new cardholder, luxury perks and a discounted $149 annual fee for the first year.

The Emirates Citi World Mastercard is the only Australian credit card directly linked to the Emirates Skywards frequent flyer program, allowing you to earn miles as you spend.

If you apply by 31 January 2021, get approved and make a purchase within the first 90 days from card approval, you will receive 50,000 bonus Skywards Miles. You can also get 10,000 bonus Skywards Miles by spending at least $500 on emirates.com in the first 90 days – meaning you have the potential to collect 60,000 bonus miles through this offer.

60,000

Bonus points

21.49% p.a.

Purchase rate

Reward point

Per $ spent

$149 p.a.

Annual fee

for the first year ($299 p.a. thereafter)

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Details

Product Name	Emirates Citi World Mastercard
Rewards program	Emirates Skyward Miles Program
Balance transfer rate	0% p.a. for 9 months
Balance transfer revert rate	Cash Advance Rate (22.24% p.a.)
Balance transfer limit	80% of available limit
Purchase rate	21.49% p.a.
Annual fee	$149 annual fee for the first year ($299 p.a. thereafter)
Interest-free period	55 days
Cash advance rate	22.24% p.a.
Min credit limit	$15,000
Max credit limit	$100,000
Card type	Mastercard
Foreign currency conversion fee	3.4%

Minimum income	$75,000
Available to temporary residents	No
Joint application	No

Pros

Total bonus points potential of 60,000
Discounted annual fee of $149 for the first year
Two complimentary lounge passes per year

Cons

The standard annual fee of $299 is high
The $3,000 spend cap before the lower earn rate kicks in is relatively low

Rewards program	Emirates Skyward Miles Program
Bonus points	60,000
Rewards points per $ spent	1
Rewards points cap	6,500

Annual fee	$149 annual fee for the first year ($299 p.a. thereafter)
Minimum monthly repayment	2% of the closing balance or $30, whichever is greater
Late payment fee	$30
Foreign currency conversion fee	3.4%
Cash advance fee	3.5% or $3.50, whichever is greater
Overseas cash advance fee	$5
Additional cardholder fee	$0
Number of additional cardholders	4

Expert review

Review by

Amy Bradney-George

amy.bradney-george@finder.com

Amy Bradney-George has been writing about personal finance for more than 13 years – including over 600 articles as a senior writer for Finder. Her work has also appeared in publications including Money Magazine, The Sydney Morning Herald, Financy, ABC News Australia and Equity Magazine. Amy has a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Drama from Griffith University.

Expert review

The Emirates Citi World Mastercard is a premium frequent flyer card that earns between 1 and 1.5 Skywards Miles per $1 spent on eligible purchases. It also offers two complimentary lounge passes for Emirates Lounges in Australia, complimentary international travel insurance and interstate flight inconvenience insurance.

If you collect the total 60,000 bonus Skywards Miles offered to new cardholders, you’ll have enough miles to redeem a return economy flight from Sydney to Bangkok – or around half what you’d need for a return economy flight from Sydney (or Melbourne) to London. But it’s worth noting that this card’s annual fee is $149 for the first year and $299 thereafter – so make sure you weigh this cost against the benefits.

How to apply

You can apply for the Emirates Citi World Mastercard online in around 15 minutes. To get started, make sure you meet the eligibility criteria and have all the essential documents and details ready.

Eligibility criteria

Minimum income. You must earn at least $75,000 per year to apply for this card.
Eligible balance transfer debt. If you plan to take advantage of the balance transfer offer, you can transfer up to 80% of your card's available credit limit from accounts not issued by Citi.

Age. You must be at least 18 years old to apply.
Residency. You must be an Australian resident.

Required documents

Personal details. This includes your full name, date of birth, email address, residential address, marital status, number of dependents and contact number. You'll also need to provide a valid form of ID, such as your driver's licence, passport or Medicare card number.
Frequent flyer details. You'll need to provide details of your Emirates Skywards frequent flyer account when you apply for this card. If you're not a member of this loyalty scheme, you can join for free via the Emirates website.
Employment details. This includes your current job title, salary and you're employers contact details. You'll also need to provide documents that verify your income, such as recent payslips or tax assessment notices from the ATO.
Financial details. This includes any additional forms of income, pensions, savings or other assets, as well as existing debts, loans and cards. You'll also need to provide details of your regular household expenses such as rent or mortgage payments, utility bills and groceries.
Balance transfer details. If you plan to transfer a balance you will need to provide information about the existing account(s).

Card benefits

Bonus Skywards Miles. This card offers up to 60,000 bonus Skywards Miles when you apply by 31 January 2021, are approved and meet two different spend requirements. You'll earn 50,000 bonus Skywards Miles when you make a purchase within the first 90 days from card approval and 10,000 bonus miles when you spend at least $500 on emirates.com in the first 90 days. The bonus miles will be credited to your account within 6-8 weeks after meeting the spend criteria. Note that balance transfers, special promotions and cash advances do not qualify towards the spend criteria.
Rewards program. When you use this card for eligible spending in Australia, you'll earn 1 Skywards Mile per $1 (up to $3,000 per statement period), and 0.5 Skywards Miles per $1 spent thereafter (up to $10,000 per statement period). You'll also earn 1.25 Miles for every dollar spent on eligible international spend (uncapped) and 1.5 Skywards Miles per $1 spent on airline tickets through emirates.com. This includes flights booked with partner airlines like Alaska Airlines, Japan Airlines, Jet Airways, Jetstar, Qantas and Virgin America – as long as you make the booking via the Emirates website. You can redeem your miles for flights with Emirates and its partner airlines. You can also redeem them with Emirates partners in a range of categories, including car hire, hospitality, lifestyle, retail and finance.

Complimentary insurance covers. When you use this card to pay for travel you can make use of complimentary international travel insurance, transit accident insurance, and interstate flight inconvenience insurance. Purchases you make using this card receive protection through guaranteed pricing scheme, purchase cover insurance, and extended warranty insurance.
World Golf benefits. Cardholders can access some of the most sought after golf courses the world over. You can look forward to playing on renowned Tournament Players Club (TPC) courses, and you can even expect perks when you're watching PGA Tour events.
Other luxury benefits. You also get two complimentary lounge passes for Emirates Lounges in Australia, which you can use when flying with Emirates. You can also make use of a complimentary chauffeur-driven service once every year, when flying with Emirates.
Mobile payment technology. You can easily make payments when you shop with Samsung Pay or Apple Pay just by tapping your qualifying Samsung device or Apple device on a contactless terminal.
Citibank Dining Program. This complimentary program gives you a way to enjoy a free bottle of wine when you dine with participating restaurants and use your Citi card to pay. You'll also get access to other foodie promotions and offers throughout the year.
Concierge service. Access round-the-clock global concierge service, which you can turn to for reserving tables at restaurants, booking flight tickets, delivering gifts, arranging business meetings, and more.

Rates & fees

Annual fee. Save with a discounted annual fee of $149 for the first year and $299 p.a. thereafter.
Interest rates. This card has a purchase rate of 21.49% p.a. and a cash advance interest rate of 22.24% p.a.

Balance transfers. This card offers 0% p.a. on balance transfers for the first 9 months when you request the transfer at the time of your application. Any outstanding balance at the end of this period starts attracting the22.24% p.a. cash advance rate.
Interest-free days. This card offers up to 55 interest-free days on purchases when you pay your account's closing balance in full each month. Note that interest-free days are not available if you carry a balance transfer debt.

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18 Comments

Geoff
May 10, 2019

Qantas premium frequent flyer seats are limited is the emirates ff program better?

finder Customer Care

Mai
May 11, 2019

Hi Geoff,

Thank you for reaching out.

Each frequent flyer (ff) programs differs on the rewards that you can get from it. You may compare Qantas FF and Skywards FF and check what do you think will be more beneficial for you. Consider which airline or airlines do you usually fly with, how many of the program partners do you already spend with, the cost and how often do you actually fly. By identifying such, you should be able to compare them and see what will best suit your preference and needs.

You can head to our article on Frequent Flyer Comparison to help you on comparing your options and I hope that you will find it helpful.

Kind Regards,
Mai

Jenny
October 10, 2018

Hi Joel,

Thank you for your response. Just further to that, how long would I need to wait before I apply for an Emirates Citibank MasterCard Credit card before I would be entitled to any bonus points that they may be offering at the time?

Thanks
Jenny

Joel
October 11, 2018

Hi Jenny,

Thanks for leaving a question on finder.

As long as 6 months has passed from the day you cancelled your Emirates Citi World card, you can apply again for the same product and enjoy the bonus points.

Please send me a message if you need anything else. :)

Cheers,
Joel

Jenny
October 9, 2018

I have held an Emirates Citibank Mastercard in the past. I cancelled it 6 months ago. If I apply for a new Emirates Citibank Mastercard will I be entitled to the bonus skyward miles?

Joel
October 9, 2018

Hi Jenny,

Thanks for leaving a question on finder.

You will not be eligible for the promotion if you have held an Emirates Credit Card in the past 6 months. Please note that you need to have $75,000 as your annual income to be qualified as well.

Please send me a message if you need anything else. :)

Cheers,
Joel

faran
January 22, 2018

is there expiry time on Emirates points?

Joel
January 23, 2018

Hi Faran,

Thanks for your question. Your Skywards Miles are valid for three years from the date of travel. Within the calendar year that Skywards Miles are due to expire, they will be removed from your account at the end of the month in which you were born.

For example, if you earned Miles in June 2016 and your birthday is in August, these Miles will expire on 31st August 2019.

Cheers!
Joel

mitch
August 21, 2017

I have an emirates CITI mastercard
can I pay my land tax to the queensland government?
they accept MasterCard @ 0.40%
how many points do I get per $1 payment ?
each payment will be under $40,000 each time

finder Customer Care

May
August 22, 2017

Hi Mitch,

Thanks for your question.

According to the definition of “Eligible Transaction” of Citibank for their Emirates Citi World Mastercard, Eligible Transaction means any purchases excluding but not limited to government transactions. And they defined government transactions as:

Government related transactions include transactions with government or semi-government entities, or relating to services provided by or in connection with government (for example but not limited to transactions made at Australia Post, payments to the Australian Taxation Office, council rates, motor registries, tolls, parking stations and meters, fares on public transport, fines and court-related costs).

So, I’m afraid that payments for taxes to the QLD government using your Emirates Citi World Mastercard will not earn points.

Cheers,
May

Steve
June 14, 2016

We are New Zealand residents. Do we get the same benefits as Australian residents

finder Customer Care

Ysa
June 15, 2016

Hi Steve,

Thanks for your question.

We have confirmed with Citi that their credit cards products are only available for permanent Australian residents. Unfortunately, New Zealand residents are not eligible for the benefits and features of the Emirates Citi World MasterCard.

Cheers,
Ysa

darren
April 17, 2016

Are the bonus tier miles i.e. they go toward upgrading my existing Skywards miles account to the next level (gold or silver) or are these miles simply the ones used for shopping on Emirates website and expire after a while?

finder Customer Care

May
April 18, 2016

Hi Darren,

Thanks for your inquiry.

An Emirates Skywards Member can earn Skyward Miles and Tier Miles which are both earned when taking ‘Qualifying flights.’ He can also upgrade his status to “Silver’’, ”Gold” or “Platinum” Membership Tier, but that would depend on the number of Tier Miles earned in any consecutive 13-month period. Please note that bonus tiers are additional Skyward Miles earned by taking a Qualifying Flight(s):

1. Silver Tier – 25,000 Tier Miles or 25 qualifying flights
2. Gold Tier – 50,000 Tier Miles or 50 qualifying flights
3. Platinum Tier – 150,000 Miles

Moreover, your earned Emirates Skywards Miles do expire, so it’s best that you use them to redeem rewards like Emirates flights, flight upgrades and Emirates Partners’ goods and services to accrue Tier Miles.

I hope this answers your question.

Cheers,
May

mark
January 18, 2016

If i already have a Citibank card and I cancel it, will I be eligible for the bonus 40k pts on reapplying in the future?

finder Customer Care

Sharon
January 19, 2016

Hi Mark,

Thanks for your inquiry.

To be eligible for the 40,000 bonus points offer you must apply for the card before 29 April 2016, are approved and make a purchase within the first three months. Cancelling your card is not recommended as we cannot guarantee that your application would be approved. However, if you’re going to cancel your card today, you can only apply for a new card after the period of 6 months.

I hope this helps,

Sharon

George
April 22, 2015

What is the age limit for travel insurance purposes

finder Customer Care

Jonathan
April 23, 2015

Hi George, thanks for your inquiry!

There is no maximum age for this credit card insurance policy.

Cheers,

Jonathan

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