Emirates Skywards is one of the world's largest frequent flyer programs, with over 30 million members globally.
It gives you a way to earn and redeem Skywards Miles with Emirates and partners. The more miles you collect, the higher you'll climb up the Skywards status tiers. Benefits include:
Flights with Emirates and partners including Qantas, Jetstar and Air Canada
Flight upgrades
Accommodation, travel packages and care hire
How do you become a Emirates Skywards member?
Emirates Skywards is free to join for anyone over the age of 2. You can sign up by filling in a simple form on the Emirates website.
Name
Date of birth
Email address
Country of residence
Password of your choice
Contact number
Invite code (optional if you have a referral from a friend)
How you can earn Emirates Skywards points
Flights
Flights with Emirates You'll earn Skywards Miles for Emirates flights based on your route, fare type, class and membership tier.
For example, a one-way economy flight from Sydney to London's Heathrow airport would earn between 1,240 and 12,400 Skywards Miles for an entry-level Emirates Skywards Blue member. An Economy Special fare would earn the least miles and an Economy Flex Plus fare would earn the most.
In comparison, a business class flight with the same details would earn between 13,640 and 23,560 Skywards Miles.
You can use the miles calculator on the airline's website to see how rewarding your next Emirates flight will be.
You can earn Skywards Miles and Tier Miles on all flights with Emirates' low-cost sister airline flydubai. Like Emirates, the amount of miles you earn is based on factors including distance flown, fare class and membership status.
You can find a miles calculator on the Emirates website for flydubai as well. In general the number of miles you can earn are similar to those you would receive at a comparable economy or business class fare on an Emirates flight.
You can also earn Skywards Miles with Emirates airline partners including Qantas, Jetstar and Air Canada. Here's how much you can earn with each airline:
The amount of Skywards Miles you'll get varies depending on the rewards program and your card. But as an example, the American Express website shows a transfer rate of 3 Membership Rewards Points for 1 Skywards Mile and the Emirates Australia website says you can convert 4 CommBank Awards Points into 1 Skywards Mile.
In Australia, Citi is the only bank that has offered a credit card that earns Emirates Skywards Miles directly: the Emirates Citi World Mastercard. But as of 10 January 2023, it's not currently taking new applications.
You can earn Skywards Miles on accommodation all around the world, with partners including Hilton, Marriott and Pullman hotels. Depending on the partner, you could earn points based on the number of nights you stay, the dollars you spend or by transferring hotel loyalty points to Skywards Miles.
Hotel
Earn rate in Skywards Miles
25hours Hotels
Convert 2,000 ALL points into 2,000 Skywards Miles
Atlantis The Palm, Dubai
Earn 1 Mile per US$1 spent
Booking.com
Earn 1 Mile per 1 Euro spent
Crown Hotels
Earn up to 5 Miles for every AUD$1 spent
Crowne Plaza Hotels and Resorts
Earn 2 Miles for every US$1 spent. You can also convert 10,000 IHG One Rewards Points into 2,000 Miles.
Emirates Skywards Hotels
Earn up to 12,500 Skywards Miles per night
Fairmont
Convert 4,000 hotel loyalty points to 2,000 Skywards Miles
Hilton Hotels
Convert 10,000 Hilton Honors points into 1,000 Skywards Miles
Holiday Inn
2 Skywards Miles for every US$1 spent. You can also convert 10,000 IHG One Rewards points into 2,000 Miles.
Hyatt Hotels
Earn 500 Miles per eligible stay. You can also convert 2.5 World of Hyatt points to 1 Skywards Mile.
ibis Hotels
Convert 4,000 ALL points into 2,000 Miles
InterContinental Hotels Group
Earn 2 Miles per US$1 spent. You can also convert 10,000 IHG One Rewards points into 2,000 Miles.
Jumeirah Hotels & Resorts
Earn 1 Mile per US$1
Marriott Hotels & Resorts
Earn points twice on flights and stays at eligible properties. You can also convert 3 Marriott Bonvoy points to 1 Skywards Mile.
Novotel
Convert 4,000 ALL points into 2,000 Miles
One&Only Resorts
Earn 1 Mile per US$1
Pullman Hotels & Resorts
Convert 4,000 ALL points into 2,000 Miles
Radisson Blu
Convert 2,000 Radisson Rewards points into 200 Miles
You can earn Skywards Miles with partnered retailers and services including the Emirates Official Store, Dubai Duty Free and Heathrow Rewards. As these partners are based overseas, it might be worth visiting the Skywards website before you travel to see when and where you might be able to earn more Skywards Miles.
Credit cards that earn points that can be transferred to Emirates Skywards Miles
The value of your Skywards Miles are dependent on what you're spending them on. Typically in frequent flyer programs your points have the most value when you spend them on flights.
Example You could redeem a one-way economy flight from Sydney to London with Emirates partner Qantas for 60,000 Skywards Miles. When we looked at this flight for September 2023, the cheapest economy option was $1,413.
So in this example, each 1 Skywards Mile would be worth around 2.35 cents. Or, to put it in dollar terms, every 1,000 Skywards Miles redeemed would be worth $23.55.
Note: We used Qantas as the airline for this example because the Emirates Skywards program has a table showing how many points are needed for flights based on the total miles flown. In comparison, Emirates only shows the Skywards Miles required for Emirates flights based on individual bookings. How to calculate the value of rewards points
How many Emirates Skywards Miles do I need for a free flight?
One of the most obvious ways to spend your Miles is on flights with Emirates, you can redeem Classic Reward flights starting from 15,000 miles (the cost may vary depending on class, destination and travel dates).
You can choose to redeem the flight fully with points or pay with a mix of points and cash (minimum of 2,000 Skywards Miles).
Technically you'll never get a flight truly for free as there are fees for things like airport taxes.
If you want to use your points for travel with flydubai, there is no minimum redemption. This means you can use any combination of Skywards Miles and cash for your flights.
Deal
Dublin flights from $2159 return
Book a flight to Dublin this holiday season at Emirates from $2159. Available for travel on select dates. Fares are subject to change without prior notice. T&Cs apply.
Book a flight to Paris this holiday season at Emirates from $2229. Available for travel on select dates. Fares are subject to change without prior notice. T&Cs apply.
Book a flight to Rome and enjoy the beautiful attractions at Emirates. Available for travel on select dates. Fares are subject to change without prior notice. T&Cs apply.
Book a flight and enjoy your special day in Dubai at Emirates. Available for travel on select dates. Fares are subject to change without prior notice. T&Cs apply.
Book a flight and visit the beautiful place of London at Emirates. Available for travel on select dates. Fares are subject to change without prior notice. T&Cs apply.
Book a flight and explore exciting adventures in Athens at Emirates. Available for travel on select dates. Fares are subject to change without prior notice. T&Cs apply.
Book a flight and discover the beauty of New Zealand at Emirates. Available for travel on select dates. Fares are subject to change without prior notice. T&Cs apply.
Can you use Emirates Skywards Miles to upgrade to business class?
Yes, you can use your Skywards Miles to upgrade from an economy class to business class fare.
The amount of Miles you'll need to spend to upgrade varies depending on the route you're flying. While your status affects how many Miles you earn, all status tiers have to spend the same amount to upgrade.
You can only upgrade to the next fare-class i.e. from Economy to Business or from Business to First Class. Upgrades are subject to availability so if you're looking to upgrade it's better to look sooner rather than later.
Can you buy extra Emirates Skywards Miles?
Yes, you can buy extra Skywards Miles. Purchasing extra MIles is useful when you just don't have enough Miles for the reward flight or upgrade that you want.
It costs US$30 per 1,000 Miles and you buy up to 100,000 (Blue and Silver status members) or 200,000 (Gold and Platinum status members) per calendar year.
How do Emirates Skywards's Tier Miles and status tiers work?
Skywards Tier Miles are different from regular Skywards Miles and can't be redeemed for rewards. Instead, they help you reach a higher membership level in the frequent flyer program.
New members of the Skywards program start off at the Blue tier and can then earn Tier Miles to reach Silver, Gold or Platinum membership.
When you reach a new tier you'll have access to different benefits for 14 months. After that if you haven't met the Teir Mile or flights requirements for that tier, your membership level with drop.
Reach Silver status and you'll get all the perks available to Blue members plus the following:
Complimentary seat selection. Choose where you sit at no extra chage.
Earn 25% more Skywards Miles. Enjoy the perk of earning more rewards, faster.
Excess baggage allowance. Forget the stress of going over baggage allowance. With 12kg extra allowance.
Additional checked baggage allowance. Enjoy 12kg extra checked luggage.
Your World Rewards. Sign up for Your World Rewards and earn Marriott Bonvoy points whenever you fly with Emirates. Earn 1 Skywards Mile per US$1 spent at participating hotels and resorts on top of Marriott Bonvoy Points.
To get to Silver level you must earn 25,000 Tier Miles or take 25 flights.
Complimentary lounge access. Enjoy complimentary access for you and one guest to the Emirates Business Class lounges. You can have one adult guest and two guests under the age of 17 in the First or Business Class lounges at Platinum level (see other perks below).
Priority support. If you have an issue you'll receive faster support through Emirates Contact Centres.
Guaranteed seats. Applicable only at Flex Plus fare levels, a guaranteed Economy Class seat will be available where none is available at the chosen fair class.
Additional checked baggage allowance. Enjoy 16kg extra checked luggage.
To get to Gold level you must earn 50,000 Tier Miles or take 50 flights.
Platinum membership is the highest status level you can attain with Emirates. You have access to all the perks of lower status tiers, earn 75% more Skywards Miles and the following:
Priority check in and boarding. Enjoy priority check in at the First Class counter anywhere in the Emirates network.
Additional checked baggage allowance. Enjoy 20kg extra checked luggage.
Excess baggage allowance. Last minute souvenirs are no problem with 20kg excess baggage allowance.
'Last seat' Classic Flex Plus Reward tickets. Only Platinum members can redeem their Skywards Miles of Business Class or Economy Class Flex Plus reward flights, even with restricted availability.
Gold partner nomination. Nominate a spouse, partner, colleague or friend to receive a Gold Membership. They simply need to be a Skywards member and you can nominate one person per your 12 month tier-cycle.
No expiry of Skywards Miles. The sky is truly the limit for your Skywards Miles, you'll be able to save your SKywards Miles as much as you like. However they will expire if you return to Gold Tier.
Platinum status requires you to get 150,000 Tier Miles.
Can you transfer Emirates Skywards points?
You can transfer Emirates Skywards Miles to other Skywards members. It costs US$15 per every 1,000 Miles with a maximum of 50,000 Miles per year. You have to transfer at least 2,000 miles per transaction.
You can't transfer your Emirates Miles to other frequent flyer programs, but you can use them to redeem flights with other partnered airlines such as Qantas.
How does Skywards Miles compare with other frequent flyer programs?
The right frequent flyer program (or programs) for you largely depend on your travel behaviours and preferred airlines.
Emirates Skywards, Qantas Frequent Flyer and Velocity members can all climb status tiers by earning Tier Miles or Status Credits. To give you an example of how they compare, let's look at the perks of Silver status and the Status Credits earned on a one-way economy class flight from Sydney to Dubai with these programs:
Program
Status Credits/Miles earned on flight
Number of Status Credits needed for Silver membership
Other requirements
Annual requirement to maintain Silver status
Emirates Skywards
4,500 tier Miles
25,000 Tier Miles
Earn tier Miles or take 25 eligible flights
Earn 25,000 Tier Miles
Qantas Frequent Flyer
60
300
Take at least four eligible Qantas, QantasLink or Jetstar flights in a membership year.
Earn 250 Status Credits and take at least four eligible Qantas, QantasLink or Jetstar flights in a membership year.
Velocity Frequent Flyer
40
250
Fly in at least 2 eligible sectors within a 12-month period.
Earn 200 Status Credits and fly in 2 eligible sectors within your 12-month membership period.
Status benefits
Now let's look at some of the benefits you can expect in Silver status with the three programs:
Feature
Emirates Skywards
Qantas Frequent Flyer
Virgin Velocity
Bonus points
25%
50%
50%
Priority reservation waitlist
Yes
Yes
Yes
Airline alliance
No
Oneworld Ruby status
No
Priority phone service
No
Yes
Yes
Preferential seating
Yes
Yes
Yes
Extra baggage allowance
Yes
Yes
Yes
Priority check in
Yes
Yes
Yes
Lounge access
Yes, free Emirates Business Class access and discounted Emirates First Class lounge access for you at Dubai international airport.
Yes, complimentary lounge invitation
Yes, two complimentary lounge invitations
Frequently asked questions
Do Emirates Skywards miles expire?
Yes, they do. Emirates Skywards has one of the longest validity periods of any frequent flyer program which is 3 years from the date of travel or earning. However, unlike Qantas and Velocity points which expire after inactivity, Skywards miles will always expire after 36 months. This means you have to be careful to spend them all before they expire.
How can I claim missing Emirates Skywards points?
Taken a flight and noticed your Skywards Miles haven't appeared on your account? Login to your Emirates account and fill in a missing miles claim form. You can expect the Miles to appear in your account immediately so long as the name on the ticket matches the name in your Emirates Skywards profile.
If you've only just joined the Skywards program, you can claim Miles for Emirates flights flown up to 2 months prior to registering with the frequent flyer program.
Does Emirates Skywards offer family points pooling?
Yes, you can pool your Skywards Miles together under a "My family account". You can add up to 7 family members with yourself designated as the Family Head set as the person to manage and redeem your miles.
Only immediate family members are allowed to join under your account.
Amy Bradney-George was the senior writer for credit cards at Finder, and editorial lead for Finder Green. She has over 16 years of editorial experience and has been featured in publications including ABC News, Money Magazine and The Sydney Morning Herald. See full bio
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