- WikiMiles Analyzer
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Frequent Flyers Programs
- Aer Lingus AerClub
- AeroMexico Club Premier
- Aeroplan
- Air New Zealand AirPoints
- Alaska Mileage Plan
- American AAdvantage
- ANA Mileage Club
- Asiana Club
- Avianca Lifemiles
- British Airways Executive Club
- Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
- Copa ConnectMiles
- Delta Skymiles
- El Al Matmid Club
- Emirates Skywards
- Etihad Guest
- Eva Air Infinity Mileagelands
- Finnair Plus
- Flying Blue
- HawaiianMiles
-
Airlines
- Aer Lingus
- Aeroflot
- Aerolineas Argentinas
- AeroMexico
- Air Astana
- Air Canada
- Air China
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- Air Malta
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- Airlink
- Alaska Airlines
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- American Airlines
- Asiana Airlines
- Austrian Airlines
- Avianca
- Bangkok Airways
- British Airways
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- Cathay Pacific
- China Airlines
- China Eastern
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- Copa Airlines
- Croatia Airlines
- Czech Airlines
- Delta
- EgyptAir
- EL AL
- Emirates
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- Etihad Airways
- Eva Air
- Fiji Airways
- Finnair
- Garuda Indonesia
- GOL
- Hawaiian Airlines
- Iberia
- IcelandAir
- Japan Airlines
Emirates Skywards
Program overview
Skywards is Emirates’ Airlines loyalty program. Emirates is not part of any of the major airline alliances but has several partner airlines around the world where you can earn and redeem Skywards Miles. Emirates offers some of the most highly regarded airline experiences in the world and is consistently rated in the Top 10 worldwide on service, especially in premium cabins.
Alliance | No |
Program website | |
Approximate miles value | 1.1 cents per mile |
Miles validity | 3 years from the date of travel |
Program accrual | Depends on fare |
Limit on amount of miles you can purchase | Up to 100,000 Miles in a calendar year |
Waitlist option | No |
Courtesy Hold for award reservation | Not allowed |
Do you need to open an account to check availability? | Yes |
Stopover option | One stopover is permitted |
Family account | Yes |
Upgrade option | Yes |
Online booking | Some partners must be booked over the phone |
Airline partners | Air Mauritius, Alaska Airlines, Bangkok Airways, Copa Airlines, Easy Jet, GOL, Japan Airlines, JetBlue, Jetstar, Korean Air, Malaysia Airlines, Qantas, S7 Airlines, South African Airways, TAP Portugal |
Credit card partners | American Express (1:1, instant transfer), Chase (1:1, instant transfer), Citi ThankYou (1:1, instant transfer), Capital (1:1, instant transfer) |
Hotel partners | IHG Rewards (5:1, 6 weeks transfer), Marriott Bonvoy (3:1, 3 days transfer), Hilton Honors (10:1, up to 30 days transfer), Radisson Rewards (10:1, 4-6 weeks transfer), Accor Live Limitless (2:1, 4-6 weeks transfer), World of Hyatt (5:2, 6-8 weeks transfer) |
Co-Branded credit card in the US | Barclays Emirates Skywards Mastercard |
Point/Miles Conversion Chart
Pros
- Family account
- Saver awards include one stopover
- All major US credit card super programs are transfer partners
- Better than average upgrade availability
- Good last-minute upgrade award availability at check-in which opens 48 hours prior to departure
- Well laid out website and decent phone customer service
Cons
- One of the highest fuel surcharges in the industry (they have gone down considerably, we hope it is a permanent change)
- Miles expire after 3 years
- Non-alliance carrier so partner network is limited
Excellent for
- New York - Dubai round trip on Emirates for 217,500 miles in First Class.
- New York - Milan round trip on Emirates for 90,000 miles in Business Class, 45,000 in Economy and 135,000 in First.
- JetBlue domestic flights within the US start at 7,500 miles one way.
- From North America to Korea on Korean Air for 105,000 miles round trip Business.
Insider Tip
- 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.
- Fifth Freedom Flights of New York to Milan and Newark to Athens are relatively easy to find award space on and a great way to experience Emirates famed First Class suites, even if you are not going to the Middle East.
- Chauffeur-drive service is no longer offered for award bookings but is offered when redeeming points directly from credit card “Book Travel” programs.
- Dubai is an attractive stopover destination and free stopover is allowed on most awards.
- If you are flying to Abu Dhabi or any other city on Emirates, the Chauffeur drive service can take you there for free but only with paid business class. Still, transfers within Emirates are relatively cheaper compared to the US or Western Europe.
- The Homebase Stopover Strategy yields exceptional savings for Dubai based travelers
Do you use this program? Share your experience and tips in the comments below. Your thoughts would be very valuable to us!
Choose where you are going from and to by selecting the respective zones. There are two ways to choose your origin and destination - you can either select the zones they fall into on the map or by clicking on the bars above the map and entering the city name or airport code into the search fields.
- Choose one of the three point combination options which is applicable to you. If you don't have any miles in any airline accounts you can leave those fields blank.
- Input all of the different points you have on the credit cards you are planning to use. You can enter as many as you like. If you have multiple cards on one name from the same bank you can combine and enter the total amount of points between all of your cards.
- Enter all the miles you have in airlines frequent flyer programs on the left hand side following the airlines name.
- Once you input the information, click on the analyze button at the bottom of the page.
- The analyzer will offer you the optimal transfer combinations to explore as well as pros and cons of each.
- Review analyzer recommendations. Total number of miles is not the only consideration you should take into account. Analyzer will give you additional information about each program to make the right decision. You can also download results to a pdf and even send them to others if you like.
- Proceed to check availability with respective airlines. Do not transfer any miles until you confirm the desired option is available on the airline’s website. Note the transfer time and hold the reservation if possible before transferring any miles.
- Remember all transfers are final as you would not be able to send the points back to your credit card. If your trip is cancelled your miles will go back to the respective airline account.
- Transferring points to airline's frequent flyer programs is not the only way to obtain the award ticket. You can also redeem the points through your credit card directly by using the Book Travel option. You can find out more by checking out our Credit card reward tab on Wikimiles home page.
- WikiMiles Crew is always here to answer any questions. For an additional fee we can also assist you with the bookings. Use the Contact us section to reach out to us.
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