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Emirates Skywards Miles will have the best value when redeem towards award flights with Emirates, flydubai, and other airline partners. The Point Calculator values Emirates Skywards Miles to be worth around 1 cent in value when used for flights.
This is pretty low compared to other airlines, but flying Emirates is a unique experience that can be well worth the low redemption value if you have the miles to do so.
Emirates Award Flights
The Point Calculator values Emirates Skywards Miles at 1 cent per point. This is not a hard redemption value to achieve, but it will take a little bit of research.
This is because it is very easy to get less than 1 cent in value per point as most redemptions with Emirates are very costly. You're looking at an average round trip price of 80,000 to 100,000 miles in Economy, 150,000 to 250,000 miles in Business, and 180,000 to 360,000 in miles First.
And the cash prices for these will range from a few hundred in Economy to a few thousands to tens of thousands in Business/First class.
While your points will not be worth much, the experience of flying Emirates is well worth it.
With that being said, lets take a look at a few of the best options for redeeming your Emirates Skywards Miles for great value.
Emirates' New First Class Suites
Emirates' New First Class Suites is the most sought after product in the Emirates line-up. These are featured on some 777-300ER aircraft and are primarily to destinations in Europe.
These are the first suites to ever be fully-enclosed which grants you privacy and peace from the other happens of the plane. On top of that, they feature temperature and lighting control, virtual windows for middle seats, motorized shades, and much more.
The New First Class Suites will run you around 135,000 Emirates Skywards Miles round-trip to/from Dubai (DXB) with a few exceptions. The routes for these suites are subject to change at anytime, but these are the most common routes you can find these suites:
Brussels (BRU)
Frankfurt (FRA)
Geneva (GVA)
Kuwait City (KWI)
New York City (JFK)
Paris (CDG)
London Stansted (STN)
Riyadh (RUH)
Singapore (SIN)
Tokyo Haneda (HND)
Vienna (VIE)
Both Kuwait City (KWI) and Riyadh (RUH) are short-haul routes which means you can experience the New First Class Suites for only 45,000 Emirates Skywards Miles.
Use Emirates Miles to get to the Maldives! Photo Credit: Asad Photo Maldives
Fly To The Maldives or Seychelles
You can fly from North America to the Maldives or Seychelles in the luxury that is Emirates. For a round trip flight from eastern North America, this will cost you:
Economy: 85,000 Emirates Skywards Miles
Business: 170,000 Emirates Skywards Miles
First: 255,000 Emirates Skywards Miles
And from western North America, it will cost you:
Economy: 90,000 Emirates Skywards Miles
Business: 180,000 Emirates Skywards Miles
First: 270,000 Emirates Skywards Miles
Emirates Fifth-Freedom Flights
A Fifth-freedom flight is when a carrier operates between two countries in which neither is the airline's home base. Emirates offers several fifth-freedom routes from the U.S. that can give you some great value for your miles. These routes are:
New York (JFK) and Milan (MXP)
Newark (EWR) and Athens (ATH
One-way awards on either of these routes will cost you:
Economy: 38,750 Emirates Skywards Miles
Business: 62,500 Emirates Skywards Miles
First: 85,000 Emirates Skywards Miles
There's also some other solid non-U.S. routes including:
Bangkok (BKK) and Phnom Penh (PNH)
Sydney (SYD) and Christchurch (CHC)
Seat Upgrades
Skywards Miles can be applied towards seat upgrades when flying Emirates. This can be done online through the Emirates website after you've already purchased a ticket, at check-in, and on-board. Upgrades start at 9,000 Skywards Miles. You can upgrade from Economy to Business or from Business to First.
flydubai Award Flights
Skywards Miles is also the frequent flyer currency of flydubai.
Skywards Miles can be applied to flights, seat upgrades, and optional extras. When it comes to redeeming miles, flydubai is a lot more relaxed as they do not require any specific minimum balance.
You can pay for bookings with a mix of cash and Skywards Miles and even use your miles to pay for per-ordered meals on board. Most bookings I found on flydubai averaged out around 0.6 cents per Skywards Mile.
The cost in AED versus the cost Skywards Miles. A value of ~0.6 cents (USD) for both Economy and Business Class.
Retail & Lifestyle Partners
Emirates Skywards Miles can be redeemed towards a handful of retailers. Those retailers are:
Arabian Adventures
Damas
Dubai Duty Free
Magrudy's
marhaba
Ski Dubai
Wild Wadi Water Park
Emirates Portals & Services
Emirates provides a few non-airline options for redeeming your earned Skywards Miles. This includes booking vacation packages, shopping on their store, through their mobile app, and donating to charity.
Emirates Holidays
Emirates Official Store
Emirates Skywards Go
Emirates Crisis Relief
Convert Emirates Miles To Dollars
Use the Emirates Skywards Miles Value Calculator to determine the cash value of Skywards Miles for flights. This will help give you an idea of how much your miles are worth when redeemed.
Enter any amount of Emirates Skywards Miles to calculate the dollar value.
Miles
Redemption
Estimated Value
Emirates Award Flights (Research)
$0
Emirates Award Flights (Average)
$0
flydubai Award Flights
$0
Use Emirates Miles or Pay Cash?
Use this calculator to determine the cash value of a redemption based on the cost in cash and the cost in Emirates Skywards Miles. This is useful when trying to decide whether to use cash or Skywards Miles to book a flight.
Cost of Redemption In Cash
Enter how much the flight or redemption would cost you if you paid cash.
$
Cost of Redemption In Emirates Skywards Miles
Enter how much the flight or redemption would cost you in Emirates Skywards Miles along with any taxes, fees, or additional cash cost you would have to pay.
Emirates Skywards Miles
Miles
Taxes/Fees
$
Redemption Value
This is how much your Emirates Skywards Miles are worth based on the values entered above.
-Cents Per Point
-
The Point Calculator values Emirates Skywards Miles at 1 cent each.
Credit Cards that earn Emirates miles
Emirates offers two co-branded credit cards to those based in the United States, but they are far from the best credit cards for those looking to quickly earn miles.
If you're looking to build up your miles and enjoy the luxuries that Emirates offers, you'll want to consider Emirates' transfer partners which consists of all major U.S. credit card rewards programs. This gives you more than 15 credit cards you can use to earn Skywards miles!
American Express Membership Rewards
American Express Membership Rewards points can be transferred to Emirates at a 1:1 ratio. Every 1,000 AMEX points you transfer to your Emirates account will give you 1,000 Emirates Skywards miles.
Here's our favorite Membership Rewards credit cards for Emirates:
Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $8,000 on purchases on the Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.
Earn 5X points on flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel (up to $500,000, then 1X)
Earn 5X points on prepaid hotels booked through American Express Travel
Earn 1X points on all other eligible purchases
Global Airport Lounge Access including Centurion Lounges, Delta Sky Club Lounges (when flying Delta), Airspace Lounges, Escape Lounges, and Priority Pass Lounges
Over $1,400 in annual credits which includes airline incidentals, Uber Cash, digital entertainment, Fine Hotels + Resorts and The Hotel Collection, and more
Enroll in complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status and Hilton Honors Gold status
Earn 70,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $10,000 on eligible purchases with the Business Gold Card within the first 3 months of Card Membership.
Earn 4X points on the 2 select categories where your business spent the most each month
Earn 1X points on all other purchases
Get 25% points back when you redeem points for all or part of an eligible flight booked with AMEX Travel
Capital One Venture miles and Spark miles can be transferred to Emirates at a 1:1 ratio. Every 1,000 Venture miles or Spark miles you transfer to Emirates will give you 1,000 Emirates Skywards miles.
Here are the current Capital One miles credit cards:
Earn a one-time bonus of 50,000 miles – equal to $500 in travel – once you spend $4,500 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening.
Earn 5X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
Earn unlimited 2X miles on every card purchase
Up to $100 towards a Global Entry or TSA Precheck application fee
Earn 5X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
Earn unlimited 1.5X miles on every card purchase
No annual fee
Chase Ultimate Rewards
Chase Ultimate Rewards points can be transferred to Emirates at a 1:1 ratio. Every 1,000 Chase points you transfer to Emirates will give you 1,00 Emirates Skywards miles.
Here are the Ultimate Rewards credit cards that allow you to transfer points to Emirates:
Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $900 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.
Earn 10X points on hotels and car rentals booked through Chase Ultimate Rewards
Earn 5X points on flights booked through Chase Ultimate Rewards
Earn 3X points on travel worldwide and dining at restaurants
Earn 1X points on all other purchases
$300 statement credit for travel purchases charged to the card each anniversary year
Complimentary Priority Pass Select membership
Up to $100 towards a Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS application fee
50% boost to point value on travel booked through Chase Ultimate Rewards
Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.
Earn 5X points on travel booked through Chase Ultimate Rewards
Earn 3X points on dining, online grocery purchases, and on select streaming services
Earn 2X points on other travel purchases
Earn 1X points on all other purchases
25% boost to point value on travel booked through Chase Ultimate Rewards
$50 credit every cardmember anniversary good towards hotel stays booked through Chase Ultimate Rewards
10% bonus points based on how much you spend the prior cardmember year
New Cardmember Offer! Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Earn 3X points on the first $150,000 spent on travel and select business categories each account anniversary year
Earn 1X points on all other purchases
25% boost to point value on travel booked through Chase Ultimate Rewards
$95 annual fee
Citi ThankYou Rewards
Citi ThankYou Rewards points can be transferred to Emirates at 1:1 ratio if you own the Citi Premier® Card or Citi Prestige Card. Every 1,000 Citi points you transfer to Emirates will give you 1,000 Emirates Skywards miles.
Here are the credit cards that earn Citi ThankYou points:
Earn 5% back on your top eligible spend category each billing cycle, on up to the first $500 spent (then 1%)
Earn an unlimited 1% back on all other purchases
No annual fee
FAQ
How much are Emirates Miles worth?
Emirates Skymiles can easily be redeemed for around 1 cent each, but you can get up to 1.2 cents per mile for higher class redemptions.
Are Emirates Skywards Miles worth it?
While Skywards Miles don't have the best value when compared to other airlines, Emirates offers great flight products and is a unique experience. So it could be worth it, but you might want to earn rewards with partner airlines and redeem them for flights on Emirates for better value.
How many Emirates Miles do you need for a ticket?
On average, Emirates redemptions will cost you 80k-100k for Economy, 150k-250k for Business, and 180k-360k for First.
What can I spend my Emirates Skywards Miles on?
Skywards Miles can be redeemed for flights on Emirates and flydubai, 14 partner airlines, events around the world, and vouchers good for car rentals and retail partners.
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