Emirates Airlines Frequent Flyer Program

(updated: 06-03-2018)

There are two frequent flyer programs from Emirates. One is Emirates Skywards (for adults) and the other is Skywards Skysurfers which is the frequent flyer programme for members of 2 to 16 years of age.

Emirates Skyward Miles Vs Tier Miles

Within Skywards program, there are two types of miles which can be earned. One is the Skyward Miles and the other is the Tier Miles. Both these are different. Skyward miles can be earned through flights, partner offers and various promotions, and these can be redeemed in a number of ways. Tier Miles are earned by exclusively flying with Emirates. It is the Tier Miles which form the basis of determining your membership tiers. These are not used for redemption purposes.

Skywards Membership Tiers

Before discussing the details of the program, we shall first know the different tiers of memberships of Emirates.

Emirates provides 4 different types of memberships-

• Blue,
• Silver,
• Gold and
• Platinum.

Tier membership can be earned by either accumulating the required number of Tier Miles or completing the specified number of qualifying flights.

The following table informs us on what are the requirement of becoming a member of a particular tier:

Tier status is reviewed after every 12-13 months, an extra month being allowed to gain qualifying points for next level. 

How are Skyward Miles earned?

A qualification flight is a flight on Emirates Airline or a code-share flight operated by another airline between the point of origin and the final destination. Stopovers are not counted. Further, this is only a one-way flight which is known as the qualifying flight.

The miles earned can be calculated with the help of an online calculator by Emirates Airlines on its website. 

Skyward Miles earned through Flights, depend on:

1. Route of travel, which depends on zone of travel. The whole world is divided into 18 regions/zones for the this purpose. These are North America (West), North America (East), South America, Africa (South & West), Europe (West), Africa (North & East), Europe (South), Near East, Middle East, Dubai/UAE, Asian Subcontinent (North), Asian Subcontinent (South), Asian Subcontinent (East), Far East, Japan, Australia (West), Australia (East) and New Zealand.

2. Fare: You can earn the Skyward miles of qualifying flights also on the basis of type of ticket and the class of travel, such as:

Skyward Flex Fare= Base Miles +100%

Skyward Saver Fare= Base Miles+50% (applies both to Syward Miles and Tier Miles)

                                                 Paper Tickets=Base Miles+50%

3. Class of travel: Class bonus is calculated as:

First Class= Base miles+150%

Business class="Base" Miles+75%

Class bonus is added to Skyward Miles and Tier Miles to give total miles.

4. Tier Miles: As given in the table above, the Tier Bonus also forms a part of calculating the Skyward Miles.

Skyward Miles earned with partners

Airline partners which facilitate their earning are Air Mauritius, flydubai, Alaska, easyJet, GOL Linhas Aéreas Inteligentes, Japan Airlines, Jet Airways, JetBlue, JetStar, Korean Air, Malaysia Airlines, Qantas, S7 Airlines, South African Airways, TAP Portugal and Virgin America.

Banks include Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank, Al Ahli Bank of Kuwait, American Express, Citibank of Australia, Bahrain and UAE, Commercial Bank of Dubai, Emirates Islamic, National Bank of AbuDhabi and Standard Chartered Bank India.

Car rental partners include Avis, Budget, Dollar rent a car, Europcar, Hertz and Sixt.

Besides these, there are 22 hotels and 13 lifestyle and retail outlets which help you in earning the miles.

Redemption of Skyward Miles

• Emirates Flights Rewards: This allows passengers to book flights to any destination of Emirates network. These can be gained by redeeming 15000 miles and on any network of Emirates. You can also get these for your family or friends.
• Cash+Miles combination allows you to spend less amount of money for buying reward tickets. The minimum 2000 skyward miles can be redeemed for cash+miles option. 
• Emirates Flights upgrades is another way of redemption of miles. These can be done by utilising at least  9000 miles. Upgrades can happen from Economy to Business and Business to First Class only. Further, Silver, Gold and Platinum members can get upgrades on-board. All members can also upgrade  during the check-in.

Miles can also be redeemed for rewards with partner airlines, banks, car rental companies, hotels and retail and lifestyle outlets. You can also buy vouchers, donate to charity and attend cultural and sporting events anywhere in globe using these miles.

Benefits of Tier Memberships

1. Pre-assigned Seating (on Emirates flights) provided passenger checks in at least 90 minutes before departure and make reservations at least 48 hours in advance.

2. Lounge Access (on Emirates flights): Silver members have access only at Dubai airport whereas Platinum and Gold members have lounge access across all the Emirates network.

3. Additional Baggage allowance (on Emirates flights): Check the Baggage Allowance section for details.

4. Priority baggage handling

5. e-Gate access at Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Al Ain

6. Guaranteed seat reservation: For Platinum members holding a Flexi commercial ticket, this reservation can be in both Economy and Business Class. For the Gold members holding a Flexi commercial ticket, this

is available only in Economy class.

Validity of Skyward Miles

Skyward Miles are valid for a period of 3 year from the date of relevant flight. The ones which are not used or have expired and are deducted from the account of the member, can not be reused.

Purchase of Skyward Miles

Skyward Miles can also be bought from the Emirates Airlines office provided that the member has at least one prior miles earning activity on his or her account. This activity could be flying on Emirates or partner airline or through a partner transaction. A minimum of 2000 miles at a time and a maximum of 25000 Skyward Miles in a year can be purchased. This purchase shall happen at least 48 hours before booking or redemption. Further, these purchased miles can not be set off with redemption.

It is also important to note that the Tier Miles can not be purchased.

Transfer of Skyward Miles

Transfer of Skyward Miles from one account to another is allowed by using the online platform. One time transfer of a minimum of 2000 miles is allowed but not more than 25000 miles in a calendar year. The condition attached with this transfer is that receiver shall have done one mile earning activity in his account.

Transfer fee is USD 25 per 1000 miles.