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In October 2023, AwardWallet alerted travelers that Emirates would devalue partner award rates on January 10, 2024. As promised, these changes have now gone into effect. Effective today, partner business class awards now cost up to 25% more miles than before — with some business class awards increasing by as much as 25,000 Skywards miles one-way.
Here's what you need to know about this Emirates Skywards devaluation and where you might still be able to find value.
Emirates Partner Airlines Award Devaluation
Effective January 10, 2024, Emirates increased business class award redemption rates on all partners by up to 25%. Here's a full breakdown of the before and after pricing:
| Flight Distance | Prior Business Class Rates | New Business Class Rates | % Increase |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-250 | 16,000 | 17,500 | 9% |
| 251-500 | 20,000 | 25,000 | 25% |
| 501-1,000 | 28,000 | 35,000 | 25% |
| 1,001-2,000 | 40,000 | 50,000 | 25% |
| 2,001-3,000 | 52,000 | 65,000 | 25% |
| 3,001-4,000 | 64,000 | 77,500 | 21% |
| 4,001-5,000 | 76,000 | 92,500 | 22% |
| 5,001-6,000 | 88,000 | 105,000 | 19% |
| 6,001-7,000 | 104,000 | 125,000 | 20% |
| 7,001-15,000 | 120,000 | 145,000 | 21% |
Although Emirates only announced adjustments to partner business class rates, it also increased the award rates on Qantas first class by up to 27%:
| Distance | Prior First Class Rates | New First Class Rates | % Increase |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-250 | 24,000 | 27,500 | 15% |
| 251-500 | 30,000 | 35,000 | 17% |
| 501-1,000 | 42,000 | 50,000 | 19% |
| 1,001-2,000 | 60,000 | 72,500 | 21% |
| 2,001-3,000 | 78,000 | 95,000 | 22% |
| 3,001-4,000 | 96,000 | 115,000 | 20% |
| 4,001-5,000 | 114,000 | 135,000 | 18% |
| 5,001-6,000 | 132,000 | 160,000 | 21% |
| 6,001-7,000 | 150,000 | 190,000 | 27% |
| 7,001-15,000 | 180,000 | 220,000 | 22% |
New Emirates Partner Airlines Award Charts
Emirates Skywards uses the same distance-based award chart for each of its partners (except Easyjet). For almost all Emirates partners, Skywards members can redeem miles for economy and business class. Qantas is the only partner where you can redeem Skywards miles for first class.
Here's the new Emirates partner award chart, effective January 10, 2024:
| One-way distance (miles) | Economy class | Business class | First class (Qantas only) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0–250 | 8,000 | 17,500 | 27,500 |
| 251–500 | 10,000 | 25,000 | 35,000 |
| 501–1,000 | 14,000 | 35,000 | 50,000 |
| 1,001–2,000 | 20,000 | 50,000 | 72,500 |
| 2,001–3,000 | 26,000 | 65,000 | 95,000 |
| 3,001–4,000 | 32,000 | 77,500 | 115,000 |
| 4,001–5,000 | 38,000 | 92,500 | 135,000 |
| 5,001–6,000 | 44,000 | 105,000 | 160,000 |
| 6,001–7,000 | 52,000 | 125,000 | 190,000 |
| 7,001–15,000 | 60,000 | 145,000 | 220,000 |
Where to Still Find Value in Emirates Partner Airline Award Chart
This Emirates devaluation wrecked most of the best uses of Emirates Skywards miles. Where you'll still find some value is on shorter flights between two regions. For example:
- Montreal to Dublin on Air Canada: 65,000 Skywards miles in business class
- Newark/Washington D.C. to London (or dozens of other European destinations) on United: 77,500 Skywards miles in business class
- Boston/New York/Newark/Washington, D.C. to Lisbon on TAP Portugal: 77,500 Skywards miles in business class
- Vancouver to Tokyo: 92,500 Skywards miles in business class
In most cases, you can find a cheaper rate by booking through another program. However, these sweet spots can come in handy when there's an Emirates transfer bonus or when Emirates is the best program to consolidate your points for an award ticket.
How to Earn Emirates Skywards Miles
The easiest way for most travelers to accumulate Emirates Skywards miles is by transferring points from a major transfer program. And Emirates has no shortage of transfer partners:
If you're really into the Emirates Skywards program, you can consider getting the Emirates Skywards Rewards World Elite Mastercard®. New cardholders earn 40,000 bonus Skywards miles after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 90 days.
And if you still need to top off your Skywards account, consider if buying Skywards miles might make sense for your situation.
Bottom Line
Emirates just increased business class award rates on all airline partners and all distance bands. The price increase of 9% to 25% is relatively modest. However, Emirates' partner award chart wasn't exactly known for its value before this change. So, this devaluation makes it even less competitive.
The only positive about this Emirates devaluation is that we had three months' advanced notice to book awards at the prior rate. That's much better than the no-notice devaluations we've seen from British Airways, United, Alaska, Virgin Atlantic, Brex Rewards and so many more.
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