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Emirates makes it easy for families to combine their Skywards miles through its My Family account. By pooling miles into one shared account, you can reach award redemptions or upgrades faster — and avoid having small, unused balances sitting in multiple accounts.
The program is simple to set up, has clear eligibility rules, and lets you start pooling right away. However, there are a few restrictions on which miles you can combine and who can join your family group. Here’s how the Emirates My Family account works, who it’s best for, and how to decide if you should set one up.
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Emirates Skywards Program Details
Emirates Skywards grants travelers elite status for their loyalty to the airline. Skywards miles are earned by flying Emirates, flydubai, and partner airlines, as well as through eligible hotel stays, car rentals, and retail purchases. The program is free to join.
The four elite status tiers of Emirates Skywards are Blue, Silver, Gold, and Platinum. You earn higher status by earning tier miles. Tier benefits include free seat selection, priority check-in at Dubai International Airport (DXB), and more.
Emirates Skywards Blue is complimentary for joining the program. With this tier, you can use Skywards miles to upgrade your seat at check-in or onboard, get waitlist priority, and unlimited onboard messaging. Emirates Skywards Silver is earned after earning 25,000 Tier Miles or taking 25 flights. Emirates Gold requires 50,000 Tier Miles or 50 flights, while Emirates Platinum requires 150,000 Tier Miles and at least one qualifying flight in first or business class.
Tier Miles can also be earned by spending with an Emirates Skywards co-branded credit card like the Emirates Skywards Rewards World Elite Mastercard® or Emirates Skywards Premium World Elite Mastercard®.
Emirates Family Account Program
Within the Emirates Skywards program is the Emirates My Family Account, which is a way for families to pool their Skywards miles together to redeem for flights. To start a My Family account, you must be at least 18 years old and already have a Skywards account. Unlike other airline pooling programs, only immediate family members — including a domestic helper — can be added to a My Family account.
The following relations of the family head can join the family account:
- Spouse or domestic partner
- Child or stepchild
- Parent, parents-in-law, or stepparents
- Sibling
- Grandchild
- Domestic helper
The person who creates the family account is designated as the family head and can invite other family members to join. Skywards members under 18 years old can be directly added to the My Family account by the family account head.
How to Set Up an Emirates My Family Account
1. Log in to your account
To set up an Emirates My Family Account, navigate to your account overview after logging in to your Skywards account. You'll see “My Family” on the list of actions as the screenshot below shows.
2. Click ‘Create a My Family Account'
After clicking “My Family,” you'll be taken to a page that will let you create a My Family account. After clicking on “Create a My Family Account,” a screen will pop up that asks for your Family Name, whether or not you want to contribute Skywards miles, and asks you to accept the Emirates Skywards program rules.
You can view your My Family account by clicking on your initials in the top right corner of the browser near the menu and scrolling to the bottom. Click on “My Family” to be directed to your Emirates family account page.
3. Add family members
On your My Family account page, you can view how many miles you have, your recent activity, and redeem or pool miles for flights. Near the bottom of the page, you can add family members to your account.
You can invite adults 18 years or older and manually add children under 18. You can add up to eight family members to your My Family account.
4. Confirm setup
The adult family members you've invited to join your family account should check their email for the link. If it's not there, check your spam or junk folder.
Related: Do Emirates Skywards Miles Expire?
Which Emirates Skywards Miles You Can't Pool
You can't pool all Emirates miles. The following are Skywards miles that you can't pool:
- Miles you've transferred in from a flexible point currency
- Miles you've purchased
- Miles that were in your account prior to setting up the family account
All three of these are major limitations to the Emirates My Family pooling option. That's especially true for U.S.-based travelers who might generate most (if not all) of their miles from transferring points to Emirates or buying Emirates miles.
Who Should (and Shouldn't) Set Up an Emirates Family Account
While Emirates Family Accounts can help you accumulate more miles faster (goodbye to those stranded few sitting in your account), they're not for everyone. There are certain limitations that go along with pooled miles; as you've seen above, not all miles can even be pooled via your Emirates My Family Account.
Who Should Use an Emirates My Family Account
There are plenty of reasons to set up an Emirates Family Account and plenty of folks for whom it'd be a good idea:
- Infrequent travelers: Emirates miles expire three years after you've earned them. If you don't fly often enough to qualify for an award, pooling your miles can help you use them before they expire.
- Families with children: Children often don't have a need for their own miles (or the knowledge to use them). Pooling them into a single account is great for ease of access and redemptions.
Who Shouldn't Use an Emirates My Family Account
But what about those for whom an Emirates My Family Account isn't a good idea?
- Travelers who transfer from flexible point currencies: Since miles transferred in from programs such as American Express Membership Rewards can't be pooled, those who rely mainly on transfers may not want to sign up for family pooling. Instead, transfer the points into a single account and book flights for everyone from there.
- Frequent travelers: Those looking to earn elite status with Emirates should know that Tier Miles don't pool, only bonus miles. This means that any status earned will be solely due to your flying.
If you're a frequent-flying family, look into accumulating miles through Egyptair Plus — as you can pool both miles and elite status credits into one family member's account. That means earning status much faster!
Bottom Line
Family pooling is a nice bonus since a family vacation once or twice a year isn't out of the norm. Being able to credit all those miles to one account will help ensure you won't have to worry about errant miles being lost or forgotten. You're restricted to only including members of your family (rather than being able to invite friends), but if you fly Emirates or flydubai frequently, this is a great way to earn and redeem miles faster. Do note, however, that only the head of the Emirates family account can make award redemptions using the pooled miles.
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