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All three Emirates Skywards transfer pauses have now gone into effect. In addition, Capital One and Citi have also paused transfers to Emirates Skywards.
There are countless ways to redeem Chase Ultimate Rewards, American Express Membership Rewards, and Bilt Rewards Points. But if you prefer transferring them to Emirates Skywards, now is the time to act. Starting in late May 2025, transfers to Emirates from all three programs will be paused for at least a month. But will transfers return to normal after that — if they even return at all?
Here’s what you need to know.
Chase, Amex, and Bilt to Pause Transfers to Emirates Skywards
If you've checked your Amex, Chase, or Bilt accounts recently, you might have noticed some interesting language on the Emirates Skywards transfer partner pages: points transfers will soon be “temporarily unavailable.”
Transfers from American Express Membership Rewards to Emirates Skywards will be temporarily unavailable starting May 28, 2025.
Transfers from Chase Ultimate Rewards to Emirates Skywards will be unavailable starting as the clock strikes midnight on May 29, and they'll remain unavailable through a tentative date of June 30, 2025.
Most recently, Bilt Rewards has added a notice to its website that “Emirates Skywards will be undergoing technical updates later this month, and transfers will be temporarily unavailable between May 27 and June 19.”
Will 1:1 Transfers to Emirates Return After the Pause?
It’s extremely uncommon for credit card rewards programs to suspend transfers for a month or longer, so it’s reasonable to wonder whether this development could spell the end of 1:1 points transfers from Amex, Chase, and/or Bilt to Emirates. Long story short: it could — or it might not.
However, we do have some context for what the future might look like. Recently, the Citi ThankYou® Rewards program announced a devaluation of its transfer ratio to Emirates Skywards. Starting July 27, 2025, the 1:1 transfer ratio will be replaced with a 5:4 ratio — a 20% drop.
It’s possible that a similar change could happen with Chase, Amex, or Bilt — but it’s also possible that transfers never come back at all. Don’t hang your hat on a tentative resumption date.
Final Thoughts
Starting in late May, Bilt (May 27), Amex (May 28), and Chase (May 29) will pause transfers to Emirates Skywards. According to all three loyalty programs, transfers are expected to resume at some point, but it’s unclear whether they will return to normal.
It’s possible either issuer could follow Citi’s lead and adjust the transfer ratio after the blackout, though for now, that remains speculation.
If you regularly redeem Chase, Amex, or Bilt points by transferring to Emirates, whether for cheap economy tickets or luxury business class awards (but not first class unless you’re a Skywards elite member), it’s worth locking in the current 1:1 transfer ratio while it’s still available. Now’s a good time to take action.
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