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There truly seems to be a subscription for everything. And while airline subscription plans rarely present compelling value, the math on the one Emirates offers might surprise you. Here are the details of the available Emirates Skywards+ subscriptions and how they might be useful to even periodic Emirates travelers — particularly if you're planning to book Emirates First Class.
Prices of Emirates Skywards+ Subscriptions
There are three different Emirates Skywards+ subscription packages available:
- Skywards+ Classic: $399 per year
- Skywards+ Advanced: $699 per year
- Skywards+ Premium: $999 per year
You can read detailed terms for each level and enroll here. You must enroll in advance before you can take advantage of the benefits.
Comparison of Emirates Skywards+ Subscription Benefits
You can see a comparison of the benefits in each level of Emirates Skywards+ subscription packages in the image above. But for most people, the similarities between the tiers will be more important than the differences. Each level of Emirates Skywards+ subscription includes the following:
- 20% discount on Classic Rewards
- Preferential cash+miles rates
- 20% bonus Skywards miles
- Extra weight allowance on checked baggage
- The chance to earn 10k bonus miles with Emirates Holidays
And here are where the packages differ:
- Number of airport lounge access passes: 2 for Classic / 5 for Advanced / 10 for Premium
- Upgrade rewards discounts: Only included in the Advanced and Premium packages
- Extra checked bag allowance: Only included in the Advanced and Premium packages
- Bonus Tier miles: Only included in the Premium package
Related: When Do Emirates Skywards Miles Expire?
What To Know About Skywards+ Subscriptions
The Skywards redemption discount is clearly the most attractive benefit of these Emirates Skywards+ packages. Given the number of miles required for Classic Rewards in premium cabins, this one benefit can present significant mileage savings.
Flying over the ocean in business or First Class (to Dubai or Europe via a fifth freedom flight) will easily cost over 100,000 miles. Thus, saving 20,000 miles — or 40,000 miles if you’re redeeming as a couple — from your Skywards stash could justify paying the Skywards+ fee. And that mileage savings only grows with more distance flown.
That means Emirates Skywards+ subscription packages can also make a redemption possible that was otherwise impossible. Say you only have 80,000 Skywards miles but want to make a redemption costing 100,000 miles. With this Skywards+ discount, you could book this award.
Additionally, subscribing to Skywards+ would be more cost-effective in this instance than buying Emirates miles outright. Emirates' flat rate is $30 per 1,000 miles; 20,000 of them will run you $600. That's $201 more than subscribing to Skywards+ Classic and taking advantage of the redemption discount.
Related: Best Uses of Emirates Skywards Miles
There are two drawbacks of this redemption discount worth highlighting:
- The 20% discount on a Classic Rewards redemption is only valid once per year. Make sure you use this for maximum value. The terms don't specify if/how you can decline this benefit on a low-value redemption to save it for more value on a later redemption.
- The 20% discount on a Classic Rewards redemption only applies to online bookings. If you’re getting errors when booking online and call to make a redemption, you won’t get the discount.
Our Take
Emirates' Skywards+ subscription packages are nothing short of compelling. Even if you plan to make just one premium cabin redemption through Skywards this year, signing up for one of these Skywards+ subscription packages could be worthwhile.
Unless you are flying a lot of cash tickets with Emirates (thus earning a lot of bonus miles) or flying economy often but desperately want lounge access, the higher-cost packages don't add significant value. The Classic package is likely sufficient to accomplish the main goal: saving more than what you spend on the subscription fee.
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