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Emirates is well known for offering true luxury high in the sky. With a fantastic business- and first-class products, it's regarded as one of the top airlines in the world. Its Skywards loyalty program is the main way to book awards on the carrier. But did you know that you can also add a stopover on an Emirates award?
Many people may not be aware that you can also book a stopover in Dubai on other Emirates tickets. Some services are even complimentary. In this post, we'll cover the different ways to book stopovers on Emirates Airlines, including how to book a Dubai package and what is included.
Page Contents
What Is a Stopover?
A stopover generally refers to a connecting stop in a city longer than what is usually allowed. Depending on your routing, you're typically limited to connections of up to four hours (when flying domestically) and up to 24 hours on international trips. This is just the time allotted between flights (i.e., a layover). Most of the time, you'll spend all this in an airport, but it's sometimes possible to venture out on — especially long layovers.
Think of a stopover as a much longer connection, one that can stretch a few days or far more. But a stopover is also still part of a single airline ticket.
Stopovers are most commonly booked on international itineraries. For example, if you're flying from New York to Istanbul, you could book a flight from New York to Munich on Lufthansa and stay for a few days. Then, you could continue on to Istanbul. With some airline loyalty programs, you can do this for the price of the itinerary from New York to Istanbul without the extended stopover.
Related: What Is the Difference Between a Layover and a Stopover?
Emirates Skywards Stopover Rules
Now, how do stopovers work with Emirates' Skywards frequent flyer program? Skywards is one of the best ways to book Emirates flights; you can also use it to book awards on several Emirates partners.
There are two main award types for booking Emirates flights: Classic Saver and Classic Flex Plus — with Classic Saver being the cheaper of the two. You can book both the economy and business class cabins as a Classic Saver award. Emirates' renowned first class is only bookable as a Classic Flex Plus award. Premium Economy is currently not yet bookable as either.
These award types do not apply to partner awards bookable using Emirates Skywards. Partners are treated differently, and it does not appear that you can book stopovers on partner awards.
Emirates stopover and routing rules on Classic award travel
The Emirates stopover and award rules are as follows for Classic Saver awards:
- One stopover is permitted, either on the outbound or inbound leg.
- Open jaws are permitted as long as both the awards remain within the same Skywards zone.
- Maximum trip duration/stay of 3 months.
- Changes cost $25 before travel. Ticket refunds cost $75. And both must be done (if necessary) before travel.
The Emirates stopover and award rules are as follows for Classic Flex Plus awards:
- Two stopovers are permitted on both the outbound and inbound legs.
- Open jaws are permitted as long as both the awards remain within the same Skywards zone.
- Maximum trip duration/stay of 12 months.
- Free changes and refunds as long as travel has not commenced.
Given that Dubai is the Emirates hub airport, the only viable stopover on most tickets would be Dubai. However, Emirates also operates a number of fifth-freedom flights, which could allow some interesting options for a stopover. These include Milan, Athens, Bangkok, Hong Kong, and Sydney.
How To Book a Stopover on an Emirates Skywards Award Ticket
To book an Emirates stopover on an award ticket, head to emirates.com and log into your Emirates Skywards account. Then, navigate to the booking screen to begin your search. However, rather than keying in your origin and destination, you'll want to click on “Advanced Search.”
This step will take you to a multi-city search. For an award ticket, select “Book Classic Rewards Flight.”. Then, key in the segment of your itinerary and the dates you want to fly. For example, I searched for a round-trip from Newark to Dubai with a stopover in Athens — taking advantage of one of the Emirates' fifth freedom routes.
Clicking “Search” will take you to the available awards. I like that Emirates shows all available classes of service, and you can even mix and match on the ticket, which will be reflected in the price. Even though I searched “Economy” awards in this example, I found that business class space was available on all the dates.
Once you're happy with your flight selection, click “Continue to Passengers” and proceed as a normal award booking.
I'll mention that Emirates awards have rather steep taxes and fees. So, while an Emirates stopover is possible, most will not come cheap. In this example, adding a stopover in Athens costs an additional 20,000 miles and a negligible amount in taxes, fees, and surcharges. Still, this could be well worth it compared to a separate award to Greece.
Related: The Best Uses of Emirates Skywards Miles
Booking a Paid Emirates Ticket Instead? Take Advantage of Dubai Connect
In addition to offering stopovers on award tickets, Emirates offers a Dubai Connect program you can use on a paid itinerary. This program can allow you to enjoy a bit of Dubai during your connection time. While this isn't a true stopover, we do want to highlight this option, as it can offer you an entire day in the UAE's largest city.
What is Emirates Dubai Connect?
Emirates offers its Dubai Connect service to make longer layovers more pleasant when flying with the airline. Travelers can enjoy complimentary accommodation, meals, and transfers using this service. Here are a few things you can expect when using Dubai Connect:
- Accommodation may be provided free of charge, and all applicable meals are included during your stay.
- A complimentary coach will transfer you from the airport to your hotel and then back to the airport for your onward connection.
- If your passport requires a visa to enter the UAE, you may qualify for a complimentary visa for your short stay.
Like with any service or program, there are a few key things to understand about Dubai Connect:
- Your layover must be the shortest one possible. In other words, you can't purposefully plan an extra-long connection to take advantage of the Dubai Connect Services. Your flight connection must be the first available to your destination after your incoming flight arrives in Dubai.
- For economy or premium economy travelers, you can use Dubai Connect services if your layover is between 8 and 26 hours.
- For business- or first-class travelers, you can use Dubai Connect services if your layover is between 6 and 26 hours.
- Minor passengers must travel with another passenger over 18 to use Dubai Connect.
How to book a Dubai Connect stopover
You can easily add Dubai Connect to a qualifying itinerary online. All you have to do is use your booking reference and last name to log into your booking and click “Manage.” Here, you can add Dubai Connect. This must be done at least 24 hours before your flight to Dubai.
Top Off Your Emirates Skywards Balance
If you're looking for how to earn Emirates Skywards miles, there are plenty of ways. All major bank currencies transfer to Emirates Skywards. This gives you a multitude of options for earning Emirates Skywards miles.
In the table below, you'll find the complete list of Emirates Skywards transfer partners, plus the typical transfer times for each. American Express, Chase, and Citi offer three of our favorite options.
Best credit cards for earning Skyward miles
Given the number of flexible currency options, there are plenty of cards you can use to earn Emirates Skywards miles. Here are three of our favorite cards to consider.
- American Express® Gold Card
- Welcome Bonus: Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.
- Earning Rates: 4X points at at restaurants worldwide (on up to $50,000 per year, then 1X), 4X at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per year, then 1X), 3X points on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com, and 2X points on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
- Welcome Bonus: Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- Earning Rates: 5X on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠ (2X on all other travel purchases); 3X on dining, select streaming services, and online groceries; and 1X on all other purchases.
- Citi Strata Premier℠ Card
- Welcome Bonus: Earn 60,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months of account opening, redeemable for $600 in gift cards or travel rewards at thankyou.com.
- Earning Rates: 10X points per $1 on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked through CitiTravel.com; 3X points per $1 spent on airfare and other hotels; and 3X points at gas stations, EV charging stations, restaurants, and supermarkets.
(Terms apply)
- 4X Membership Rewards® Points at restaurants worldwide, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S. (on up to $50,000 per year in purchases, then 1X)
- 4X Membership Rewards® points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per year in purchases, then 1X)
- 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com
- 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotels and other eligible travel booked on amextravel.com
- 1X on other eligible purchases
- 5X points on Lyft rides through September 2027
- 5X points on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
- 3X points on dining at restaurants worldwide
- 3X points on eligible streaming services
- 3X points on online grocery purchases (excluding Target, Walmart, and wholesale clubs)
- 2X points on all other travel
- 1X point per dollar spent on all other purchases
- 10X points per $1 on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked through CitiTravel.com
- 3X points per $1 spent on airfare, and other hotel purchases
- 3X points per $1 spent at gas and EV charging stations
- 3X points per $1 spent on dining at restaurants, including cafes, bars and lounges
- 3X points per $1 spent at supermarkets
- 1X points per $1 spent on all other purchases
Emirates Skywards credit cards
In addition to the cards above, Barclays issues two co-branded Emirates credit cards. Both cards earn 3X Skywards miles on Emirates spending, 2X miles on other travel spending, and 1X on all other purchases. Neither is as ideal as the transferable rewards card options above. At best, you'll earn the same number of miles on travel spend. But you'll lose the flexibility of transferring your points to other programs besides Emirates Skywards.
The Emirates Skywards Rewards World Elite Mastercard® has an annual fee of $99, while the Emirates Skywards Premium World Elite Mastercard® has a $499 annual fee, but it does come with Priority Pass lounge access.
Related: When Do Emirates Skywards Miles Expire?
Final Thoughts
If you have yet to visit Dubai, consider adding an Emirates stopover in the UAE's largest city the next time you book a Skywards award ticket. Or plan to visit one of the several locations where Emirates has a fifth freedom stop.
If you aren't using miles, you can also take advantage of Emirates' Dubai Connect service on a long layover. These are all cool ways to add another destination to your itinerary and get more out of your trip.
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: American Express® Gold Card (Rates & Fees), and Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (Rates & Fees)
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